Ville Tietavainen did it again!

Ville Tietavainen did it again! What we know about his new book, Vain Pahaa Unta (Just Bad Dreams) written and drawn together with his daughter Aino, now 7 years, fills us all with anticipation and admiration.

Aino used to have bad dreams, and woke up crying. She was only three years when she, for the first time, described a nightmare to Ville, who wrote it down in a notebook. Finally, Ville managed to convince Aino that talking about the nightmares would make her feel better.

These nocturnal talks resulted in an album, describing the nightmares, just like Ville had written them down, and drawings made by both of them. The process was not simple, because Aino did not always approve Ville’s drafts.

The title of the book in Finnish is Vain Pahaa Unta (Just Bad Dreams) and the cover has a poignant drawing where Aino and Dad walk hand in hand on a suspension bridge.

The cover

The book should be available in bookshops in Finland today (July 30, 2013).  Ville has kindly given us permission to show some of the illustrations:

Troll Orc  (6 years) Dream No 16

Let's not read this, please?

A vignette from the book

Ville Tietavainen is a comic artist, graphic designer and architect. He has been awarded several prizes for his work. He is a member of World Comics Finland and he has taught in our workshops in India and Tanzania.

Frank Odoi's artwork will go on sale in Nairobi

July 15 to 19, Alliance Francaise, Nairobi

Artwork by the late iconic African Comics artist Frank Odoi will go on exhibition at Alliance Française, Nairobi. It includes the Akokhan, Golgoti and The Male Syndrome series plus many others. The artist’s original artworks and digital prints are being offered for sale to the art and culture loving public with proceeds going to his family for the education of his grandchildren.

Frank settled in Kenya over 30 years ago from his native Ghana. His work appeared in various newspapers in the East African region including The Daily Nation, The Standard, The Star and The Daily Monitor. One of the most celebrated of his works is Akokhan, the “Sword and Sorcery” comics series that was published in book form four years ago. Frank died in April 2012 in a traffic accident in Nairobi leaving behind a widow, Monicah Carol, three daughters, Maureen, Francesca and Francine, and four grandchildren.

Frank Odoi has many admirers and fans in Finland.  If you have a contact in Nairobi, send that person to the Alliance Francaise  in Nairobi between  July 15 to 19. A unique chance to buy some Frank Odoi originals.

Frank at his desk in Nairobi in 2011. Picture: Leif Packalen

Comics workshop at the Homelessness Fair, Hyvinkää Art Museum

"Zero Euros and Hungry", a detail from one of the workshop's comics 

Katja Tukiainen wrote this post for our blog:

"During two sunny days in May 2013, in the comic workshop at Hyvinkää Art Museum I learned what homelessness looks like in a Southern Finnish town. I had invited 12 persons to participate in a social comics workshop. I invited people who had experiences of homelessness. I got 14 devoted participants. They all came to tell their stories in the format of comics. Those people were young adults and older, looking like you and me. They looked not like classic vagabonds or bearded men who live under the bridges. 

They had a lot to tell about homelessness in today's Finland, what it feels like and what are the reasons behind it. Reading these stories made me first silent and then filled me once again with a burst of need to do something. These stories do tell us that you can do a lot as a self made man, but the society also has a big responsibility. It is not fair to say that every one is an architect of her/his own fortune.

The workshop gave a voice to the participants. They were free to say what they wanted in their comics. These comics are real stories, black humour and poetic metaphors. The comics' originals were installed in the museum, and the huge weather-proof prints are displayed on the street of Hyvinkää city for the whole of this summer."

- The Homelessness Fair 14.6.-1.9.2013 at Hyvinkää Art museum has documentaries about homelessness, curated by artists Jani Leinonen and Riiko Sakkinen. A social comics workshop about homelessness was instructed by visual artist Katja Tukiainen.

Ballhead, a comic about visibility in society.

"Your own home, expensive as gold"

A newspaper clipping from a local newspaper