✨ It is with great pleasure that we announce the first keynote speaker of CONFIA2026! ✨

🎤 Andrew Hall – Keynote Speaker (2026)

Andrew Hall began his career as a theatre designer in the UK (1991–1996) before moving into academia, where he has been a longstanding member of the Graphic Communication Design programme at Central Saint Martins, UAL.

An influential voice in illustration research, his work spans topics such as coded robotic drawing, cutting-edge illustration practices in Tokyo and New York, the history of drawing at Central Saint Martins, and the evolution from analogue to digital—and hybrid—illustration methods.

He is the author of Illustration: A Concise History (Thames & Hudson, World of Art series) and Illustration (Laurence King Publishing, Portfolio series), and a contributor to key publications including A Companion Guide to Illustration and Picture This: Artist as Illustrator.

His current research explores the transformative impact of AI image technologies on illustration and the ways in which contemporary histories of the field are being constructed.

We are truly excited to welcome Andrew Hall to CONFIA2026!