Europe and Covid: Cartoon look at current events with Cartoon Sheera

From the humorous side of the Covid-19 pandemic to the European Union, which began the year under the Portuguese presidency – without neglecting the rest of the satirical interpretation of current events, in Portugal and the world – this year’s edition of Cartoon Sheera is open to the public until 29 August. is open to

“Is this Europe?”

Europe honors place in this year’s edition cartoon zira.

Taking advantage of the Portuguese presidency of the European Union, the organizers challenged the Greek cartoonist Michael Konturis “Is this Europe?” To show the wishes and doubts of European citizens in a hundred pictures in an exhibition called

Among the issues addressed, immigration or the rise of the far-right, but also a Europe shaken by the pandemic. Cartoon curator and co-organizer Zira Antonio Antunes comments: “This may seem like an important exhibition towards Europe, and at a superficial glance, even an anti-European exhibition. Nothing wrong Can’t be. It’s an exhibition that talks about Europe when not. Acts as a united bloc. To me it means European citizens have many aspirations, dreams and hopes for Europe that Europe does not fulfill. There is a gap between the wishes of the citizens and the political reality of Europe. The European elite”.

“The pandemic has forced us to look at things in a new way”

Respecting tradition, the exhibition at Villa Franca de Zira proposes, in the section “Cartoons of the Year 2020”, a selection of the best caricatures published by Portuguese artists during the past year. A year certainly marked by Brexit, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict or relations between China and the West, but in which the spotlight, according to organisers, has mainly focused on Trump’s exit from the White House and, of course, the Covid pandemic. 19. A difficult year, in which a humorous interpretation of reality proved more necessary than ever.

For cartoonist and illustrator Cristina Sampaio, “2020 was decisive. Various sectors have faced the impact of COVID and are represented here: politics, culture, sports, social life and, of course, health”.

Even for my colleague Joao Fazenda, “Last year was an unusual year for the reasons we know it. My work has been greatly affected by the pandemic. But it is also a year that has allowed us to look at things in a new way.” Personally, as an artist, they made me think differently. Basically that’s what we cartoonists always do, but this time we had to do it even more.”

Retrospectives and Tributes: From “British Bullshit” to Mafalda’s Trivia

To complete the tripartite format of Cartoon Zira, a retrospective by Scottish Ross Thomson, now 83 years old but always active: “Rostoon” provided an open window on the artist’s long career in the world of advertising, cartoons and satirical cartoons which has earned him over a hundred awards and accolades around the world. A special vision of everyday life, with a hint of very British “nonsense”.

This edition replaced a tribute to Argentina’s Joaquín Salvador Lavado, better known as Quino, the creator of the unforgettable “Mafalda”, who died on 30 September 2020 at the age of 88.