ART/CULTURE
Visions of Taiwan TEXT: ROMA MEHTA IMAGES: JON RENZELLA, BRONWEN SHELWELL, FABIENNE GOOD
Visions of Taiwan is a compilation of short stories illustrated in comic book style, giving short bites of the artists’ experience of Taiwan. I asked Ray Brecht and Bronwell Shelwell what inspired them to create this project.
Ray says he has always loved comics and published his first book ‘Always Goodbye’ in 2019. That's when he came up with the idea of an anthology showcasing English speaking cartoonists. As an art teacher and lecturer, Bronwell knows how tough it is for emerging artists to find a platform and she wanted to help make some kind of creative space for expression.
“Taiwan has an incredibly deep pool of artistic talent, there are always markets, craft pop ups, conventions, festivals and I wanted to find a way to bring those people together in one project. I have always loved bringing together artists, curating exhibitions and finding platforms to share art.” ~ Bronwell Even though all of them found it quite challenging to work on the editing and formatting of the book, they found that the whole process of working with other artists and writers, compiling the works, and appreciating their unique styles, has been very satisfying. One of the artists, Fabienne, feels she learned a lot through the experience, creating a good balance between visuals and text and also working in monotone.
A Slug's View by Bronwen Shelwell
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WINTER 2023 www.communitycenter.org.tw
“Ironically the part of the project that was the most challenging ended up being the most fun, it’s a little like when you start to see a puzzle you’re building start to take shape, and you start finding the right pieces.” ~ Bronwell
