EsplanadeView_ljeto_2024_21_05 / Author: Sara Dakić
INTERVIEW: IVANA ARMANINI
Comics are a Medium That Speaks About All Dimensions of the Human Being, Asking Questions and Seeking New Answers / Strip je medij koji progovara o svim dimenzijama ljudskog bića, postavlja pitanja i traži nove odgovore
The artist who launched the web project Komikaze talks about comics as a medium, the reasons for launching the platform, and the award they won at Europe’s largest comics festival, the Festival International de la Bande Dessinée in Angoulême, France. / Umjetnica koja je pokrenula web-projekt „Komikaze“ govori o stripu kao mediju, razlozima pokretanja platforme te nagradi koju su osvojili na najvećem europskom festivalu stripa, Festival international de la bande dessinée u francuskom gradu Angoulêmeu.
Ivana Armanini is a versatile artist from Zagreb. After graduating from the Academy of Fine Arts, she has been working as an illustrator, designer and photographer. However, she is best known as a comic book author. More than twenty years ago, wishing to bring together comics by diverse authors in one place, she launched Komikaze, a web project that produces, promotes and distributes authorial comics. Komikaze brings together authors from different parts of the world dedicated to the research of social issues and activism, and various exhibitions, projects, workshops and guest appearances have been held as part of the project. The platform generates a lot of traffic and is known among comic book artists for its social media presence, which, at least in part, solves the problems of publishing and distribution.
The long-standing project by Ivana Armanini, whose passion for comics and hard work have paid off, won an award in 2020 at Europe’s largest comics festi- val, the Festival International de la Bande Dessinée in Angoulême, France. The album Komikaze #18 was named the best alternative comic book. The award-winning album features 10 authors from Croa- tia, three from Serbia and Italy, and one from France, North Macedonia, Portugal, the Czech Republic, Belgium, Japan and the USA. Since then, Komikaze has become known by those interested in comics in France and beyond.
/ Ivana Armanini svestrana je umjetnica iz Zagreba. Nakon završene Akademije likovnih umjetnosti radi kao ilustratorica, dizajnerica i fotografkinja. Ipak, najpoznatija je kao autorica stripova. U želji da na jednom mjestu okupi autorske stripove, prije više od dvadeset godina pokrenula je „Komikaze“, web-projekt koji proizvodi, promovira i distribuira autorski strip. „Komikaze“ okupljaju autore iz raznih dijelova svijeta posvećene istraživanju socijalnih pitanja i aktivizma, a u sklopu projekta održane su razne izložbe, projekti, radionice i gostovanja. Platforma ima veliku posjeće- nost, a poznata je među stripašima i po raširenosti na društvenim mrežama, što, barem djelomično, rješava probleme izdavaštva i distribucije.
As I was interested in comics, which did not exist in a form acceptable to me at the time, I started the Komikaze website with my friends, which was followed by the magazi- ne shortly afterwards and, in 2008, the association saw that as the price of freedom. As I was interested in comics, which did not exist in a form acceptable to me at the time, I started the Komikaze website with my friends, which was followed by the magazine shortly afterwards and, in 2008, the association. Through Komikaze-related activities, I am continuously working on my comics: they motivate me, question me and push me forward. I was granted the independent artist status immediately at the first revision as a result of more than twenty-five years of professional work, so I am no longer subject to revisions until further notice. This impressive “art boss status” looks great as a Facebook post, but it is basically a projection of a €250 pension through the minimum art-pension coefficient in Croatia, which is the same as the amount received by someone who only completed elementary school, for example. They say that this is also the price of freedom.
