Posted in: Comics, Current News | Tagged: harrogate, thought bubble

Thought Bubble To Host Exhibition By 12 Palestinian Comic Creators

This year, Thought Bubble will be hosting Enter the Mulberry Tree and Fly Free, an exhibition of work by twelve Palestinian comic creators,

Published Fri, 13 Sep 2024 07:57:07 -0500

by Rich Johnston

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Article Summary

Thought Bubble 2024 hosts "Enter the Mulberry Tree and Fly Free," showcasing work by 12 Palestinian comic creators.
The exhibition, curated by George Khoury, explores Palestinian identity and geopolitics through remarkable artworks.
Additional festival highlights include exhibitions by Tim Bird and the debut of "Secrets of the Majestic."
Festival features panels, workshops, and a diverse guest line-up, including well-known comic creators and artists.

This year, British comic book convention and comic art festival Thought Bubble will be hosting Enter the Mulberry Tree and Fly Free, an exhibition of work by twelve Palestinian comic creators, Abdelrazaq Leila, Al-Nakhala Amal, Al-Shamali Shahd, Amer Shomali, Ata Iasmin Omar (also known as Delta), Dabaie Marguerite, Harb Samir, Hifaoui Nour, Jabareen Michael, Jarada Khaled, Sabaaneh Mohammad, and Yamani Fuad. It is the first of its kind outside the Middle East and North Africa. Curated by writer and journalist George Khoury, based in Lebanon and a leading expert on Arab comics, Enter the Mulberry Tree and Fly Free will "explore personal identity and geopolitics as the artists present remarkable perspectives on Palestine". The exhibition will be held at the Left Bank Leeds, in partnership with The Lakes Comic Art Festival and the British Council. The festival takes place between the 11th and the 17th of November, with the comic convention opening its doors at Harrogate Convention Centre on the 16th.

Julie Tait, Lakes International Comic Arts Festival Director, said of the Enter The Mulberry Tree exhibition: "The clamour of the past decades has tended to obscure the everyday lives and unique creativity of Palestinian comic artists, and 'Enter the Mulberry Tree and Fly Free' seeks to reveal these unheard voices and experiences through an extraordinary installation featuring images and video material. We are very happy to be bringing this beautiful exhibition to Left Bank Leeds."

This year's Thought Bubble festival also features the debut exhibition of Secrets of the Majestic, a new anthology of short comics from a range of indie creators edited by Chris Mole and Gary Moloney, celebrating the infamous Majestic hotel toilets in Harrogate. Other exhibitions include graphic novelist Tim Bird's Adrift On A Painted Sea, alongside paintings by his mother, Sue Bird. Editor-in Chief of Tripwire magazine Joel Meadows will be exhibiting photographs from his new book Face to Face: Creative Portraits which collects his work from over thirty years documenting the worlds of comics, TV and film, And two free library exhibitions of Make Mine Manga are open to anyone curious about Japanese manga, as well as fans.

Thought Bubble Festival 2024 will feature talks including Banned Books with The Bookish Type, in which publisher and librarian Harry-Anne and guests explore the past and present of book bans; a double signing event with comic creators E. M. Carroll and Emma Ríos at Gosh Comics in London, as well as Rainbow Age with Theo Parish which sees the artist and writer discussing their graphic novel Homebody and the journey it took them on.

Also making a return to the festival are the social drawing jam Pints and Pencils, academic conference The Comics Forum and this year's Vice Press x Thought Bubble collaboration which celebrates the 40th anniversary of James Cameron's The Terminator with a new, officially licenced film poster by Florey as well as exclusive variants available only at a special screening at Everyman Harrogate.

Thought Bubble have also completed this year's comic convention guest line-up including Charlie Adlard, Nick Brokenshire, Kristyna Baczynski, Becky Cloonan, Dani, Sweeney Boo, Rufus Dayglo, Werther Dell'Edera, Tini Howard, Jock, Stephanie Phillips, James Tynion IV, Ram V, Chip Zdarsky, Kieron Gillen, Martin Simmonds, Zoe Thorogood, Jamie McKelvie, Alex Paknadel, Emma Ríos, Alison Sampson and more.

Taking place over the final two days of the festival, Thought Bubble Comic Convention's tickets are on sale now. There are family and student discounts, while under 12s, carers and over 65s tickets are free. Tickets give access to all events within the comic convention weekend; panels, workshops, guest signings, as well as the four halls of exhibitors. After achieving their best ever attendance at Harrogate in 2023, the team at Thought Bubble are anticipating a sell-out event in 2024.

Thought Bubble Director Martha Julian said "We're so thrilled to announce this year's festival programme. Events will be taking place across the whole of Yorkshire, with more to be announced in the coming weeks. There'll be something for everyone; from workshops to exhibitions, film screenings, guest talks, signings and tons more. The festival week and convention are a year in the making. We have so much fun pulling it together and we can't wait to see you all in November."

Enter The Mulberry Tree and Fly Free will be at The Lakes International Comic Arts Festival from the 26th to the 30th of September, and at Left Bank Leeds from the 6th to the 28th of November, with a launch event on Wednesday the 13th of November.

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