Emil Ferris (b. 1962) of the USA is among the most important of contemporary comics artists. Her distinctive ballpoint pen drawings impress with their expressiveness and offer profound insight into the human psyche. This exhibition presents originals, objects and children’s books.

Drawn with a ballpoint pen on lined paper, Ferris' work combines masterful artistry with a radically subjective, deeply poetic narrative style. Her debut, ‘My Favorite Thing is Monsters’ (2017), which won the Eisner Award and other prizes, is considered a milestone in modern comics. Encompassing several hundred pages, this graphic novel is set in 1960s Chicago. Its young protagonist, Karen Reyes, believes she is a werewolf. She loves monsters – they represent her refuge and her view of a hostile world. As she tries to solve the mystery of her neighbour’s death, the depths of her family’s past are revealed. In the recently released second volume, the story goes back to the 1930s and the Shoah.

Ferris combines historical facts with myths, art history, psychology and pop culture. Her style is unconventional: Diary pages, full-page portraits, allusions to classical paintings and freely arranged image sequences merge into an intense, visually dense narrative form.

After working as an illustrator, toy designer and children’s book author, Ferris suffered a serious illness. While recovering, she began to focus more on drawing, which led to her publishing her first comic at over 50 years of age. Today, alongside her work as a comics author, she is also active as a freelance artist. This major solo exhibition, her first in Europe, features original pages from her graphic novels, unpublished drawings, objects and sketches. Emil Ferris will be on site for an extended period, offering workshops and providing fascinating insight into her artistic universe.

Vernissage: Friday, 3.7.2026, 6.30 pm
Presseconference: Thursday, 2.7.2026, 11 am
Curator: Anette Gehrig