Speakers 2026

The painter and graphic designer Benoît Bonnemaison-Fitte, known as Bonnefrite, blends both disciplines in his editorial project *Graphure et Peintrisme*. As a tireless explorer and experimenter with painting and printing techniques, he creates sensitive, narrative work marked by a strong human and collective dimension. His approach prioritizes the creative process as much as the final work and places the encounter with the audience at the center of his practice.

Bruno, known for a time as Bruno Ilo, Bruno Efímero, and Bru, editor of *Makuto Heyoka*, and a master of meditation, yoga, philosophy, the body, the soul, and the non-definition of the self based on matter. As a medium, the pencil was important, but vibration took its place. For years, he has been an essential part of the Basque Country’s underground publishing scene, with his fanzines and cartoons addressing existential questions that, in addition to making us ponder important issues, have had us laughing out loud or filled our hearts with tenderness.

Paloma is an illustrator, publisher and author of children’s books. She studied design and went on to complete postgraduate studies in Creative Illustration, as well as in Anthropology and Audiovisual Communication.
She has over 30 published titles, translated into 20 languages.
She has been awarded the Grand Prix at the Bratislava Biennial and was shortlisted for the Hans Christian Andersen Award and the ALMA Award.
She is the editor of Ediciones Libre, a publisher specialising in early childhood literature, which was nominated for the BOP award for Best Publisher at the Bologna Book Fair between 2023 and 2026.
She is passionate about books, illustrations and the defence of childhood as a sacred space.
 

Peggy Espinosa, is an editor, graphic designer, and cultural promoter in the field of illustrated books and visual arts for children and young adults. She worked for eight years at Imprenta Madero with the master Vicente Rojo. She founded Petra Ediciones in Guadalajara in 1990 and has received several national and international awards and recognitions. She has led the conceptualization and execution of the Paseantes 2025 edition, establishing this festival as a unique international hub in Mexico for rethinking the book format, independent publishing, and multidisciplinary artistic creation. She also coordinated “El ojo del mundo” in 2026.

Enuji Ryiu is an illustrator and picture book artist based in South Korea. She also co-run Ghost Books, a small bookstore and independent publishing house in Daegu. Alongside her illustration work, she collaborates with various publishers on picture books and illustrations for books, as well as with brands on creative projects.
Through Ghost Books, she also publishes independent books and participates in art book fairs in Korea and internationally. She is particularly interested in stories found in nature, and enjoy observing and drawing the small, quiet moments of nature that surround us in everyday life.

Gina Thorstensen (1980, Norway) is a visual artist and illustrator who loves to experiment with materials and formats and mix analogue and digital techniques. She has directed Virtual Reality experiences, co-directed and designed several animated music clips and art directed animation films. She holds a B.A. in art from La Escola Massana in Barcelona and a M.A. in film and new media from the Norwegian Film School. 

Iván Mayorquín and Raúl Pardo are two Mexican illustrators with over a decade of professional experience. Their expertise spans illustration, product development, graphic storytelling, information design and print work. The Drawing Self-Help Group is their podcast and platform designed to help creative people navigate these waters more effectively and with good company.
They are also founding members of Pictoline, where they were involved in creative direction, art direction, innovation and illustration.
 

Ilaria Tontardini teaches the History of Illustration at the Academy of Fine Arts in Bologna. Since 2005, she has been a member of the Hamelin Cultural Association, where she works as a curator and develops projects related to comics and illustration, such as organizing exhibitions for the Bologna Children’s Book Fair programme and editing Obló, a magazine featuring monographs on illustrators from around the world. She is also one of the organizers of the BilBOlbul comics festival.