Manhua : China Comics Now

We were invited to the opening event of this exhibition this evening. Hermione and I went along and thoroughly enjoyed light refreshments (sushi featured heavily) and a relaxed preview of the exhibition.




I must confess to knowing very little whatsoever about comics, the only ones I have ever read being the comic strips in the back of the Sunday newspapers as a child, however this didn't spoil my enjoyment of the evening. Knowing what I know (again not a lot) about repression and restraints upon freedom of expression in China it was very interesting to see the undercurrents in many of the comics.


The experience promoted much discussion and debate in the car on the way home.

Why was everyone else there distinctly middle aged (I'm thinking fifty plus there) and middle class in appearance? This was a free event yet there were few people there. Hermione thought that perhaps there were no other children there because having been forced to learn things they are not interested in all day their brains ache too much to do anything else at the end of the day. Hmmm, out of the mouths of babes....


Are comics a good way for people to express their serious feelings? Hermione probably made much more valid contributions to this one than I could today. Suffering a bit of brain ache myself. Hope to do a bit of Googling and pick up on this thread of conversation over the weekend.


Should fabulous pencil drawings be taken and digitalised (I think that's the term) to make them colourful and oozing special effects? Hermione thought that perhaps this stopped them being 'true' art and that the skills of the original artist were then devalued. In some cases I'm inclined to agree, although there were things that we thought looked better digitalised and also that is as I understand it an art form itself.


When we came home Hermione messed with the Picassa programme to add special effects to a photograph which she took last week - just to see how easy it is done.

Incidentally, what do you think of this place? Last week we went on a bit of a ramble and stumbled across this magnificent building. 'What do you think it is?' I asked Miles, 'a fish and chip shop' came the reply. They're very grand you know, chippies up north.