The Alliance Française of Calgary and the Consulate General of France in Vancouver are pleased to welcome Jean-Marc Rochette, a renowned painter and comic book illustrator, addressing social and environmental themes through his art and leading us into the beauty of the mountains. Join us on Wednesday, May 15th at 6 pm in the Library of the Alliance Française of Calgary for a conference in French, you will be able to interact with him and learn more about his art and his world.
You probably know Jean-Marc Rochette for "Le Transperceneige" (Snowpiercer), a science fiction comic set in a
post-apocalyptic world where survivors live aboard a perpetually moving train. It explores political and social intrigues, encouraging
reflection on social injustices and the human condition. This comic book has also been adapted into a Netflix series and
it was adapted into a film by the director Bong Joon-Ho, the director of the movie Parasite.
You may also know him for the comic book "The Last Queen", which he is presenting this year at the Vancouver Comics Festival. This comic tells the story of the last bear in the Vercors, killed by a hunter. He has also created "Cold Wing or Altitude 3954," revisiting episodes of his life, as well as "The Wolf," which tells the story of the struggle between a white wolf and a shepherd.
AFC Members: Free / Non-members: $20
Jean-Marc ROCHETTE was destined to become a mountain guide, but gave up mountaineering in 1976 after a serious rockfall accident. He then began a career as a comics artist, contributing to the newspaper Le Casse-noix and publishing in the magazines Actuel, L'Écho des savanes, (A Suivre), L'Équipe and Okapi. He also drew the series Edmond le cochon, and Transperceneige (Snowpiercer), later adapted for the screen in 2013 by Korean director Bong Joon-ho. After seven years in Berlin from 2009 to 2016, where he devoted himself almost exclusively to painting, Jean-Marc Rochette returns to France. In parallel, Terminus was published in 2015 to bring the Transperceneige universe to a close, before giving it new impetus by embarking with Matz on the prequel series, Extinctions: two volumes have been published to date. From now on, Jean-Marc Rochette is devoting himself to a more personal work, as a sort of rebirth. A year after the successful Ailefroide, the album Le Loup, a bestseller translated into over 10 languages, confirmed Jean-Marc Rochette's consecration as one of the most important contemporary authors.
La Dernière reine (2022) is probably his most personal album. In it, he celebrates the land that is so dear to him and questions the issues that drive him: the mountains, the balance between man and nature. With La Dernière reine, however, Jean-Marc Rochette takes us by surprise, for this story is first and foremost a beautiful love story. In 2024, it has been translated into English and published by SelfMadeHero.
For several years now, Jean-Marc Rochette has been living in the Vénéon valley, in the heart of the Écrins National Park, in France.
Portrait
© Mathieu Zazzo (attached in low definition, and here in HD: http://u.pc.cd/kAtrtalK)
