Artist Talk: Illustrating City Life (A programme of Francophonie Festival 2025)
Artist Talk: Illustrating City Life
(A Programme of Francophonie Festival 2025)
Organisers:
Hong Kong Arts Centre (Comix Home Base),
Alliance Francaise de HK,
Consulate General of Switzerland in Hong Kong,
Consulate General of France in Hong Kong and Macau
2023/24 & 2024/25 The Arts Talents Internship Matching Programme is supported by the Hong Kong Arts Development Council.
Speaker: VAMILLE (Switzerland comics artist and illustrator)
Guest Speaker: Pearl LAW (Hong Kong comics artist and illustrator)
Dates: 02.03.2025 (SUN)
Time: 15:00-17:00
Venue: Eric Hotung Studio (LB/F, Hong Kong Arts Centre, 2 Harbour Road, Wan Chai)
Conducted in English and in Cantonese
Quota: 50
Free Admission
Online registration is required. Places are limited on a first-come-first-served basis.
The Hong Kong Arts Centre (Comix Home Base) and the Alliance Francaise de HK, Consulate General of Switzerland in Hong Kong, Consulate General of France in Hong Kong and Macau have invited Vamille, a Swiss illustrator, to share her creative insights with local creators and readers.
Vamille has had a passion for drawing since childhood. She won the Audience Award at the Dessinateur de Demain competition at the BDFIL festival during her studies. Her autobiographical comic, Fleurs Intestinales, was shortlisted in the top 6 of the international comics competition for the Raymond Leblanc Prize in Belgium and is expected to be released in 2025. At the beginning of 2023, Vamille embarked on an artist residency in Japan, where she created the first chapter of the comic Uogokoro Areba Mizugokoro–The Story of Sakana Kid. This work blends Western comics and manga styles in a silent narrative, capturing the story of a fish’s adventures in bustling Tokyo. The project was exhibited in Tokyo at the artist residency gallery Almost Perfect in March 2023 and was also featured as a special exhibit at the BDFIL festival in Lausanne. It will now be displayed at the Hong Kong Central Library.
We are pleased to invite Pearl Law, a Hong Kong illustrator, comics artist and zine publisher, as the guest speaker for this event. Much of her work takes inspiration from humour, literature, history, and behavioural observations. She loves to play around with visual wit and explores the best narrative possible through problem-solving.
During the sharing session, Vamille will discuss how she tells stories through drawing and engage in a profound cultural and creative exchange with Pearl Law. The two young creators, who navigate different countries, will also share their respective creative journeys, sources of inspiration, and the challenges they face.
This artist talk will be a rare opportunity to understand how Vamille and Peral Law showcase the power of silent narrative through illustration and comics.
About VAMILLE
Vamille, whose real name is Camille Vallotton, is a comic book creator and illustrator based in Fribourg.
Vamille has been passionate about painting since childhood. When she grew up, she decided to pursue illustration and comics as her profession. In 2013, she enrolled at HEAD-Genève in the Images and Narratives program (currently Illustration and Comics). During her studies, she won the Audience Award at the Dessinateur de Demain competition at the BDFil festival in 2014. After completing her studies, she spent six months in the Netherlands doing an internship at Joost Swarte's studio in Haarlem.
In 2016, she was awarded the Töpffer Prize for Young Comics Creators by the Canton of Geneva for her graduation comic book Speculum Mortis, which was published in late 2018 by Hélice Hélas. She went on to publish several children's books and comics with various publishers in Switzerland, France, and South Korea. In 2021, she embarked on an autobiographical comic project, Fleurs intestinales, and made it to the top 6 of the international comics competition for the Raymond Leblanc Prize in Belgium. This achievement allowed her to refine her project and secure a Pro Helvetia grant for comic book creation, as well as a contract with the Sarbacane publishing house. The project is set to be released in 2025.
