EWF 2025, from 11 to 18 September, is an annual festival for new and emerging writers. The festival presents various activities like writing workshops, panel discussions, and mentoring sessions for emerging writers.
Hutapea participated in the "Comics Off the Page Live: Exhibition Launch and Performances" event as part of EWF 2025 last September. His involvement came through collaboration with the Gutter Stars comics collective study group from RMIT's Non-Fiction Lab, which received Creative Australia Grants funding.
At the event, Hutapea performed as an artist, showcasing a non-fiction comic work.
There are two conflicting interests here; between business and comic artists, between market and art, between money and expression.Gideon Hutapea, Indonesian comic artist
"The comic I exhibited aims to illustrate that the comics we hold in our hands as readers actually involve a process that goes beyond just the creative work. It's not just about drawing, thinking up stories, and printing. It starts much earlier than that, with negotiations with publishers," Hutapea said.
Why did Hutapea present this work? What are his thoughts and experiences on the differences between the Indonesian and international comic scenes? What does he consider as the right strategy to advance the Indonesian comic ecosystem?
Listen to the full podcast.
