ELLSA

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

Bibliography

Herta, Kick Side-Foot!

2023

Lembi the Roe Deer and Blood Brothers

2021

The Summer Trackers. The Secret of the Old Camp

2020

The Summer Trackers. Between Land and Sky

2019

Hopspeller Amulet I

2018

Between Two Sounds

2018

The Summer Trackers. The Case of the Strange Sock

2017

Time Doesn’t Stop in Calendertown

2014

Calendertown Stories

2013

The Center of the World

2009

Fire!

2007

Translations

Грета

2012

Maailman napa

2011

Két hang között

2022

Két hang között

2022

Zwischen zwei Tönen

2021

Tarp dviejų garsų

2022

Awards

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

Exhibitions

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