JURY FROM WORLD PRESS CARTOON 2013 – SINTRA, PORTUGAL
Marilena Nardi
Marilena Nardi was born in 1966 in Chiampo, near Vicenza (Italy). After getting a degree in Art in 1986 and in Sculpture in 1990, she started teaching. She has been teaching Artistic Anatomy at the Academy of Fine Arts in Venice since 1992 and Illustration since 2003. Attracted also by humour graphic art, Nardi has participated in hundreds of exhibitions of cartoon and illustration in Italy and around the world. She has been awarded a large number of prizes. Some of her works are present in the following museums of humour art: Bajardo, Bronzolo, Tolentino, Istanbul, Tehran, Zemun and in the Museum of Science and Technology in Milan. She collaborated with many Italian newspapers and magazines, such as «Il Corriere della Sera», «Il fatto quotidiano», «Diario», «Gente Money», «Borsa & Finanza», «Avvenimenti», «Salute Naturale», «Il nostro budget» and «Monthly». She created the illustrations of the animated fairy tale «How deserts were born» for the TV program «The moon upside down».
Like travelling through the time.
Evaluate the works from Sintra World Press Cartoon is like travelling through the time. For three days, you look back at all the key people and main events of the past year. But you don’t leave Sintra with a confused mind because the huge talent of Graphic Humour is the capability to write history in a comical but clear way. The facts and the opinions of the authors travel fast through pencils, brushes and colours. And while entertaining, they help people reflect. It is a great art that is supported and nourished here and a merit the organizers of this event have to be thanked for.
I think that the jury has been able to work well. Rules and evaluation criteria were clear: the combination of graphic quality, message clearness and, obviously sense of humour. Less obvious was the identification of the winners because works short-listed were all excellent. I heartily thank the organization committee because, to be here, for me has meant a lot; an honour, a privilege, an occasion to discuss, to share views, and above all a great pleasure.
Ricardo Antunes
Ricardo Antunes was born in Sao Paulo, Brazil, in 1965. Since 1982, he has been working as an illustrator, graphic designer and publisher, always in his own studio. Between 1985 and 1990, he was teaching at Pan-american School of Art (São Paulo), considered as one of the 30 most important art schools in the world. In 1990 he has transferred his studio to Lisbon and working with leading advertising agencies, while keeping in close touch with São Paulo market. Besides illustration, he is also devoted to the arts, particularly to watercolours, and has taken part in several exhibitions. In 2007, he wrote and organized the «Illustrator’s Guide”, an award winning electronic publication with huge success, dedicated to vocational guidance, nowadays with more than 100,000 downloads. In the same year, he launched the magazine «Illustrate”, a digital publication focused on illustration that has grown, evolved and became the Reference Press publishers aiming at publishing artists’ books in the field of illustration.
A unique form of expression understood in any place, anywhere.
It has been a huge honour to have received the invitation to join the jury of the World Press Cartoon, as the Saloon is highly respected worldwide. The experience of being a part of this jury was unique, since we are able work with some of the most recognized illustration and cartoon professionals, exchanging experiences in a warm and welcoming environment. It is extremely interesting to see that all the assessed works are of the highest level, thus showing how the work of humour has been done in a serious and professional way. Another curious thing is seeing how humour and cartoons are universal languages: although the works have been sent from the widest variety of countries all over the world, they use a unique form of expression, understood anywhere and in any language. The event´s organisation is also to be congratulated as the integrity with which the regulations are followed, in a clear and transparent way, is evidence of the World Press Cartoon credibility.
Riber Hansson
Riber Hansson, Riber for art signature, changed profession at the age of 40 from engineer to newspaper artist. For the following three decades he has been published in turn by the Swedish newspapers «Dagens Industri», «Svenska Dagbladet» and «Sydsvenskan» – the latter his main publisher as in-house cartoonist. His works also appear regularly in several international media and many of his works have been on show in exhibitions. Selected drawings are collected in books. Riber had 14 one-man exhibitions and has contributed to more than 40 collective ones. Three books with his own editorial cartoons and other five in co-authorship. The list could be extended by his book-covers and illustrations for more than 20 books for children and adults. He has been awarded 12 prizes for his drawings, the most important being the World Press Cartoon’s Grand Prix, the World Press Cartoon’s third price for Caricature, the first Press Cartoon Europe’s Grand prix and the first Swedish EWK-award 2000.
The path to an agreement about the end result.
When I was awarded the 2007 World Press Cartoon’s Grand Prix, I thought: «Nothing in my professional career will be compared to this!» But then, selected as a jury member for the same contest, I felt as just as honoured as then. In Sintra, just before the first jury meeting, I contemplated for a moment in front of the bronze sculpture depicting Olga Cadaval, who gave her name to the large, beautiful building, where the restoration of the exhibition halls was going on. I tried to read her face. The Marchioness looked both gentle and stern. Well, then it may be so!
