The second issue of the annual Pictoplasma Magazine shines a light on ‘Characters with a Cause’. It features interviews with and statements by more than 20 artists, illustrators, designers and filmmakers who address political, personal and environmental topics, speak up in favour of social justice, or lend their voices to the fight for representation. In 2022, the main question seems to be: can work any longer afford to be immune to today’s urging political questions?

Among the contributors are Afro-Belgian 3D artist Loulou João, whose work is a reflection on Blackness and femininity; Turkish artist Esra Gülmen, on confronting and questioning stereotypes; Baphoboy, from Thailand, who deconstructs the inherent violence in his ‘Land of Smiles’; US artist Matt Furie, whose Pepe the Frog character became an icon of the alt-right movement to the discomfort of its creator; Okuda San Miguel from Madrid, whose murals and public sculptures have become world-famous landmarks; and a conversation with Ailbhe Keane, whose company Izzy Wheels has brought character content into the disability space.