“Prison” by Jheng Yuan-chin was among the 78 sets of illustrations from 31 countries and territories selected by the international jury to feature in the illustrator’s exhibition at the 2024 Bologna Children’s Book Fair April 9, spotlighting Taiwan’s creative power.
According to the Taiwan Creative Content Agency (TAICAA), Jheng, who runs a studio and teaches drawing in southern Taiwan’s Tainan City, stood out from among the 3,520 competitors. His recognized piece is part of a series entitled “Addresses of Letters.”
The work was one of 298 original titles displayed at the Taiwan Story Island-themed Taiwan Pavilion. Y. C. Tsai, head of the Taipei Representative Office in Italy, expressed hope that the pavilion would give greater exposure to Taiwan’s artists, publishers and copyright agencies and facilitate cooperation with international counterparts, sentiments echoed by TAICCA CEO Lu Jiun-wei.
For the first time this year, TAICCA participated in BolognaBookPlus, a popular publishing conference program under BCBF, where Emily Chuang from Emily Books Agency exchanged copyright views with counterparts from France, Norway and Spain. TAICCA also cooperated with BBPlus to organize 12 copyright sessions connecting domestic companies with major publishing companies in Benin, Brazil, France, Germany, South Africa and the U.S.
Launched in 1963, BCBF is one of the most influential international events dedicated to children’s publishing and the multimedia industry. This year’s edition ran from April 8-11. (POC-E)
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