'De Laatste Dagen van Flowbot 1.0 '(Hic Sunt Leones #2).
Serge Baeken studied drawing, plastic arts, sculpting and liberal arts at art academies in Kempen and Antwerp. While still a student, he self-published an amateur comic magazine called Embryo with a couple of friends in 1984. He has made illustrations for several magazines and clients, such as Penthouse Comix, VPRO, Marc Didden, BBL, TRIX, King-kong, Mekanik and Het Nieuwsblad/De Gentenaar. As a "graphic reporter", he traveled to China for NRC and Knack, and his art also regularly appears in the newspapers De Tijd and De Morgen. He was the artist in residence of his hometown Turnhout in 2009. He is also the graphical counterpart of his brother Vitalski, a poet and performer from Antwerp.
'Sugar, Het Leven van een Kat'.
Baeken made his comics debut with the book 'The No Stories', a collection of short sketches about everyday life in Antwerp. Published by Bries in 2005, the book earned him the prize for Best Debut in Turnhout. Bries also published his next book 'Zzz' in 2007, the same year his book 'De maagd van Antwerpen' was published by Houtekiet. Baeken's sketches are collected by Xtra in books like 'Prefab: 4444' (2009), 'Schetsen: Bird t/m Zoo' and 'Shuffle' (2010) and '50/50' (2011).
From Baeken's contribution to the book 'Het Vrouweneiland' by Studio Vitalski (2011).
In 2014, Baeken released the graphic novel 'Sugar, Life of a Cat' with publisher Blloan, a black-and-white autobiographical story about his cat. It was published in French by Dargaud. Serge Baeken has exhibited his work in Galerie Lambiek, La Rocca, Mercator Galery and Mekanik Strip, among other locations. In July 2016, he was awarded the deAuteursprijs for his illustration work by copyrights management company deAuteurs. The jury called Baeken "an illustrator with an authentic body of work, an autonomous and committed artist who creates his own universe through his work."
Baeken also contributed to the collective comic book 'De Pierkes' (Stripbeurs Gent, 2013), starring the Ghent folkloric character Pierke Pierlala. In 2020, he joined 75 Dutch & Flemish comic artists to make a graphic contribution to 'Striphelden versus Corona' (Oogachtend/Uitgeverij L, 2020), a free collective comic book intended to support comic stores that had to close their doors during the lockdown at the height of the COVID-19 virus pandemic.
In 2006, Baeken's 'The No Stories' won the Debuutprijs van de Stad Turnhout, aka 'De Blikken Biebel'.
'The NO Stories'.