Upon arrival, Gabi Kopp greeted me at the station, and we took a little tour of the city center before catching the bus to Teiggi, where I settled into my cozy Istanbuluzern room in Gabi's
apartment.
I was provided with a festival pass, and thanks to our neighbour Petra — I hopped on her fast bike to zip between venues each day after breakfast. It was the perfect way to explore the
festival.
During my time at Fumetto, I've seen numerous exhibitions, including the opening and comic readings of the Ampel Magazine at Jazzkantine and Elizabeth Pich at Elephanthouse, where I had the
pleasure of meeting the artists.
On Wednesday afternoon, Gabi and I had an appointment with Evelyn Laube, the skilled illustrator behind It's Raining Elephants and head of Illustration BA at Hochschule. We had an inspiring
conversation as well as an exchange of magazines, catalogs, and prints.
Later, at Kornschütte for Zeichnixduel, I met Lea Willimann, Fumetto's art director. After Gabi introduced me, I had the chance to briefly show my work. Lea seemed intrigued and got copies of my
exhibition catalogs, a limited edition lenticular print, and a booklet. This booklet contained a sample of my 32-page comic, Yanko and Yanvan, which was translated into English and printed
exclusively for my visit to Luzern.
On my last evening, I joined dear friends Catherine, Heidi, Mondo, Kader, Regula and Gabi for dinner at Pizza Kneipe.
Gabi, a fantastic host and a supportive friend, guided me every step of the way as she was a professional manager. The warmth and kindness of the Istanbuluzern community was palpable, I feel grateful for the opportunity to have experienced such a short yet fulfilling residency.