Meanwhile, Vamille decided to fulfill a childhood dream. After years of patience, she embarked on an artist residency in Japan at the beginning of 2023. She wanted to reconnect with her first love—manga—which had originally sparked her passion for comics. She spent three months primarily in Tokyo, where she created the first chapter of a manga, Uogokoro Areba Mizugokoro–The Story of Sakana Kid. This work blends Western comics and manga styles in a silent narrative, capturing the story of a fish’s adventures in bustling Tokyo. The project was exhibited in Tokyo at the artist residency gallery Almost Perfect in March 2023 and was also featured as a special exhibit at the BDFIL festival in Lausanne. Since then, the exhibition has traveled from Fribourg to La Paz, Bolivia, and is soon heading to Hong Kong.
Website: www.vamille.com | Facebook: VamilleCa | Instagram: @vamilleca
About Pearl LAW
Pearl Law is an illustrator and comic artist based in Hong Kong. She graduated from University of the West of England with a degree in Illustration. Much of her work takes inspiration from humour, literature, history, and behavioural observations. She loves to play around with visual wit and explores the best narrative possible through problem-solving. Her select clients include Tatler Hong Kong, Louis Vuitton, Design Anthology, etc. For the past two years, her comics have been a part of ShortBox Comics Fair.
Website: pearlperoni.com | Facebook: pearlperoni | Instagram: @pearlperoni
About Hong Kong Arts Centre
Art for Passion, Art for Life, Art for All
Since 1977, the Hong Kong Arts Centre (HKAC) has been a platform for nurturing and supporting artists, and infusing art into everyday life. Its unique arts and educational programmes aim to make the arts accessible for all. The HKAC believes in the transformational power of art for people from all walks of life. Established more than four decades ago, the HKAC brings art to the people of Hong Kong – by presenting programmes for visual arts, performing arts, moving images and media arts, comics and animation. Other areas also cover arts education, conferences, festivals, public art and community projects, all done with the vision and mission of engaging and inspiring creativity in the Hong Kong community.
In 2000, HKAC founded its educational arm, Hong Kong Art School (HKAS). The HKAS provides award-bearing programmes to nurture artists and art practitioners, as well as short enrichment courses for the general public. The HKAC aspires to engage everyone in the community to become an active participant in the arts – as an enthusiast, an artist or a patron.
Let’s continue to embrace ‘Art for Passion, Art for Life, Art for All’, and share the inspiration.
Official website: hkac.org.hk | Facebook: Hong Kong Arts Centre | Instagram: @hongkongartscentre
About Comix Home Base
Comics and animation are important local pop culture and artistic creations. Hong Kong Arts Centre (HKAC) has been dedicated to planning and organising diverse and unique activities to promote the arts and culture of comics and animation to the local community and abroad.
Since 2006, HKAC curated Comix Home Base project (CHB), and has been working closely with comics artists, animators, industry practitioners and various government departments to promote local works. Over 800 ani-com-related events are hosted, such as exhibitions, talks, workshops, performances, publications, screenings, public arts, etc.
In recent years, Comix Home Base has continued to proactively orchestrate cross-media collaborations and look for crossovers between comics and different media like public art, movie, dance, intangible cultural heritage, martial arts etc., expanding the creative space for comix. Outside Hong Kong, the footprints of Comix Home Base can be found overseas in France, Belgium, Britain, Germany, Finland, Sweden, Japan, Mainland China, Taiwan, China, Singapore, Korea, Russia, Indonesia and Portugal etc. This has facilitated the involvement of numerous Hong Kong comics artists in international collaboration projects. Also, local comics have been successfully published in different foreign versions in European countries and the United States, increasing the international recognition of local comics and animation artists.
Comix Home Base is fully committed to creating a platform for the flourishing art of Hong Kong anime and comics and to elevating comics that are ’made in Hong Kong’ to the global stage with stakeholders.
Official website: www.comixhomebase.com.hk | Facebook: hkacchb | Instagram: @comixhomebase
