International Comic Artist Conference gets underway in New Taipei

2018/06/15

The International Comic Artist Conference kicked off June 13 in New Taipei City, bringing together more than 100 cartoonists from around Asia for one of the biggest events of its kind in the region.
 
 Organized by New Taipei City Government and Taipei Comic Artist Labor Union, the 17th edition of the event features a forum on the development and future of webtoons, or digital comics, as well as activities aimed at promoting dialogue on topics like copyright law, marketing and new media development.
 
 During the conference’s three-day run, participants will visit Pingxi District to construct an oversized sky lantern symbolizing creativity and friendship. They are also scheduled to attend the opening of a special exhibition comprising artworks and illustrations by the late Taiwan comic artist Chen Uen at Taipei City-based National Palace Museum.
 
 At the launch of the event, New Taipei Mayor Eric Liluan Chu said comics are a central plank in the city’s and Taiwan’s cultural and creative industries. New Taipei is a national hub for graphic arts production and related sectors, as evidenced by the success of such events like the annual animation festival, he added.
 
 It is hoped participants will seize the opportunity to learn more about the city, and that this experience will inspire them to turn out more exceptional works, Chu said.
 
 Bolstering the ACG—anime, comics and games—sector while ensuring its profitability and standing as one of the nation’s cultural flagbearers on the international stage is a top central government priority, according to the Ministry of Culture.
 
 At the Golden Comic Awards last September in Taipei, President Tsai Ing-wen set out six policies pertaining to the ACG sector: allocating more funds for related development; encouraging and nurturing homegrown talents; expanding distribution and exhibition channels; promoting interdisciplinary collaboration; and setting up a national museum for comics.

 These policies are expected help transform the sector into a major cultural and creative industry player, as well as raise global awareness of Taiwan’s distinct cultural characteristics, the MOC said.
 
 First staged 22 years ago in Tokyo as the East Asia Comics Summit, the event assumed its current moniker in 2007. Taiwan hosted the conference in 2014, 2009 and 1999.

Source: Taiwan Today (https://taiwantoday.tw/news.php?unit=6&post=136169)