Announce: Ojingogo and Pohadky Release Party

Ojingogo & Pohadky Release Party!
Featuring Matthew Forsythe, and Pat Shewchuk and Marek Colek
Saturday, September 27th, 2008
The Central, 603 Markham Street (next to The Beguiling)
http://facebook.com/event.php?eid=87392215320
FREE!

Drawn & Quarterly have just released two beautiful new books in their “Petit Livres” series of little books and so we’re going to throw a party! The Beguiling is proud to present the official launch party for Matt Forsythe’s Ojingogo and Pat Shewchuk and Marek Colek’s Pohadky, on Saturday September 27th at 5pm at The Central restaurant, adjacent to The Beguiling!

Matthew Forsythe is an acclaimed illustrator, blogger, and co-founder of popular illustration website Drawn.ca. His fantastic first graphic novella, Ojingogo, has already been nominated for numerous comics and publishing awards, and all before its official release! Ojingogo is an otherworldly pantomime about a girl, her squid, and the creatures and calamities they experience together, is an intrinsically expressive and deeply rewarding journey. Ojingogo is accessible for all ages, tossing aside traditional narrative conventions in favour of creating its own world, language and rules that anyone can find a home of their own in.

Pat Shewchuk and Marek Colek’s Pohadky is an illustrated marvel; the Grimm fairy tales given life beyond the limitations of their text. Translated as “folk tales” or “storybook”, Pohadky provides a tapestry of interwoven fables and morose, allegorical iconography, bringing a harsh light to the greed, loss, and submission that marks the origins of so many cultural folk tales and legends. Heavily influenced by their respective cultural backgrounds–Colek fascinated with the artistic and narrative elements in the folklore of the Czech Republic, and Shewchuk immersed in the investigation of the symbols and pictography of pre-Christian Ukrainian decorative folk arts–the artists have created a work that balances delicate, richly detailed characters and a sharp but muted visual style, and in the process have created a title that exists as so much more than mere fairy tales.

The Release Party will feature short presentations from the works as well as a moderated Q&A session with the author/artists, followed by a signing. The event is completely free to attend and appropriate for all ages, and both books will be available for sale at the event.

– Chris @ The Beguiling