Guy Lochhead, 07/09/10
Czech children’s book writer and illustrator. Sís attended art school in Prague and London. He started his professional life as a filmmaker, and shot the animated video for Bob Dylan’s 1983 song ‘You Got To Serve Somebody’, before turning to illustration. Alongside his children’s books, he has drawn for various big magazines, designed a mural for Baltimore International Airport and created New York subway mosaics and posters. Initially, I really wanted to include Sís. The detail in his drawings is incredible, and he creates a fantastic magic realism out of the most ordinary situations. I’ve decided not to include his work, however, because I don’t care that much about it. It is difficult work to really care about, because of the concise writing style, distancing drawings and historical subject matter. This doesn’t mean he’s not exceptional.