And these fantasies are illustrated, so we are lured into his mind as we are in Lolita (though if this seems potentially off-putting, the il. She lives in Toronto where she divides her time between comics, illustration, teaching and fine arts. Bunjevac's story is disturbingly Nabokian in that we see one man's obsessions though his eyes (and of course written/as seen by a woman). Notable exhibits include the 2014 installation Out of Fatherland, at Art Gallery of Ontario, commissioned mural pieces for The Idea of North, and Galerie Martel in Paris, France. Her artwork has been included in a number of exhibitions, both in Canada and internationally. Bezimena (2018, Ici Même, Nantes 2019, Fantagraphics, Seattle), Nina’s third book, made the official selection at Angoulême International Comics Festival 2019, won Artemisia prize in the category of Best Drawing in France, and was awarded Best Book Jury Prize at 2019 Lucca Comics and Games in Lucca, Italy. Her second book, Fatherland (2014, Jonathan Cape, London) has reached international acclaim, appearing on the New York Times best-seller list and receiving a Doug Wright Award in Best Book category it was also shortlisted for PACA Regional Literary Award in France. Her first book Heartless (2012, Conundrum Press, Nova Scotia) won a Doug Wright Award in Best Debut category. Nina’s comics have been published in a number of international periodicals and anthologies, including The National Post, Le Monde Diplomatique, ArtReview and Best American Comics.

After a decade of drawing and painting she discovered the passion for the narrative through sculpture installation work, eventually returning to her childhood passion for comics. She continued her education in graphic design at the iconic Art Centre of Central Technical School in Toronto, subsequently graduating from the Drawing and Painting department at OCAD. Although Canadian born, Nina Bunjevac spent her formative years in Yugoslavia, where she began her art education before returning to Canada at onset of the war of the 1990s.

Bezimena by Nina Bunjevac