21st International Conference on
Contemporary Character Design and Art
In its 21st edition, Pictoplasma, the world’s leading festival and conference on contemporary character design and art returns to its origins, reinvents itself, and questions our common understanding of character representation in the era of generative image production and fading pictorial hegemonies.
Across 4 bustling days, international creators and producers from all visual genres – illustration, animation, game design, crafts, fine and graphic arts – meet for an exchange of strategies and stories to shape the future of figurative aesthetics: featured artist lectures explore the edges of contemporary creative practice; daily workshops, jam sessions and demos allow to get hands-on with new mediums; vibrant discussion spaces connect creators, characters, and commercial contributors; and cutting-edge animation screenings invite all to delve into next-level emerging worlds.
Artist Talks / Presentations / Panel Discussions / Symposium / Animation Festival / Media Demos / Game Arcade / Character Lab / Networking Sessions / Portfolio Reviews / Industry Speed Dating / Workshops / Art Jams / Exhibitions / Installations / Performances / Parties / Character Market / No Sleep /
Artist Talks / Presentations / Panel Discussions / Symposium / Animation Festival / Media Demos / Game Arcade / Character Lab / Networking Sessions / Portfolio Reviews / Industry Speed Dating / Workshops / Art Jams / Exhibitions / Installations / Performances / Parties / Character Market / No Sleep /
Artist Talks / Presentations / Panel Discussions / Symposium / Animation Festival / Media Demos / Game Arcade / Character Lab / Networking Sessions / Portfolio Reviews / Industry Speed Dating / Workshops / Art Jams / Exhibitions / Installations / Performances / Parties / Character Market / No Sleep /
Picto|Berlin 2025 registration goes online on Wednesday, the 27th of November 2024 at noon (CET), with a special EARLY BIRD OFFER, LIMITED TO THE 100 FIRST ATTENDEES completing the online registration process.
The central Conference presents 36+ key lectures, presentations, panels and talks zooming in on the process of character creation by the world’s most influential artists, avant-garde filmmakers, upcoming talents, cutting-edge illustrators, innovative designers, and creative thinkers.
First confirmed speakers:
Angela Kirkwood
UK
Scottish illustrator and animator working with a distinct DIY aesthetic that plays on feelings of nostalgia for childhood cartoons, while aiming to upend expectations by approaching all projects with a sense of irreverence and silliness
Ina Dyreborg
DK
Danish textile artist exploring the inner animal within us all – a complex interplay of embracing beauty and flaws, the wild, the masculine, the feminine and perhaps the beast
Jonathan Djob-Nkondo
FR
French artist animator and filmmaker delving into the unexpected relationships between characters and objects, exploring social dynamics through striking, fluid visuals
Laser Days
USA
Real-time rendering studio co-founded by Jack Wedge and Will Freudenheim creating worlds, stories and characters using game engines
Michael Frei
CH
Swiss animation filmmaker, game designer and co-founder of Playables, currently working on the video game ‘Time Flies’
More Speakers
TBA
… and many more to be announced soon!
PREVIOUS SPEAKERS
The official 2025 animation selection breathes life into the inanimate, presenting new short films in four programmes that feature the latest and freshest generation of characters in motion, be it narrative shorts, music visuals, experimental animation, and anything in between. Creators of selected contributions will be invited to attend the conference in person to discuss their work in Q&A sessions accompanying the screenings.
Pictoplasma 2025 invites all attendees to dive deep into the genealogies of character creation, peeling back multiple layers of influences, trends and contexts, to unravel the origins of today’s visual vocabulary.
What we know: Character design is ruled by an interconnected history of archetypes, an interpretation of cultural codes and shared communicational standards.
What we want to find out: Some characters feel utterly unique, some are clever visual remixes, others an overt homage, some cross the line into fan-art or rip-off territory, while others happily blend whatever influences without even realising it. Pictoplasma wants to flip the script on the myth of “the original”, often touted as an artist’s singular autograph, guided by an inherent genius or talent, and asks instead: to what extent are our creations our own, and how do we even determine the dimensions of originality, or indeed, imagination? How much is shaped by influence, inspiration, common tradition, and shared memories?
Why: The accelerated rise of generative AI is making this question even more urgent as it shifts viewers’ relationship to the concept of originality. The tools, building upon enormous collections of pre-existing imagery and concepts, are programmed to spit out nostalgic, dreamlike, distorted echoes of their origins. While some creators fabricate a distinct style by feeding the tech with their own sources, most output undoubtably merges layers into a flattened, comforting blend of familiar imagery that loses the meaning of its origination.
Another why: Fading cultural hegemonies also challenge established standards of character design as a universal visual language. While the world grows more multipolar, the long-standing dominance of Western pop culture iconography, the influence of Japanese Kawaii, or kitschy, exoticised portrayals of other cultures are all being questioned and reconsidered. This opens a much-needed space for previously unseen visions in the names of diversity, queerness, marginalised identities, and creative perspectives from the Global South, sparking new reflections on how we, as picture creators, engage with images and the inherent patterns in our work. Will we see a new era of multiple visual representation, or simply witness the rise of the next pictorial hegemonies and stereotypes?
What for: The 21st Pictoplasma Conference aims to cut to the heart of it all: In 2025, let us strive to create work that feels original, fresh, exciting, and purposeful – and at the same time, commit to an honest appraisal of our ‘origin stories’!
Pictoplasma Berlin 2025 takes place at the extensive premises of a former crematorium, the silent green, now a vibrant cultural venue that has already hosted several memorable Pictoplasma events. The location houses all activities at one lively venue, with conference talks, panels, animation screenings, workshops and exhibitions happening both inside and open air.