NON FICTION 2023

Monstres Sacrés: Voyage au cœur des volcans

WINNER

Art of Protest

Text by De Nichols
Illustrations by Diana Dagadita, Saddo, Olivia Twist, Molly Mendoza, Diego Becas
Big Picture Press (Bonnier Books UK), UK, 2021

What the jury said:

"Everything is Art. Everything is Politics". Combining photography, graphic design, meaningful quotes, high level of craftsmanship and exquisite binding, all the layers of Art of Protest inspire artistic political expression. A homage to art as protest, this innovative layout includes poster art, infographic, and clever use of typeset, promoting art as protagonist and protester. In the pages, the invitation to “Try this…” is a powerful yet gentle encouragement with a range of graphic examples, ending with an empowering call to action “Over to you. Our world right now is ripe for change…” This is a book filled with mission and purpose.

Woven of the World

SPECIAL MENTION

Woven of the World

Text by Katey Howes
Illustrations by Dinara Mirtalipova
Chronicle Books, USA, 2022

What the jury said:

In Woven of the World the language of the loom is used to create a rhythmical story and becomes an intergenerational invitation and celebration of traditional textile artwork.In this book the subject matter of weaving is dealt with a combination of poetic language, elaborate illustration and typography, and is enriched by a substantial amount of historical and technical information inviting the reader to discover the topic in a beautiful and lyrical way. The success of this as a non-fiction book is the way in which it reflects deep informational, emotional and cultural research: the perfect book to share in this post pandemic age with the increasing resurgence of interest in traditional skills and sustainable handicrafts.

Ogledalo bez mana

SPECIAL MENTION

Ogledalo bez mana (The Flawless Mirror)

Text and illustrations by Agata Lučić
Mala zvona d.o.o., Croatia, 2022

What the jury said:

This book is an expression of teenage angst in the selfie age, an era when the smart phone has become a mirror. Unwanted body hair and pimples become art in a journey to self-acceptance. Breaking traditional concepts with artistic means, the use of lines and colour solicit acceptance, encourages self-reflection and challenges the standardization of beauty in Western society. Uncomfortable at times, these images bring our distorted constructions of beauty to the surface, body hair becoming it’s own character. The very reduced text and clever typography sometimes fills a double spread and at times a single word on a page. This gives the text a space to echo self-talk and the spreads transform not just singular images into portraits, but into a body, a fragment of the body, and then the book becomes the body. On one page the body expands out of the frame, opening up a new perspective on feminine and beauty.