Anyone walking across the Grote Markt cannot ignore it: the large comic strip on the fence alongside the Groninger Forum. After the strips by Barbara Stok, Maria van Driel and others, it has been time for a new story since late November. Meet the cartooning Stalinski sisters: Anne (27) and Eva (25).
Eva: ‘Our name is actually Staal. That's a good, solid surname. But when we started drawing together, we wanted a new name we could go public with. We happen to have an Eastern-Bloc grandmother and loved all kinds of Eastern-Bloc-style knick-knacks and patterns. That's how we arrived at an Eastern-Bloc version of Staall: Stalinski! Now we are stuck with that name, but it doesn't really matter. Even though we are increasingly going our separate ways, we are always together.’
‘Even though we are increasingly going our separate ways, we are always together’
Anne: ‘You sometimes see that siblings actually consciously choose to move towards other things, but that is not the case with us. The fact that there are two of us actually works well. If I stand somewhere and introduce someone to my sister, it immediately makes the conversation much more fun.’
Eva: ‘This picture is really old school and great illustration of how we still are.’
What began as drawing at small art markets has grown into many publications and appearances, including at the Buchmesse in Frankfurt, and now the comic strip at the Grote Markt. How did you end up with this project?
Anne: ‘The world of comics is small. We received an email from the CBK via Sam (Sam Peeters, part of the comic collective Lamelos). I think Eva and I stand out because we do a lot together. We made Zuster magazine together for two years. This sets us apart and makes us stand out. It creates the idea that we are already a collective just waiting for projects.’
Normally you post your own work side by side, but this time, you were asked to work together on one comic. What were you thinking when you received the assignment?
Eva: ‘At first we thought: this is not going to work at all. In the end, we found a form that we want to use more often.’
Anne: ‘The theme we were given was “The Forum as the city's living room” Through this theme, we arrived at the idea of “a day at the Forum”. That does suit me because I observe a lot and stay close to reality.’
Eva: ‘Anne's drawing style is very sensitive. That comes from observing; she is good at translating nuances. Whimsical lines, areas of colour, lots of depth and shadow, lots of handmade elements...’
Anne (interrupting): ‘Yes! Yes! That's good! You should do this more often.’
Eva: ‘With Anne, a drawing of a plant can already have a lot of narrative. My work is a bit flatter and less realistic. That style evolved from screen printing where I can also use neon colours, for example. When we made the comic, I was working on fairy tales. We thought: how can we blend the mundane and the fairytale? And so we came up with the prince who is actually also just a human being: Prince Tammo! We took turns drawing something, such as a doll or the space. Only true fans of ours can tell who drew what.’
"Only true fans of ours can tell who drew what’
In the comic, we see Prince Tammo using Tinder on his horse: ‘Hey! Should we get together for a drink? As we watch him walk through the Forum while searching, we see all sorts of things. In the playground, we see a mother who has found the perfect spot for her busy children. In smaller pictures, we see the hilarious image of the children shoving a dinosaur in their mother's face. We also see ‘Where’s Wally?’-like slides in which Prince Tammo seems to be completely lost. Eventually, he ends up on a beautiful rooftop terrace.
Does Prince Tammo ever find his date? I'm not going to give that away. Moving along, one thing the Stalinskis allow me to say: the man and woman in the first image are Anne and Eva's parents.
Your work is now on display for the whole city to see. What are your plans?
Eva: ‘Just to keep going.’
Anne: ‘I hope to do more projects together, but at the same time our own projects keep growing. Maybe one day there will be a big sister book. But first, the Grote Markt. We have never experienced so many people seeing us.’
The Stalinski's comic strip will be on display on the fence along the Groninger Forum near the Grote Markt until 27 August 2017.