Laughing with dead... even on All Saint's Day?

Today we remember our dead friends and relatives... buy may we laugh with death? Can one make jokes about death and funerals?

Why not. It's a way to cope with life...

Learn more:
Laughing with death cartoon exhibition in the ECC...

Zygmunt Zaradkiewicz - ECC catalogue

The first time I heard of Zygmunt Zardkiewicz was in 2012, when he visited the ECC.

Being winner of the ECC prize of the Eurokartoonale, he has now his own exhibition in the ECC.

A catalogue of his cartoons is available in the ECC and costs 10 euro.

No need to say that his art is outstanding.

Learn more:
Zaradkiewicz on ECC blog 20012

The Supermarket - Euro Kartoenale 2001

Last week I enjoyed myself looking in the 2001 catalogue of the Euro-Kartoenale. 

It reminded me at one of the basic principles of cartoons, cartoons as funny drawings. Most of the cartoons in this catalogue are very witty. After a day of work, looking in such a catalogue is really relaxing... People with symptoms of stress shouldn't practise some kind of "mindfulness", I'd rather advice to watch cartoon books. It really helps.

Reading gag cartoons books is a no-nonsense approach to fighting stress... That's my humble opinion.

Maybe yo can try this nice catalogue of the Euro-Kartoonale 2001 (Kruishoutem). This catalogue is still available in the ECC.

cartoon by Canary Pete

Gruzdaitis Andrius

Klaus Braunlinger

Michel Roman

Yordanoff Raul Jordan

who's signature is this?

Ross Thomson

cartoon by... (who can read the signature?)

Learn more:

Ecc Kruisthoutem

Euro-Kartoenale Kruishoutem 2015

The theme of the 20th edition of the Euro-Kartoenale was soil pollution and sanitation. Not an easy theme, but again cartoonists from all over the world showed their creativity and made excellent cartoons. The Euro-Kartoenale has the reputation to be one of the best rated cartoon competitions in the world. The best cartoons were selected for the catalogue (available in the ECC for 15 eur).

ECC in-house cartoonist Cost promotes the catalogue...

Some impressions of the award and opening ceremony on March 28...

ECC team drawn by Marco D'Agostino 

Sven Gatz, Minister of Culture

nice presentation by Saskia

the winners... 

cover award goes to Nikola Ioa Hendrickx

catalogues for sale chez Monique...

Trashbeatz... great performance

Doru Axinte

Learn more:
more photos of the Euro-Kartoenale and the cartoonists on Facebookpage ECC

World Gallery of Cartoons 2014

My Egyptian friend Wesam Kahlil sent me the 42. World Gallery of Cartoons catalogue (Skopje 2014). Osten is a renowned art gallery is Skopje, Macedonia.

Let's enjoy some cartoons...

Sava Babic

Valentin Druzhinin

Ivailo Tsvetkov

Raoul Fernanco Zuleta

Lubomir Kotrha

Luc Descheemaeker 

Slobodan Srdic

Learn more:
www.osten.com.mk

Arestide Esteban Hernandez Guerrero - ARES

I was pleased to meet with Ares (Havana, Cuba,1963) in the ECC on the occasion of the opening of his exhibition. I was told before that Ares is one of the world's leading cartoonists. He is indeed.

In his cartoons you'll notice his interest for the human body. Not surprising because he is a doctor of medicine specialised in psychiatry.

He has published many books.
"The book "Ares Trazo Consentido" (Ares, trace with sense) is an attempt to make a selection out of the great visual universe its author has produced with artistic confidence since the 80s. It's a reduced and useful anthology of a portion of his work."

"Aristides Esteban Hernandez Guerrero, better known as ARES, was born in Havana Cuba, in 1963. He studied medicine and psychiatry and is a self taught cartoonist, illustrator and painter. He lives and works in Havana.

His first cartoon was published in 1984, and subsequently many others have appeared in newspapers and magazines all over the world. He has published 24 books and illustrated more than 80 others. He has made oil paintings and worked in TV and Film, making animated short films (filminutos) based on his artwork.

He has participated in many international cartoon competitions and has been rewarded with 102 national and 133 international awards. He has been a judge in cartoon contests in Mexico, Italy, Brazil, Turkey, Cuba, and Iran ... He has given lectures on cartoons and comics in Cuba, Iran, Mexico, Colombia, Turkey, Canada, Spain, Venezuela and Finland.

Ares was nominated by Witty World Magazine (US) to be admitted to the register of the best cartoonists in the world. In Cuba he received the Quevedos Iberoamerican Cartoon Award, and he was included in the list of the 20 best Cuban cartoonists of the 20th century. In 2002 he received the National Culture Medal from the Cuban Cultural Minister.

He is the vice president of the National Association of the Cuban Artists and Writers Union and vice president of the Comic and Cartoon Department of the Jose Marti International Institute of Journalism." (ECC)

Learn more:
www.areshumour.com
ECC exhibition
Ares cartoons - CartoonMovement
Ares on CartoonGallery