Together for Peace Silent Manga Exhibition - What does peace mean to you?

When you think of ‘Peace’, what images, impressions and themes come to mind? One artistic medium through which to envision peace is silent manga – stories told via graphic illustration, but entirely without narrative dialogue, such as in the ‘Together for Peace Silent Manga Exhibition’.

This exhibition presents 15 of 274 silent manga entries submitted by artists from 117 countries to the SILENT MANGA AUDITION® (SMA) Round 13, under the theme ‘Together for Peace’. The contest was organized by Tokyo-based manga company COAMIX, with UNESCO Asia and Pacific Regional Bureau for Education (UNESCO Bangkok). The exhibition at BACC is the first SMA exhibition in Asia outside Japan.

The manga in this exhibition showcase different reflections of peace as expressed by artists from around the world, namely Algeria, Brazil, France, Indonesia, Italy, Malaysia, Russia, Spain and Thailand. The works cover a wide range of peace-related topics, such as out-of-school children, lifelong learning, anti-bullying, conflict, youth, learning to live together, the plight of refugees and shared cultural histories. An online repository of the manga is also available as a supplementary resource for the public.

The exhibition is organized jointly by UNESCO Bangkok; the Japan Foundation, Bangkok; and the Bangkok Art and Culture Centre (BACC), and is on view at BACC from Tues 16 November to Sun 5 December 2021. During the exhibition, the Bangkok-based art and manga school, KP Learning Space, will demonstrate live manga illustration sessions on Sat 4 and Sun 5 December (see scheduled times below).

Visitors to the exhibition will also be able to enjoy ‘SKY SKY’, a short film by Thai director Nonzee Nimibutr, which is based on a silent manga work by Thai artist Prema Ja, who won the inaugural Grand Prix Award from SMA in 2013. The short film is part of ‘Angel Sign’ – a dialogue-free film of interconnected stories based on five award-winning silent manga. 

*** An online screening of ‘Sky Sky’, followed by a talk with the director, will take place on Wed 24 November, 1:00pm - 2:30pm (BKK time; GMT+7), via Zoom. Registration required: Online registration for the screening can be made here. Click here for the online event's agenda.

*** The Japan Foundation, Bangkok will organize an online lecture and workshop under the topic 'Enlighten Manga Characteristics and Possibilities' by Assoc Prof OGAWA Tsuyoshi, a manga expert from Kyoto Seika University on Sat 4 December which will be livestreamed on the Japan Foundation, Bangkok’s YouTube channel. Click here for more details.  

Dates, hours and venue:

Tue 16 November to Sun 5 December 2021

Floor 3, Bangkok Art and Culture Centre (BACC); 939 Rama 1 Road, Wangmai, Pathumwan, Bangkok 10330

10am to 7pm daily; closed Mondays; Free entrance

Get a free copy of the Silent Manga Catalogue at the exhibition. Click here to register.

Live illustration sessions by KP Learning Space: 

Manga drawing: Sat 4 December (2:00 pm-4:00pm)

Manga character design: Sun 5 December (2:00 pm-4:00pm)

Manga background drawing: Sun 5 December (4:00 pm-6:00 pm)

Publications and related resources:

Together for Peace Silent Manga Catalogue (online/abridged version)

Together for Peace Silent Manga Catalogue Teacher’s Companion

Together for Peace Silent Manga Online Repository 

Original article published on UNESCO Bangkok.