In toon with the times
BENGALURU: Polish illustrator and satirical cartoonist, Izabela Kowalska-Wieczorek, whose work is currently on display in the city, talks about the need for artists to have the freedom to express their thoughts without fear
The power of drawings is such that sometimes some of the strongest messages are given through simple sketches. That’s one of the reasons why Polish cartoonist Izabela Kowalska-Wieczorek fell in love with the world of illustrations. Now, Bengalureans are getting a chance to see her work up close, as they are being exhibited at the Indian Institute of Cartoonists. The exhibition features 80 of her works from the years 2014 to 2020.
Starting off as a children’s book illustrations, Wieczorek has won many accolades for her works. However, she considers her illustration for the book Szelmostwa Lisa Witalisa by Jan Brzechwa, in 1983, as her breakthrough project, as it won various competitions and created many more opportunities. After working as a children’s book illustrations for close to 30 years, Wieczorek decided to venture into satirical drawing around eight years ago.
“Everything that has happened to me in the recent years, like the possibility to speak on important matters through my cartoons, positive opinions of colleagues and critics, awards, meetings and discussions with the masters of caricature in the real and virtual world confirmed that it was a good decision. Now, I am a retired illustrator and an active cartoonist,” says Wieczorek, who was introduced to the world of art by her parents who were also visual artists.
Having tried various aspects of cartooning, Wieczorek does not find much difference in the way she approaches a children’s project or a satirical cartoon. “Both require a lot of commitment, time and concentration. It took me about two weeks to make a precise illustration with acrylic glazes. In cartoons, the most important thing is the idea that takes longer to think about, but it is faster to execute. The difficulty level is similar, but cartooning gives me more satisfaction,” she explains.
A time when artists are being criticised or jailed for throwing light on the happening of the society, Wieczorek says an artist has all the right to execute their right to freedom of speech. “Declarations of freedom of speech, included in nearly every Constitution, are often broken by governments that refuse to accept criticism.
I believe that it is the moral duty of cartoonists all over the world to support repressed colleagues by addressing this issue in their works made available in the virtual world,” she says, affirmatively, adding that technology also plays an important role in bringing the artists together to stand in support of each other. Although her life is full of paints, brushes, easels, papers and books, she still loves technology for one reason. “It allows us to react quickly to various important global problems and share cartoons even in times of total isolation during the pandemic,” she signs off. Illustrations by Izabela Kowalska-Wieczorek will be exhibited at Indian Institute of Cartoonists, Midford Garden Road, till Feb 24.