Today we’re happy to present Eva Hilhorst as one of the speakers of the Remix Comix conference.

Eva is the editor in chief of Drawing the Times, an internet platform where committed graphic journalists and cartoonists worldwide publish work that informs, entertains, engages and challenges readers on global issues and local stories.

Since Remix Comix aims to bring together various artists (from various disciplines) and anthropologists, we believe there’s much to learn from Eva.

On Drawing the Times, the reader can find background stories in comic form, reportages, live sketches, cartoons, infographics, animations and more. The stories touch upon current affairs and describe and discuss them, be it from Climate Change to Human Rights, public space and vegetarianism. You can read Eva’s introductory essay on graphic journalism HERE, of course in visual storytelling…

We asked Eva which comic books she has been reading recently, and whether or why they inspired her.

A book that I read quite recently is Le monde sans fin by Christoph Blain en Marc Jancovic. I was curious about the book, because it explains a lot of facts about climate change. I didn’t finish it, maybe because it is in French and maybe because it is on my iPad. I think a good comic abducts the reader: he keeps on turning the pages and doesn’t stop reading until he reaches the end of the book.

What are your plans and expectations for the Remix Conference?

I am looking forward to all events 😉 I expect the presentations and workshops to spark the inspiration of the visitors so a lot of drawing activity will take place, and I am looking forward to seeing that happen.

Which narrative you think would make a great comic?

The first thing that comes to mind is migration and how strongly this influences societies. I recently visited a small community in the North of Norway, where the oldest asylum center of the country was located. It was interesting to see how people from so many different cultural backgrounds participated in the activities of the village, and I was thinking about the way refugees are welcomed (or not) in Europe. I was wondering how this would develop in the coming decades. I think it is very important to tell personal stories, to show that every human being is an individual. Comics depict things as they are and can take away biases.