International Art and Science Symposium – Celebrating the 20th Anniversary of the Rijeka Academy of Applied Arts
Art, Theory and Education Perspectives on Comics – APU 2025
The University of Rijeka Academy of Applied Arts is organizing an international art and science symposium, to mark the 20th anniversary of its founding.
Titled “Art, Theory and Education Perspectives on Comics – APU 2025”, the symposium will bring together comic book authors, artists, scholars, translators, and critics from across Europe, as well as educators teaching courses that involve comics, with an ultimate goal of providing a platform for exchanging ideas, experiences, best practices, and innovations in the field.
Throughout history, comics have evolved from popular entertainment and simple, often humorous depictions in newspapers to a serious art discipline, with sophisticated works exploring the most profound social, political, and philosophical topics, fantasy, or personal narratives. The ability of comics to convey complex ideas makes them an incredibly powerful tool for storytelling, as well as for social critique. For many, comics are an essential part of childhood, not only as a form of entertainment but also as a first encounter with art and narrative. The characters and worlds we encounter in comics, from superheroes to antiheroes, remain in our lasting memory and become an important part of our personal cultural identity. Comics are a bridge between generations, a way to pass on values, customs, and history, but they are also a platform for innovation and artistic experimentation. This symposium on comics will explore these very qualities, with a special emphasis on their role in higher education and their potential for interdisciplinary research.
The two-day event will take place right before the Academy’s Day (the Rijeka Academy celebrates its anniversary on 14 June 2025), and the program includes plenary lectures, presentations by experts, oral presentations by students/young artists, masterclasses, comics exhibitions at the APU Gallery, as well as a roundtable discussion about comics in education, aimed at exchanging experiences among teachers from art academies. The symposium will be held on two locations: presentations will be given at the Faulty of Humanities and Social Sciences, while the art program (exhibition and workshops) and roundtable discussion take place at the Academy.
The program concept
ASSC 2025 explores different ways of artistic and scientific research
The symposium will begin with formal opening speeches, followed by a series of plenary presentations by renowned Croatian and international comic book authors, university teachers, and researchers in the fields of art and comic theory. The presentations will discuss contemporary trends in comics, the role of comics in higher education, and opportunities for interdisciplinary research. Special attention will also be given to analyzing comics in the context of visual communication and storytelling.
These presentations will cover the topics such as comic book production and translation, the use of comics in education, exhibitions of comics in galleries, and integration of comics into cultural and educational institutions. They will be delivered by professors from all Croatian art academies and other faculties, creators of comics from Croatia and abroad, and experts from other fields related to comics.
The program includes presentations by students, emerging comic artists (up to 28 years old) and recent graduates, which gives the young professionals an opportunity to show their work and exchange experiences with colleagues.
Practical workshops and presentations by renowned comic artists will offer participants the chance to learn more about career development, collaboration with publishers, and the organization of comic making process. In general, they will gain insights into the profession itself, with its ups and downs, advantages and challenges, while also getting the opportunity to collaborate with colleagues in creating a comic, under the guidance of experienced professionals.
The roundtable will focus on the integration of comics into study programs, encouraging discussion on the challenges and benefits of using comics as an educational tool and on the methods for teaching comics in higher education. This discussion is primarily intended for teachers of comics-related subjects at art academies, who will share their experiences and together develop strategies for the future. The objective is to open a dialogue about innovative approaches and best practices in teaching comics.
In the evening, two exhibitions will be opened: an exhibition of original comics at the APU Gallery, and an exhibition of student comics at one of the Academy's venues, which will be followed by side programs and a formal closing ceremony.
Important information
Abstracts of oral presentations are published in the abstract booklet.
Original artworks are published in the exhibition catalogue.
Full papers and original comic strips will be published after the symposium in:
- symposium proceedings
- special issue of the Academy’s “Dispozitiv” journal
Applications
Important dates
Deadline for abstract submission: 20 January 2025
Notification of abstract acceptance: 31 January 2025
Deadline for the submission of works for the exhibition program: 23 February 2025
Notification of acceptance of works for the exhibition program: 10 March 2025
Publication of the final symposium program: 21 March 2025
Submission of full papers for publication in the international peer-reviewed proceedings: 10 October 2025