SPEAKERS 2025

Hikari Nishida is a curator and artist, who uses the artistic book as the focus of her work.  She has developed different cultural projects that strengthen the independent art book field in Finland. In her project, The Temporary Bookshelf, Hikari Nishida curates art books and magazines that the public would otherwise not find in a traditional bookstore. Nishida describes her project as a platform for artistic publications. She began in 2021 with a physical nonprofit bookshop at Kosminen gallery and continues to curate projects from independent publishers to make them accessible to the Finnish public. She also curates art events and co-directs UNDER THE LEAF BOOK FAIR, the Helsinki art publications fair, now in its fourth edition.

Ifiyenia Kamperi is a Greek illustrator specializing in children’s books and fantastical storytelling. Since 2017, she has collaborated with leading Greek publishers. Her work has received the EBGE Illustration Award (2021) and was featured in the White Raven catalogue (2019). She holds an MA in Children’s Book Illustration from Cambridge School of Art (2023).

Isidro Ferrer, illustrator and graphic designer, covers a vast physical and emotional geography with his work. A graduate in dramatic arts and set design, Isidro Ferrer is a graphic artist in the broadest sense of the term. He is the author of hundreds of posters, book covers, objects, toys, editorial designs, monumental infographics, animated shorts, textiles, brand images, sculptures and lamps. Any medium, technique or channel of communication serves him well in expressing his passion for the theatre of life through images. As an illustrator, he has published more than 50 books, including: El vuelo de la razón (Ministry of Culture Award for Best Edited Book, 1993); Yo me lo guiso, yo me lo como (Laus Silver Award for Illustration, 1996); El verano y sus amigos (Lazarillo Award for Illustration, 1996); En cosme i el monstre (Serra d-Or Critics' Award, 2000); Una casa para el abuelo (Daniel Gil Illustration Award, 2003; Junceda Illustration Award, 2006); Libro de las preguntas (AEPD Award, 2006 and Cálamo Award 2006); Un jardín (Bologna Ragazzi Award Honourable Mention, 2017); Enciclopedia visual de los sonidos (BRAW Amazing Bookshelf. Bologna Children’s Book Fair, 2022); Frankenstein o el Prometeo moderno (National Award for Best University Publication 2023); Piedra a piedra (Ministry of Culture Award for Best Published Book, 2023) His work has been exhibited in numerous countries in Europe, America and Asia. National Design Award 2002 and National Illustration Award 2006, he has been a member of AGI (Alliance Graphique International) since 2000.

Jenni Erkintalo, is a Finnish author, illustrator, and publisher specializing in picture books. «I studied graphic design and illustration at the University of Art and Design Helsinki (now Aalto University) and visual storytelling at Konstfack University in Stockholm». Children are at the core of her artistic work, and since 2014 she has been dedicated to children’s culture. She has written and illustrated around ten picture books and published two nonfiction books for children. Alongside her own books, she co-founded the children’s publishing house Etana Editions with Réka Király. «Since 2014, we have published nearly 90 illustrated children’s books». Etana Editions received the State Award for Children’s Culture in 2020 and has been nominated for the Bologna Prize for Best European Publisher and the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award 

Jesús Sotes Vicente works assiduously in the publishing sector, illustrating books and collaborating with the press. He has also participated in advertising campaigns, developing projects for British Airways and Deloitte, among others. His clients include Penguin Random House, Centipede Press, Thames & Hudson, Batsford Books, Hardie Grant, Playboy Magazine, Boston Globe and The Observer. Some of his works have appeared in books and specialised press. Award for excellence in the Illustrated Books category, Communication Arts 2024. Finalist in the Illustrated Books category, Communication Arts 2022. Award in the New Talent category, BIBF ANANAS 2022.

RAKETA is intended especially for children from 6 to 12 years of age. It is published 4 times a year in thematic issues and contains no advertising. The magazine has been published since 2014 by Labyrint Publishing in cooperation with the Raketa dětem association. It is created by two editors-in-chief, Johana Švejdíková and Radana Litošová, together with a team of permanent authors and artists 

Juliana Hyrri is an Estonian-born visual artist, painter, cartoonist and illustrator whose work explores the intersection of language and expression. After studying Fine Arts in Helsinki her works has been included in several finish contemporary art museum’s collections. In 2023, she was honoured with the State Award by The National Council for Multidisciplinary Art, recognizing her impactful contributions to the Finnish contemporary comics and illustration scene.

Karla is a struggling comic book artist. She is Danish, but lives in Berlin, where she works at a flea market selling jewellery of dubious quality. In her daily life, she faces a multitude of bizarre situations: a visit from Herle, a nine-year-old girl, with whom she goes to steal Christmas food from a supermarket; the sighting of protective dragons; the gluttony of Dexter, the Italian dog with whom she shares a flat; an unpleasant encounter with a security guard in a supermarket... All Karla wants is to make comics and be left in peace, but the angels, or dragons, seem to have other plans for her.

In addition to all this, Karla is the editor of Hairspray Magazine, whose first issue was awarded the ‘Fauve a la Bande Desinée Alternative 2025’ prize at the Angoulême International Comics Festival.