Author(s): Tim Gibson, Rachel Fenton, Ant Sang, Sean Chuang, 61Chi, and Ahn Zhe

Comics & Graphic Novels

This magnificent volume of graphic art from three New Zealand and
three Taiwanese graphic artists is the ultimate cultural exchange.
Art is a universal language, and this is magnificently demonstrated
in this large-format book in which the six artists shared their
memories, stories and creations through the magic of their pens.
But more than that, the artists created these 18 stories as gifts for
each other, the whole woven with interlocking narratives, making
the entire book flow like a dance or conversation.

Island to Island is the result of a PANZ-initiated
collaboration as part of “New Zealand as Guest of Honour
at Taipei International Book Exhibition 2015”.
We were very keen to develop a project that would bring
together Taiwanese and New Zealanders and result in
a publication. Creative NZ agreed to fund the NZ end of
a Graphic Novelists Exchange, and the Taiwan Ministry
of Culture, in collaboration with the Taipei Book Fair
Foundation, agreed to fund the Taiwan end. Three NZ and
three Taiwanese graphic novelists were selected, with the
Taiwanese coming to NZ in October 2014 to a retreat with
the NZ graphic novelists. The six then continued to work
together until the NZ trio went to Taiwan in February 2015
for another retreat, culminating in them putting on joint
events during the 2015 TIBE.
After the fair it was agreed that a book would be
produced by Dala, a Taiwanese publisher. And Island to
Island is the result.