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If you like Olmo, Pacha and the other members of 2022 BCBF's Visual Identity, you have to thank Mexican illustrator Sólin Sekkur who, together with Chialab Design, created the sixth edition of the “BCBF Visual Identity Workshop”.
In between the parade, we asked Sólin to tell us about his experience, working routine and upcoming projects.
How did you learn about the Bologna Children's Book Fair and when did you decide to submit your works to the Illustrators Exhibition?
When I decided that I wanted to be involved in editorial illustration I learnt about the BCBF and how important it is to this field. At the time the idea of being part of it was kind of far away, as I felt I still had things to figure out as an illustrator, but I kept it in mind since then.
I decided to submit my series in 2021, during lockdown. The fact that it could be done online also made it very accessible, so I worked on a series about what was going on in my life at that moment.
How would you describe your work process and method?
I’d say my process depends on the type of project, sometimes it requires a more structured process, particularly for books and magazines, and you have to read the texts very carefully, analyze and decide what is best for it. When I feel I have more freedom or when I’m doing personal projects I think I’m generally quite experimental and tend to go with what I feel about it, exploring the possibilities of it until I feel I’m on the right track.
Do you have any favourite artists who inspire you?
Sure, but it's always hard to choose just a few. At the moment Shaun Tan is one of my favorites and I really like his books and what they talk about, it's really inspiring to me.
What are you focusing on right now?
I’m really looking forward to making my very first picture book, so I’m trying to get involved in projects like that, and hopefully soon have one of my own.
I worked on a series about what was going on in my life at that moment...
Sólin Sekkur was born in 1990, in Mexico City. He majored in Visual Communication Design from the Faculty of Arts and Design, UNAM, specializing in illustration. He has worked with diverse publishing houses and has appeared in various illustration catalogues since 2013. In 2019, he illustrated the book “Kitsunebi, Fox fire” by Martha Riva Palacio, selected in the 2020’s White Ravens catalogue. In 2021, he was one of the 77 winning illustrators of the BCBF’s 55th Illustrators Exhibition.