The formal procedure for jury was completely straightforward. It was nice to feel the colleagues concentration and focusing on the procedure. I learned a lot from the argumentation from the members of the jury. It was so objective and professional, leaving the prestige total aside. Yet, when I look back, it feels a bit mysterious that the jury, despite the differences after the initial choice, without real conflicts, reached such an agreement about the end result. Perhaps there is something for politicians to get to Sintra and study?
Francisco Puñal Suárez
Francisco Punal Suárez was born in Matanzas (Cuba) in 1950. Bachelor of Journalism at the University of Havana in 1974, that same year he began his filming career in the Cuban Institute of Cinematographic Art and Industry (ICAIC). He was Documentary Director at ICAIC and assistant director to Cuban film makers Santiago Alvarez, Daniel Díaz Torres, Fernando Perez and Rolando Diaz. For eleven years he was Latin American ICAIC News director, highlighting his critical reporting with humour and satire. In 1996, travels to Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Canary Islands, to impart some film workshops and works with Luna Llena and Rios TV production companies. In 2000 he moved to the Galician city of La Coruña, where he currently lives. He publishes his humour photos in the supplement «O Farelo» for Galician publication «A Peneira» and in the online newspaper “El Heraldo del Henares”. For the last five years, he has been writing the graphic humour section «Digital Frame» in the Latin weekly «Siglo 21», Boston, USA. He also contributes to the Department of Graphic Humour at the General Foundation of the University of Alcalá de Henares.
Defending the majority
Nothing is weird to cartoonists who, with their critical, bold and ingenious views, point out the contradictions and inconsistencies of life on this convoluted planet and help fighting stereotypes and dogmas. Humour is a weapon of analysis that penetrates everything and finds weaknesses where everything appears to be monolithic. Humour, as a mirror of society, invites us to think and each cartoon is a reflection exercise.
Participating as international jury member at the World Press Cartoon, the largest and most important event dedicated to press cartoons, has been a big responsibility, a hard working and difficult task, and also an unforgettable experience that has allowed me to fill my soul with imagination and poetry, and confirm what I have always thought: good cartoons are a social counterweight to power in all its manifestations. The review is necessary in a democracy aspiring society, and humour is a great stimulus for awakening people´s awareness. Satire – that whip with bells at the end, as José Martí defined it – has been very present in many drawings when addressing issues of concern such as hunger and poverty in the world, wars, environmental damage, the crisis in Europe, the profit greed, sexism, social inequality, weapons proliferation and others. The Grand Prize awarded to Greek cartoonist Michael Kountouris is a symbol of the crisis ravaging in Europe and of the inability of its leaders, rather more concerned about the banks and large corporations than saving people.
Imperfections that do exist and will always exist in the world ensure work for cartoonists, and the World Press Cartoon will handle the rewarding of the most significant. Hail the cartoonists and the World Press Cartoon!
António Antunes
António Antunes published his first cartoons in the Lisbon daily ‘Republic’ in March 1974. Later that year, he joined the weekly paper «Express» where he continues to publish his works. His received awards include: Grand Prix of 20th International Salon of Cartoons (Montreal, Canada, 1983), 1st Prize for Cartoon Editorial of the 23rd International Salon of Cartoons (Montreal, Canada, 1986), Grand Prix of Honor 15th Festival du dessin Humoristique (Anglet, France, 1993), Award of Excellence – Best Newspaper Design, SND – Stockholm, Sweden (1995) Premio Internazionale Satira Politica (ex-aequo, Forte dei Marmi, Italy, 2002), Grand Prix Stuart Carvalhais (Lisbon, Portugal, 2005) and the Prix Internationale Presse (Saint-Just-le-Martel, France, 2010). He has held solo artist exhibitions in Portugal, France, Spain, Brazil, Germany and Luxembourg. He has been jury member at Cartoons Salons in Portugal, Brazil and Greece. António is also dedicated to graphic design, sculpture, medals and he is the author of the artistic animation of Lisbon Airport Metro station, opened in 2012, consisting of caricatures of leading figures in the city, made of embodied stone. He chaired the jury of the ninth edition of the World Press Cartoon, the Salon of which he is the director since its founding in 2005.
A repeating adventure
Every year the adventure is repeated with the formation of a new jury for the World Press Cartoon. Gathering jury members that in some cases had not even met before, is a risk but it is also the desire and effort to refresh every edition with the judgement of new personalities who bring to us their culture, taste and sensitivity. For this edition, we brought together a Spanish journalist of Cuban origin, specializing in Graphic Humor; two cartoonists, an Italian and a Swede; a Brazilian illustrator and publisher, and the Portuguese who inhabits the jury since the beginning. It was a ‘formula’ that allowed for lively and funny meetings, but also for serious and thoughtful analysis that led to decisions that were always close to consensus. I am convinced that, once again, we have been up to our traditional quality, and now also up to the added responsibility brought by the distinctions we have been awarded by our peers from the International Cartoon News Center: «Best Cartoon Contest of Year 2012» and «Best Cartoon Contest Catalog of Year 2012».