Preview: 11th PICTOPLASMA Berlin
Pictoplasma returns to Berlin next week for their 11th festival with a refreshed format and brand new speaker line-up.
The world’s leading and largest Conference and Festival of contemporary character culture is back in Berlin, with a dense program of inspiring artist presentations, conference lectures, animation screenings, workshops, installations, exhibitions, performances and of course, loads of character!
As we once again prepare ourselves for a week-long visual frenzy on the streets of Berlin, we take a look at what visitor’s to this year’s Pictoplasma can look forward to.
Conference speakers
A feast for the eyes and ears, this year’s speaker line-up promises a diverse offering of thought provoking character design by international artists and illustrators. Here’s our pick of the best:
TADO
Mike and Katie make up the design duo, better known to the world as TADO. Based in Sheffield, UK, this pint-sized creative powerhouse has produced an endless list of darkly adorable characters, artwork and projects that have terrorised and delighted individuals and clients world wide for over a decade.
Yomsnil
Snil Yom is a character driven artist from Seoul, South Korea. For more than ten years he worked as graphic designer in Seoul and Tokyo, before returning to Seoul for good and focussing on his career as an artist.
Stefano Colferai
Stefano Colferai is a young Italian illustrator based in Milan. Armed with a good sense of humour he gives life to new characters via both Digital and Traditional 2D Art, just before moving his creation to the main media of his choice: clay!
Wong Ping
Wong Ping is a Cantonese animator and director based in Hong Kong, mixing topics such as teenage lust, shame and sexual suppression with a surprisingly fresh and luscious colour palette.
Sticky Monster Lab
Sticky Monster Lab is a Seoul based multidisciplinary creative studio founded in 2007. Their numerous short animations tell light, everyday stories set in a twisted monster world, and have attracted international attention thanks to their peculiar wit and freshness.
Brosmind
Brosmind is a studio based in Barcelona founded by brothers Juan and Alejandro Mingarro in 2006. Their style is fresh and optimistic and always combines fantasy and humour.
Pictoplasma Main Exhibition ‘Form Follows Empathy’
Alongside the incredible speaker line-up, the main festival exhibition will showcase artwork by 18 international artists. Sculptures, paintings, art editions and multiples are included, many of them for the first time in Berlin. It will be hosted at Silent Green, a new cultural centre in the upcoming Wedding district, located on the recently re-discovered premises of a dormant crematory.
The exhibition includes animist vases from Korea, polished resin skulls from Peru, darkly humorous prints from Spain, and haunting child portraits from Japan. Alongside a multitude of fresh, character-driven art that mixes pop culture with anthropomorphic spiritualism.
Pictoplasma All-Stars Academy Show
Now in it’s second year, is The Pictoplasma Academy Group Show at Urban Spree. This year itv presents paintings, installations, drawings, sculptures, limited edition prints, including exciting new character worlds by the 27 international upcoming talents of it’s annual master class.
Character Workshops
Of course, Pictoplasma wouldn’t be half as fun without their interactive, awesome workshops. And this year conference goers get the chance to be get involved with a plasticine mash-up, alongside speaker Stefano Colferai / Pimp up their favourite sweat-shirt with character designer Shoboshobo. The workshops offer a unique chance to benefit from working close with conference speakers.
The programme also offers multiple chances to watch groundbreaking animation screenings, and character lab performances. Don’t forget, you can also rub shoulders with conference speakers at the Post-Pictoplasma party at Urban Spree.
Follow Inkygoodness on twitter & instagram for live coverage throughout the conference on 29th April – 1st May. We look forward to meeting you in Berlin!
berlin.pictoplasma.com
Pictoplasma Conference 2015 runs from April 30th – 2nd May at Babylon Kino, Rosa-Luxemburgstr. 30 10178 Berlin, Germany.