The Rotterdam Illustration Festival is an initiative of Carmen José, Michael van Kekem, and Rachel Sender. They’re illustrators and educators. This festival is a response to the feedback they’ve heard loud and clear: illustrators want to feel more connected and less alone in the freelance world. We believe that by coming together, whether it’s to learn, share, or discuss, we can all grow together. That’s why the festival is all about gatebreaking; tearing down walls and opening doors, instead of gatekeeping. A space to meet like-minded creatives, swap stories, and find inspiration.
Lemon House was a res(t)idency during documenta fifteen in Kassel initiated by Carmen José and Bobby Sayers, runned by Carmen at Haus Berneburg in Kassel.
It hosted and was part of the lumbung Kiosk network througout the city. The space hosted exhibitions, gatherings, workshops, performances and readings.
“A legend is also a habit” show by Alexandra Phillips 18th August 2020
Rotopol / Co-publisher / 2016-2018
Rotopol is a publishing house for graphic storytelling located in Kassel, Germany. Our catalogue includes comics and picture books for children and adults as well as art prints, paper games, postcards, and sketchbooks. With its publications, Rotopol explores the boundaries of what illustration and comics can accomplish and offers readers the chance to discover high quality books and exciting talents with individual drawing and storytelling styles.
For our selection of publications, we focus on works that have been developed by the artists themselves and which combine a powerful graphic technique with innovative narrative styles and personal stories. Rotopol wants to offer a home to these books and their unmistakable voices. The originality and creativity inherent in these projects are what excite us about publishing.
