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Picture Politics
 Picture Politics

  • Halfdan Pisket - Denmark - Changing the picture Illustration (detail): © Halfdan Pisket

    Halfdan Pisket - Denmark - Changing the picture

  • Hanneriina Moisseinen - Finland - Changing the picture 1 Illustration (detail): © Hanneriina Moisseinen

    H. Moisseinen - Finland - Changing the picture 1

  • Hamet Eshrat - Germany - Changing the picture 4 (Denmark Workshop) Illustration (detail): © Hamet Eshrat

    Hamet Eshrat - Germany - Changing the picture 4 (Denmark Workshop)

  • Arifur Rahman - Norwegen - Changing the picture Illustration (detail): © Arifur Rahman

    Arifur Rahman - Norwegen - Changing the picture

  • Fergal McCarthy - Ireland - Changing the picture 1 Illustration (detail): © Fergal McCarthy

    Fergal McCarthy - Ireland - Changing the picture 1

  • Aino Sutinen - Finland - Changing the picture 2 Illustration (detail): © Aino Sutinen

    Aino Sutinen - Finland - Changing the picture 2

  • Mika Lietzén - Finland - Changing the picture 2 Illustration (detail): © Mika Lietzén

    Mika Lietzén - Finland - Changing the picture 2

  • Elke Renate Steiner - Norway - Changing the picture 1 Illustration (detail): © Elke Renate Steiner

    Elke Renate Steiner - Norway - Changing the picture 1

  • Mia Mottelson - Denmark - Changing the picture Illustration (detail): © Mia Mottelson

    Mia Mottelson - Denmark - Changing the picture

  • Hamet Eshrat - Deutschland - Changing the picture 9 Illustration (detail): © Hamet Eshrat

    Hamet Eshrat - Deutschland - Changing the picture 9

  • Karstein Volle - Norway - Changing the picture Illustration (detail): © Karstein Volle

    Karstein Volle - Norway - Changing the picture

  • Alex Klobouk - Echochamber Illustration: CC BY-NC-ND

    Alex Klobouk - Echochamber

  • Ida Neverdahl - Norway - Changing the picture Illustration (detail): © Ida Neverdahl

    Ida Neverdahl - Norway - Changing the picture

  • Sofie Louise Dam - Denmark - Changing the picture Illustration (detail): © Sofie Louise Dam

    Sofie Louise Dam - Denmark - Changing the picture

  • Karolina Chyzewska - Norway - Changing the picture Illustration (detail): © Karolina Chyzewska

    Karolina Chyzewska - Norway - Changing the picture

  • Karrie Fransman - Scotland - Changing the picture 10 Illustration: © Karrie Fransman

    Karrie Fransman - Scotland - Changing the picture 10

  • Hannele Richert - Finland - Changing the picture 1 Illustration (detail): © Hannele Richert

    Hannele Richert - Finland - Changing the picture 1

  • Øyvind Sagåsen - Norway - Changing the picture 1 Illustration (detail): © Øyvind Sagåsen

    Øyvind Sagåsen - Norway - Changing the picture 1

  • William Goldsmith - Scotland - Changing the picture 3 Illustration (detail): © William Goldsmith

    William Goldsmith - Scotland - Changing the picture 3

  • Sara Granér - Sweden - Changing the picture 4 Illustration (detail): © Sara Granér

    Sara Granér - Sweden - Changing the picture 4

  • Aino Sutinen - Finland - Peasant March 1930 - Lapua 01 Illustration (detail): © Aino Sutinen

    Aino Sutinen - Finland - Peasant March 1930 - Lapua 01

  • Birgit Weyhe - Germany - Hasan & Hans 3 Illustration (detail): © Birgit Weyhe

    Birgit Weyhe - Germany - Hasan & Hans 3

Project Description

The refugee crisis has inflamed populistic and extreme right-wing tendencies in multiple parts of Europe. A spreading xenophobia pushes stereotypes of the unknown as a posing threat, which constantly appears in public discourse and media. This seemingly lasting trend shows similarities among north-western European countries while, at the same time, major differences apply.

