My Youth: My Formosa

Li-Chin Lin (born 1973) left Taiwan to study art in France. After making short animated films, she turned to comics in 2002. She has published short stories in many fanzines, has produced two children’s books and is the author of graphic novels My Youth: My Formosa (Formose, 2011) and Fudafudak (2017). Formosa (Taiwan’s former name) is a visit to Li-Chin's childhood and Taiwan’s complex history, she approaches with frankness memories of growing up within a strict regime torn between languages, cultures and her own desires to become a comic artist. Formosa won the Literary Award for High School Students of the Île-de-France region in 2013.

This work features in Mangasia: Wonderlands of Asian Comics, a Barbican International Enterprises exhibition, curated by Paul Gravett. Mangasia presents a vivid journey through the art of Comics and visual storytelling across Asia. From its historical roots to the most recent digital innovations, the exhibition looks to popular Japanese ‘Manga’ and beyond, highlighting key creators, characters and publications.