Art Illustrator Nando von Arb rejects award in Bratislava
The Zurich illustrator Nando von Arb and the Fribourg illustrator Fanny Dreyer have been honored at the Biennale of Illustration in Bratislava. However, von Arb is not accepting the award - out of solidarity with his Slovakian colleagues.
07.10.2025, 15:45
SDA
Nando von Arb has "decided not to accept the award", the Swiss Institute for Children's and Youth Media (SIKJM) announced on Tuesday. This is because the Slovakian illustrators are boycotting this year's edition of the Biennale of Illustration (BIB). In doing so, they are defending themselves against restrictions on artistic freedom and pointing to a lack of transparency.
Nando von Arb, who was honored for his graphic novel "Learning to Fear", expressed his gratitude for the award. But: "If my colleagues, the Slovakian illustrator community, boycott this event, I will do the same. We cannot be apolitical now!", von Arb was quoted as saying in the press release. He will show solidarity "with them, against their authoritarian government and against the suppression of freedom of expression".
His colleague Fanny Dreyer was honored for her children's book "Collections". She accepts the prize, but also with reference to the political situation in Slovakia. "However, when I heard about the boycott of Slovakian illustrators, I wanted to pass on their message and draw attention to the abuses of the Biennale," she said according to the press release.
Values such as artistic freedom
The SIKJM respects these attitudes, as the institute wrote. They correspond to the values that the institute also represents, such as artistic freedom, independence, integrity and the right to freedom of expression. "A vibrant children's and young adult book culture requires freedom of creative expression and an open dialog on social issues," wrote the SIKJM.
The BIB is regarded as an important overview of contemporary children's book illustration. Six illustrators from Switzerland were nominated for the 2025 edition. The international jury selected eleven books from around 300 submissions from 42 national organizations. The Grand Prix BIB 2025, i.e. the main prize, went to Iranian illustrator Noushin Sadeghian for her book "The Da'al's Daughter", which combines Persian miniature painting with modern graphics.
