The Universitas Negeri Semarang (UNNES) International Illustration Exhibition returns with the Semarang International Illustration Festival (SIIF) 2025. This annual event provides a meeting place for artists, academics, and practitioners to exchange ideas, explore humanitarian issues, and emphasize the role of art as a medium for cross-border collaborative education.
A total of 116 works by illustrators from 25 countries are exhibited at SIIF 2025, whose works highlight diverse humanitarian perspectives on human relations. These range from urban social portraits to personal interpretations of identity and diversity, using a variety of media.
Deputy Dean 1 of the Faculty of Social and Political Sciences (FBS) at UNNES, Dr. Eko Raharjo, M.Hum., stated that SIIF 2025 is designed to be a public learning platform and collaborative space.
“This activity provides a voice for humanity through art that remains relevant, while also advancing SDGs 4 (Quality Education) and 17 (Partnerships to Achieve the Goals), so that students are encouraged to echo the SDGs through their illustrations,” he said in an interview at Building B9, Faculty of Social and Political Sciences, UNNES, on Monday (September 8, 2025).
Meanwhile, the Head of the Diploma 3 Visual Communication Design Study Program at UNNES, Dr. Rahina Nugrahani, S.Sn., M.Ds., explained that the SIIF 2025 series will not only feature exhibitions but also interactive dialogues and creative networking.
“We are providing an inclusive dialogue space for students, practitioners, and illustrators to explore the dynamics of the world of illustration. This activity also invites alumni, illustrators, and curators from various institutions. Through this gathering, we encourage collaboration and the exchange of new ideas,” he said.
Meanwhile, one of the curators, Muhammad Rahman Athian, S.Pd., M.Sn. emphasizes the function of art as a vehicle for interpreting reality and formulating attitudes.
“Humans should learn to solve their own problems, and art helps formulate answers. Through imagination, we interpret social and natural realities and transform them into language that touches the conscience. This exhibition is dedicated to artists who faithfully speak up for humanity,” he concluded.
