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Joonas Sildre

Biography

Joonas Sildre (1980) is a comic artist, illustrator, and graphic designer. He graduated from the Estonian Academy of Arts in graphic design and works as a freelance artist. Sildre has illustrated close to 30 children’s books and published the graphic novel Between Two Sounds – a biography of the composer Arvo Pärt. Sildre teaches comic drawing in workshops and art schools, has compiled anthologies, and organises Estonian comics exhibitions. In 2013, he became a co-founder of the Estonian Comics Society.

Profile photo: Elina Sildre

Fairytales and Legends From England, Odamees, 2009, inkFairytales and Legends From Wales, Odamees, 2009, ink, digital treatmentTiina Saar. Eduard and Pihla start their internship, Koolibri, 2012, digital drawingTiina Saar. Eduard and Pihla start their internship, Koolibri, 2012, digital drawingKätlin Vainola. Kreete, Ministry of Social Affairs, 2012, digital drawingMargit Sarapik. Stories From Calendar City, Koolibri, 2013, digital drawingHugo Vaher. he Summer Trackers. The Case of the Strange Sock, Tänapäev, 2017, digital drawingJana Maasik. Hopspeller Amulet I. The Burning Touch, Tänapäev, 2018, digital drawingJana Maasik. Hopspeller Amulet I. The Burning Touch, Tänapäev, 2018, digital drawingMidsummer Day, puzzle, 2010, ink, digital drawingWerelove II, illustration, 2018, digital drawingWerelove II, illustration, 2018, digital drawingJoonas Sildre. Between Two Sounds, Arvo Pärt Centre, 2018, digital drawingJoonas Sildre. Between Two Sounds, Arvo Pärt Centre, 2018, digital drawingHugo Vaher. The Summer Trackers. Between Land and Sky, Tänapäev, 2019, digital drawing
2020
BolognaRagazzi Award, Comics – Young Adult, special mention (Joonas Sildre. Between Two Sounds)

2019

The Knee-High Book Competition, Idea Prize (Joonas and Elina Sildre. Neljajalgne abiline)

2018

25 Best Designed Estonian Books, Certificate of Merit (Joonas Sildre. Between Two Sounds)
Nominee of the Annual Literature Award (free award) of the Cultural Endowment of Estonia (Joonas Sildre. Between Two Sounds)

2006

Tammsaare Museum cartoon-drawing competition Tammsaare with a Twist, 1st place
Joonas Sildre has participated in more than 20 comics exhibitions in Estonia, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Montenegro, Poland, Russia, Serbia, Slovenia and Spain, including 4 solo exhibitions.

Illustration exhibitions (selection):

2021
Exhibition of Baltic illustrators "Running with Wolves. Werewolf", Napoli, Rome, Frigento, Italy
Tallinn Illustrations Triennial TIT 2020, Moscow; Krasnoarmeysk, Russia
Biennial of Illustrations Bratislava (BIB 2021), Slovakia
TIT 2020 & "Leafing Through Estonian Children's Books", Mytishchi, Russia

2020
Tallinn Illustrations Triennial (TIT), Estonia

2019

Spring exhibition of Estonian illustrators, Estonian Children’s Literature Centre

2018–2020
Exhibition of Baltic illustrators “Running with Wolves”, Gdańsk, Wrocław, Białystok, Warsaw, Płock, Szczecin, Poland; Pordenone, Italy; Vilnius, Lithuania

2018

Exhibition of Estonian illustrators “Running with Wolves”, Estonian Children’s Literature Centre, Tallinn

2013–2014
Group exhibition, “The Visions of Mother Goose. Tribute to Charles Perrault”, Tallinn, Estonia