• Feature

Held annually in Bologna, Italy, the Bologna Children’s Book Fair Illustrators Exhibition has long been regarded as a pinnacle of achievement for illustrators worldwide. Being selected for this exhibition is considered a great honor among artists.

“The Bologna Illustrators Exhibition” marks the first officially authorized exhibition in Taiwan after a 15-year hiatus. This major exhibition features a total of 380 works by 75 illustrators from 19 countries, all of whom were selected for the 2014 Bologna Illustrators Exhibition. Among them are two outstanding Taiwanese illustrators: Hung Yi-Ching and Tom Niu (Liu Chen-Kuo).

Through this exhibition, audiences in Taiwan are able to experience world-class illustration without traveling abroad, while also gaining insight into the creative visions of leading illustrators from around the globe.

• Artwork Introduction

Artist: Miura Taro

Exhibited Work: Worker Template

Born in Aichi, Japan in 1968, Miura Taro graduated from the Fine Arts Department of Osaka University of Arts in 1991, majoring in silkscreen printing. After graduation, he began his career as a professional illustrator.In 2001, his work was selected for the Bologna Children’s Book Fair Illustrators Exhibition for the first time, and from 2003 onward he was selected for four consecutive years. Miura is known for working with oil markers, opaque acrylic watercolors, and paper cutouts. After scanning his artwork, he digitally recomposes and recolors the images on the computer. His illustrations feature simple lines and vivid colors, and have been chosen as cover images for Japanese elementary school language textbooks. He is also the author of many well-known picture books.

Artist: Liu Chen Kuo

Selected Work: The Scariest Day

Born in 1966, Liu Chen Kuo is a highly acclaimed picture book creator with numerous awards. His selected work for the 2014 Bologna Illustrators Exhibition, The Scariest Day, tells the story of the protagonist Ling-Ling, who is terrified of having to go on stage. To avoid facing this fear, she would rather imagine disasters such as tsunamis, earthquakes, alien invasions, or being chased by giant monsters.

With warmth and empathy, Liu Chen Kuo gently comforts young readers, showing them that once they finish reading this book, nothing feels scary anymore.

Artist: Iching Hung

Selected Work: Le Visiteur

Born in 1981, Iching Hung’s selected work “Le Visiteur” was inspired by her experience in an artist residency exchange program in Australia in 2006. Living in an unfamiliar city felt like being an alien visitor, approaching the world with childlike curiosity while embarking on a journey of inner and artistic exploration.The main character in “Le Visiteur” is derived from the form of a guppy fish, combined with bright yellow, vivid red, and luminous blue tones that evoke folk art aesthetics. These colors are paired with black to create a striking visual contrast. Geometric patterns commonly found in Australian Indigenous art are also incorporated into the illustrations, transforming them into personal symbols that mark her experience of living there.

Artist: Page Tsou

Selected Work: Flying Feathers
Selected Year: 2011
Award: New Talent Award, 2011

Flying Feathers is the award-winning work with which Page Tsou received the highest honor at the Bologna Children’s Book Fair in 2011. The project originated from an invitation by American artist Ray King to collaborate on the publication for a public art project at Luzhou Station in New Taipei City. While Ray King created a public artwork featuring feathers, Tsou translated the concept of public art into a picture book for children.

Through this work, Tsou hoped to express how feathers—like magic and art—can travel through the cities and rooms we inhabit, bringing a better quality of life to the people.

Artist: Chen Ying-Fan

Selected Work: If I Had a Pet
Selected Year: 2011

Fan’s selected work If I Had a Pet comes from a playful role reversal between humans and animals. “Humans think they are keeping pets, but perhaps these animals believe humans exist to serve them.”
If humans became the pets of cats, dogs, rabbits, guinea pigs, and other adorable animals, what would the world look like? Through her illustrations, Chen Ying-Fan invites readers to let their imaginations run free.

Artist: Ali Ginger

Selected Work: Cycle
Selected Year: 2012

Ali Ginger’s work Cycle was inspired by the Fukushima nuclear disaster following the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake, and later developed into a complete series. The illustrations depict shocking scenes of animals transformed into monsters as a result of nuclear contamination, while also conveying heartfelt wishes for the regeneration and sustainability of nature.

Through this contrast, the work reflects deep concern and hope regarding environmental protection. As a result, it received strong recognition from Japanese judges at the 2012 Bologna Illustrators Exhibition.

Artist: Cheng-Ting Shih

Selected Work: Moonlight
Selected Year: 2013

Born in 1960, Cheng-Ting Shih has been active in the illustration field for many years and has published numerous works and received multiple awards. “Moonlight spills across the table. In the stillness of the night, a traveler moves between pencil holders, tape dispensers, and drawing tools, embarking on one wondrous journey after another.”
The selected work Moonlight uses pencil sketches to convey the solitude of a traveler accompanied only by moonlight along the road. In essence, it is a personal creative monologue, weaving Shih’s years of perseverance in the illustration industry into the artwork. With a restrained yet timeless color palette, the work allowed him to stand out on the grand stage of Bologna.