Coming spring, Pictoplasma Berlin invites all the character-curious to come together, make new connections and celebrate the art and impact of adventurous figurative practices. In its 23rd edition, the conference returns to Pictopia : the promised world of characters we long to escape to.

Characters look back at us, and some days, they seem easier to look at than the world around us. Escapism suddenly seems like a legit option, and characters have always been our best way out. With every shift in media and technology, they renew their promise that soon we will be able to immerse ourselves in the oozing image realm – a promise never quite kept.

Today, escapism has become a global industry – from plushies and cozy games to always-on, cute-washed AI companions. But who builds the worlds we escape to, and for what purpose? Rather than commodifying our desire to escape, Pictoplasma sets out to reclaim Pictopia. It critically explores escapism as a source of consolation, of bold new creativity, and as a way to reimagine reality and return with something new.