Picture Politics provides an online platform for cartoonists, comic artists and illustrators where they express their opinions on fears and prejudices in form of comics. How do their perspectives relate to or differ from each other? What can be learnt from each counterpart?

The format – easily available and strong images with short texts – is suitable to convey clear but not simple messages. Inspired by German project Bildkorrekturen the Goethe-Institutes in Sweden, Norway, Finland, Denmark, United Kingdom and Ireland organized workshops and exchanges between artists from those countries and Germany in the end of 2016 to promote a faceted and open discourse – and, eventually, to raise the question on how to shape the future of our societies.

All pictures are subject to a CC-license (Creative Commons). Sharing and using the pictures is not only permitted but explicitly encouraged.

The Illustrations

Finland Aino Sutinen -
Peasant March 1930

Aino Sutinen - Finland - Peasant March 1930 - Lapua 01 Illustration (detail): © Aino Sutinen

Finland Aino Sutinen

FIN - Changing the picture 1 Illustration: © Aino Sutinen

Germany Alex Klobouk

Alex Klobouk - Echochamber Illustration: CC BY-NC-ND

Norway Arifur Rahman

Arifur Rahman - Norwegen - Changing the picture Illustration (Ausschnitt): © Arifur Rahman

Germany Birgit Weyhe -
Hasan & Hans

Birgit Weyhe - Germany - Hasan & Hans 3 Illustration (detail): © Birgit Weyhe

Norway Elke Renate Steiner

Elke Renate Steiner - Norwegen - Changing the picture Illustration (detail): © Elke Renate Steiner

Ireland Fergal McCarthy

Fergal McCarthy - Ireland - Changing the picture 1 Illustration (detail): © Fergal McCarthy

Denmark Halfdan Pisket

Halfdan Pisket - Denmark - Changing the picture 1 Illustration (detail): © Halfdan Pisket

Germany Hamed Eshrat - Stockholm Workshop

Hamet Eshrat - Deutschland - Changing the picture 9 Illustration (detail): © Hamet Eshrat

Germany Hamed Eshrat - Denmark Workshop

Hamet Eshrat - Germany - Changing the picture 4 (Denmark Workshop) Illustration (detail): © Hamet Eshrat

Finland Hannele Richert

Hannele Richert - Finland - Changing the picture 1 Illustration (detail): © Hannele Richert

Finland Hanneriina Moisseinen

Hanneriina Moisseinen - Finland - Changing the picture 1 Illustration (detail): © Hanneriina Moisseinen

Norway Ida Neverdahl

Ida Neverdahl - Norway - Changing the picture Illustration (detail): © Ida Neverdahl

Norway Karolina Chyzewska

Karolina Chyzewska - Norway - Changing the picture Illustration (detail): © Karolina Chyzewska

Scotland Karrie Fransman

Karrie Fransman - Scotland - Changing the picture 10 Illustration: © Karrie Fransman

Norway Karstein Volle

Karstein Volle - Norway - Changing the picture Illustration (detail): © Karstein Volle

Denmark Mia Mottelson

Mia Mottelson - Denmark - Changing the picture Illustration (detail): © Mia Mottelson

Finland Mika Lietzén

Mika Lietzén - Finland - Changing the picture 2 Illustration (detail): © Mika Lietzén

Norway Øyvind Sagåsen

Øyvind Sagåsen - Norway - Changing the picture Illustration (detail): © Øyvind Sagåsen

Sweden Sara Granér

Sara Granér - Sweden - Changing the picture 4 Illustration (detail): © Sara Granér

Denmark Sofie Louise Dam

Sofie Louise Dam - Denmark - Changing the picture Illustration (detail): © Sofie Louise Dam

United Kingdom William Goldsmith

William Goldsmith - Scotland - Changing the picture 3 Illustration (detail): © William Goldsmith

The artists

The partaking Goethe-Instituts have handpicked comic artists from Ireland, United Kingdom, Denmark, Norway, Finland, Sweden and Germany. Each artist was asked to contribute with ca. five panels. They were given relatively free hands in regard to choosing their particular topic approach and the format of their drawings.

Along with their work, they produced a short personal text about their subject or story as well as short biographies.
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