Despite receiving an invitation to display their work at the Pompidou Centre in Paris next year, Taiwanese comic book artists are short of funding because the central government is not subsidizing the event, sources said.
At present, the artists have insufficient money to pay for airplane tickets to and from Paris as well as accommodations while there and this situation is directly impacting whether the center will be able to host a “Taiwan Week” exhibition, as it has indicated, with minimal or no Taiwanese participation, sources added.
According to sources, the total cost for comic book artists to attend the Pompidou event would be NT$450,000, including airfare and lodging, with participating artists expected to cover those costs and other expenses while in Paris.
Fortunately, most of the invited Taiwanese comic book artists are able to display their work digitally, thereby avoiding travel and insurance costs, sources said, adding that most were even willing to authorize the centre to use their works free-of-charge, greatly reducing the cost of the exhibition.
The Pompidou Centre’s Asia Animation Event convener Boris Tissot expressed great interest in holding a Taiwan Week during a visit to Taiwan in September last year. Tissot not only found Taiwanese comic book artists based in France willing to help contribute to the organization of a Taiwan Week, but also contacted the Taipei Representative Office in France to convey the invitation.
Tissot informed the office of the possibility of holding a Taiwan Week during the event, but said that some degree of financial assistance would be necessary and officials said they would report back to the central government, sources said.
The office invited Tissot to further talks on the matter over a meal during the Angouleme International Comics Festival this year, and promised to make every effort to provide financial assistance for the comic book artists to attend the event.
It was not until August and September the parties discovered that with the approaching upgrade of the Government Information Office (GIO) — originally in charge of all domestic comic book-related affairs — to a cultural affairs ministry, funding for all comic book-related events had been frozen.
At present, there are also problems locating lodgings for Taiwanese comic book artists, because the Taiwan Culture Center in Paris considers such apartments to be reserved for artists who will be resident for a minimum of one year. Because the comic book artists will be in Paris for no more than a week, officials have said lodgings would not be available.
Noting that China’s Confucius Institutes cover all costs when China has a chance to participate in such events — not only footing the bill for all invited artists, but also arranging talks and symposiums — that Korean comic book artists are funded by their own international culture exchange foundation and Japan has the Kyoto International Manga Museum to help them resolve such problems, the source said that in comparison, “Taiwanese comic book artists are all on their own.”
Translated by Jake Chung, Staff Writer
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