With this second volume of her monumental project Die Frau als Mensch, Ulli Lust continues her illustrated journey through the early history of humankind. Schamaninnen follows, for example, a group of Ice Age nomads on their way to their winter camp. Children are born, others die, illnesses are cured, songs are sung, stories are told – and that small figure emerges which we know today as the Venus of Willendorf. Was she a goddess, the avatar of a shaman, or a tool for journeys through spirit worlds? This volume, which won the 2026 Max-und-Moritz Prize for best non-fiction comic, once again combines the latest research findings from archaeology, anthropology and cultural history with the communicative power of the comic. Compared to Volume 1, however, Lust now places the act of storytelling itself at the centre. At the same time, she self-reflexively lays bare her own interpretative process, showing where established findings end and where playful speculation based on the scant evidence begins. Ulli Lust will read from the new volume and, in the discussion that follows, provide an insight into her research, working methods and her understanding of comics as an ‘essayistic’ form. The evening is hosted by Katharina Serles.
Joint event with the Austrian Society for Comics (OeGeC)