The 6th Tallinn Illustrations Triennial Pildi jõud has brought to the galleries of the National Library a wide variety of illustrations from all over the world. This year’s exhibition shows works from Estonia, Italy, Spain, Canada, China, Portugal, Israel, Mexico and many other countries.
The Tallinn Illustrations Triennial is a unique international exhibition of illustrations in the Baltic Sea countries, traditionally stretching across all the galleries of the National Library. The exhibition of original illustrations is accompanied by a display of books illustrated by artists participating in the exhibition. Curator Viive Noor gives an insight into the history of the triennial: “The first exhibition in 2003 covered ten Baltic Sea countries, showing the works of their best illustrators. The 5th triennial was a turning point, inviting a wider range of countries to participate as guests. This extension was a step into the right direction and the present triennial already involves artists from all over the world. Estonia is a small country and we cannot compete with the world’s largest biennials and triennials which introduce hundreds of top illustrators. Considering the space and resources available to us, we have to select the participants with particular care. This triennial shows the illustrations of 79 artists representing 20 countries. All these artists belong to the best of their country, and half of them can be considered as the world’s elite of illustrators.”
The laureates of 2020 were announced at the festive ceremony on 3 November. An international jury of six members awarded the Grand Prix to Amanda Mijangos from Mexico. Ten equal diplomas were given to Kadi Kurema (Estonia), Viive Noor (Estonia), Regina Lukk-Toompere (Estonia), Marco Somà (Italy), Joanna Concejo (Poland), Ana Juan (Spain), João Vaz De Carvalho (Portugal), Natalie Pudaov (Israel), Chao Zhang (China) and Manon Gauthier (Canada).
A number of special awards were given: the special award of the National Library of Estonia to Regina Lukk-Toompere (Estonia), the special award of the Estonian Children’s Literature Centre to Katrin Ehrlich (Estonia), the special awards of the Estonian Artists’ Association to Anu Kalm (Estonia) and Xiaofei Yue (China), the special award of the Estonian Section of IBBY to Manon Gauthier (Canada).
In parallel with the triennial, the Estonian Children’s Literature Centre shows the solo exhibition of Alessia Bravo (Italy), the Grand Prix winner of the previous triennial in 2017.
The triennial has been organised by the Estonian Graphic Designers’ Association, Estonian Children’s Literature Centre and National Library of Estonia. The triennial is supported by the Cultural Endowment of Estonia, Tallinn Culture Department, Estonian Section of IBBY, Estonian Artists’ Association, Estonian Embassy in Moscow and Estonian Consulate in St. Petersburg.
The exhibition of the illustrations triennial will be open until 30 November. A selection of works can be seen on Facebook.
Questions and media inquiries: press@nlib.ee
