From August 29 to September 7, 2025, the PIC Conference, a festival of illustration and design, took place as part of the international Network Eastern European Design (NEED) festival, for the first time in Ukraine
Ten days filled with inspiring encounters, art, knowledge exchange, discoveries, and creative energy:
- Over 30 offline and online events
- Participants from more than 10 countries
- Hundreds of works featured in the international exhibition
- Hundreds of visitors united by a shared passion for visual culture
August 29 – September 7, 2025
Mystetskyi Arsenal became a vibrant hub for designers, illustrators, curators, researchers, and everyone engaged with visual communication. The exhibition showcased some of the best practices in contemporary illustration, poster art, book design, and animation — with works from Germany, the Czech Republic, Spain, Portugal, Poland, Ukraine, and the Netherlands.
August 30 — Conference Day
The international PIC Conference 2025 program brought together a remarkable lineup of speakers. Jesús Cisneros, Ana Margarida Matos, Barbora Müllerová, Stefan Dybus, Zosia Dzierżawska, Tanya Yakunova, and Zhenya Oliinyk shared their visions of how visual storytelling shapes cultural identity, addresses urgent social themes, and evolves within commercial creative practices.
Networking sessions
August 31 and September 6–7 were dedicated to professional exchange, new connections, portfolio reviews, workshops, presentations, and idea sharing between creative industry professionals from across Ukraine and Europe.
Huge thanks to everyone who created, joined, and supported PIC Conference 2025.
Special gratitude goes to the partners, volunteers, and everyone who believes in the power of visual language.
Photo by Nastya Telikova, Andriy Tsykota
Organizers: Pictoric, PGD, 6 pt, Mystetskyi Arsenal.
The Creative Europe Programme supports the event.
Partners: Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, Polish Institute in Kyiv, Goethe-Institut in Ukraine, Book Arsenal, Kuš!, NAFFA, Czech Center in Kyiv, Megapolis+