The Biennial of Illustrations Bratislava is a prestigious international competition and exhibition of original illustrations from children’s books and was founded in 1967. In the past, the BIB was either held in the House of Art, or later in exhibition halls of Slovak National Museum at Vajanský embankment and Bratislava Castle. This year the Biennial of Illustrations Bratislava will return to the city centre. BIBIANA, the International House of Art for Children, on Panská Street, is going to host the event from 4th October to 3rd December 2023.

From the beginning, commemorative postage stamps have been an inherent part of the BIB. This year, the author of the postage stamp is the winner of the Grand Prix BIB 2021 – Elena Odriozola (born in 1967), a Spanish illustrator from the Basque country. She inherited her love of painting from her father and grandfather. She has studied art and design and has illustrated approximately one hundred books which have been translated into many languages (English, French, Japanese, Korean ...). The book Sentimientos encontrados (Mixed Feelings), for which she was awarded the Grand Prix, is a wonderful, poetic text with a huge narrative potential. Her black and white pencil illustrations live their own lives and are full of symbols. The experimental character of the book allows various different combinations of the text and illustrations. It allows the reader to create their own stories and interpretations of the scenes from the lives of the seven characters that live within the house.  

Hana Križanová