li graditi samo tuđe snove kako bi preživio (baveći se artom kad uhvatiš vremena), već da možeš i neku svoju ideju kreativno pretočiti u stvarnost kroz projektne kolaboracije i donatorsku podršku. To je tražilo neke minimalne menadžerske i administrativne vještine, ali to sam vidjela kao cijenu slobode. Kako me zanimao strip, kojeg tada nije bilo u meni prihvatljivoj formi, pokrenula sam s prijateljima web-stranicu „Komikaze“, nedugo zatim i časopis te 2008. udrugu. Kroz akcije „Komikaze“ kontinuirano radim i na svojim stripovima: motiviraju me, preispituju i guraju naprijed. Status samostalne umjetnice priznat mi je odmah na prvoj reviziji za preko dvadeset i pet godina profesionalnog rada unazad tako da ne podliježem više revizijama do daljnjeg. Taj moj zvučni “art boss status” djeluje sjajno kao objava na Facebooku, ali je u osnovi projekcija od 250,00 eura mirovine kroz minimalni koeficijent art-penzije u Hrvatskoj, koliko pripadne nekomu, recimo, sa završenom osnovnom školom. Kažu da je i to cijena slobode.
You have had and still have a very interesting career path that stands out from that of fellow artists with a degree from the Academy of Fine Arts.
Ovaj dugogodišnji projekt Ivane Armanini, čiji su se strast prema stripu i vrijedni rad isplatili, osvojio je 2020. nagradu na najvećemu europskom festivalu stripa, Festival international de la bande dessinée u francuskom gradu Angoulêmeu. Za najbolji alternativni strip proglašen je album Komikaze #18. U na- građenom je albumu 10 autora iz Hrvatske, po tri iz Srbije i Italije te po jedan iz Francuske, Sjeverne Ma- kedonije, Portugala, Češke, Belgije, Japana i SAD-a. Od tada, za „Komikaze“ su čuli svi oni koji se zanimaju za strip u Francuskoj, ali i šire.
After completing 10 years of fine arts education (School of Applied Arts, the Academy), my professor Đuro Seder entered my work for some of my first professional awards (the Rector’s Award, Zagrebačka banka). So, this professional path started in the early 90s and continued for the next seven years, with a series of group painting exhibitions in Klovićevi dvori, Mimara and other museums, galleries and salons in Zagreb, Split and Osijek. After graduating from the Academy, I also visited art colonies (Montegridolfo, Kornati, Gorica Enamel Factory, Neretva, Daruvar, etc.), while doing typical freelance art jobs (illustrations for textbooks and picture books; art, drawing and writing classes in public and private schools; restoration). At the turn of the century, while socialising with people from the independent scene (film, publishing and theatre), I realised that you didn’t need to be just a cog in the machine and/or to build other people’s dreams to survive (doing art when you find the time), but that you can also turn your own creative ideas into reality through project collaborations and donor support. It required some minimal managerial and administrative skills, but I
Imali ste i imate još uvijek vrlo zanimljiv karijerni put koji odskače od onoga vaših kolega s diplomom Akademije likovnih umjetnosti.
Kako me zanimao strip, kojeg tada nije bilo u meni prihvatljivoj formi, pokrenula sam s prijateljima web-stranicu „Komikaze“, nedugo zatim i časopis te 2008. udrugu
Nakon završenih 10 godina umjetničkog školovanja (Primijenjena, Akademija) moj me profesor Đuro Se- der prijavio za prve strukovne nagrade (Rektorova, Zagrebačke banke). Tako da taj profesionalni put kre- će ranih 90-ih i nastavlja se narednih sedam godina, s nizom grupnih slikarskih izložbi u Klovićevim dvorima, Mimari i drugim muzejima, galerijama i salonima Zagreba, Splita i Osijeka. Nakon završenog fakulteta gostujem i na likovnim kolonijama (Montegridolfo, Kornati, Tvornica emajla Gorica, Neretva, Daruvar i dr.), paralelno s klasičnim freelance likovnjačkim poslovima (ilustracije za udžbenike i slikovnice; satovi likovnog, crtanja i pisanja u školama i u privatnoj nastavi; restauracija baštine). Početkom 20. stoljeća, družeći se s ljudima s nezavisne scene (iz filmske, izdavačke i kazališne branše), otkrila sam da nije nužno raditi kao kotačić u nekome zadanom sistemu i
