Dates of event :
4. 10. 2023
Ondrej Zimka, Slovensko
Holder of the 365.bank BIB 2023 Award
Ondrej Zimka (1937) was born in Turzovka in Kysuce. He graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts in Bratislava in 1964 with a degree in applied graphics under professors P. Matejka and J. Chovan. Throughout his life he was actively engaged in several artistic directions - besides illustration, he also painted, applied graphics, cartoons, monumental work and animation.
Zimka's illustrative style takes much inspiration from traditional naive folk art. In the works one can feel mystery, magic, fairy tale scenes are rich in symbolism as we can find in stories or legends. He combines ordinary people, animals and objects in a playful, dreamlike way into extraordinary compositions, thus creating new relationships, tension or dialogue between them. The fact that he mixes the real world with the symbolic, where he does not respect scale or the laws of physics, contributes to additional interpretative levels. He creates imaginative gouache illustrations in rich warm contrasting colours. Humour and satire are also an important aspect of his work.
He illustrated more than 100 books during his lifetime and received many awards, the most valuable of which include the BIB Plaques of 1969 and 1971, the Ľudovít Fulla Prize for Illustration for Children and Youth in 1982, and the state award of the Ľudovít Štúr Order of the Second Class in 1998. In 2011, the Board of the Fine Arts Fund awarded him the Slovak Artist of the Year Award for his exceptionally extensive and creative contribution to several areas of Slovak art.
A selection of book illustration work:
Green Deers (Zelené jelene, Mladé letá 1968); Fairy Tales on a Thread (Rozprávky na niti, Mladé letá 1970); Wooden Dad and his Fairy Spoons (Drevený tato a jeho rozprávkové varechy, Mladé letá 1982); Blue Lighthouse (Belasý maják, Mladé letá 1985); Three Fire Horses (Tri ohnivé kone, Mladé letá 1990); Crowalphabet (Vrabeceda, Mladé letá 1991); Captain Memory: Short Stories and Poems for Kids and Teenagers (Kapitán Spomienka: poviedky a básne pre deti a násťročných, Perfekt 2019)
