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IMAGINATION, MEDIATION, & MANIFESTATION

Inaugural Graphic Medicine Europe Conference X Cross Comix
9-12 September 2026
Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam & De Doelen Rotterdam

We are pleased to announce the inaugural conference of Graphic Medicine Europe, an independent research organization dedicated to the study and practice of Graphic Medicine. Founded in 2026, Graphic Medicine Europe works in close collaboration with the Graphic Medicine International Collective as its European branch, and maintains strong connections with our Italian and Spanish counterparts, Graphic Medicine Italia and Sociedad Española de Medicina Gráfica. Working alongside these organizations, we aim to broaden the reach of Graphic Medicine locally, regionally, and internationally.

AN INCLUSIVE PERSPECTIVE

A FIRST STEP

Our organization defines Graphic Medicine pluralistically as comics that explore healthcare issues, the theoretical discourse these comics engender, and the study of comics as expressive communicative tools. We equally value the work being conducted in the field by scholars from different disciplines, healthcare workers and advocates, and comics artists. By offering an inclusive community for different perspectives on scholarship and practice, we seek to foster interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary research that interweaves and entangles the various knowledge systems, skills, and methodologies being developed by researchers and practitioners. Graphic Medicine Europe thus aims to challenge power dynamics and hierarchies between disciplines and practices—which we view as a much-needed step in the development of Graphic Medicine.

Our inaugural conference, IMAGINATION, MEDIATION, & MANIFESTATION, seeks to advance the political potential of Graphic Medicine by focusing on the doing of Graphic Medicine across artistic practice, theorical development, and healthcare interventions. In the process of this doing, imagination is the starting point: by activating our imagination we can envision new worlds and discover new ideas that have the potential to move Graphic Medicine, as both a discipline and practice, beyond its current scope. Mediation is the second step: by bringing together different disciplines, media, communicative practices, and languages, we can broaden our conceptual frameworks, invent new methods, and open productive dialogues among the diversity of perspectives that make up our field. This, in turn, leads us to manifestation: by giving form to various modes of expression, resistance, and advocacy, we can work to radically transform healthcare discourse and practices.

For our inaugural conference we are happy to be partnering with Cross Comix, a pioneering Rotterdam-based comics organization that builds bridges between comics, other art disciplines, and social issues locally, nationally, and internationally. Together we are organizing an exciting program of keynote lectures, workshops, artist talks, and other events at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam and at the 10th annual Cross Comix festival at De Doelen in Rotterdam, including:

• Ian Williams, keynote lecture
• Ana Patrícia Hilario, keynote lecture
• Eszter Szép, comics brewery
• John Miers and Erin La Cour, Why Graphic Medicine? book launch
• Sabba Khan, artist talk
• Octavia Roodt, artist talk
• Graphic Medicine Exhibition
• Makers Market
• …and much more!

For the more academically focused part of the conference, from 9-10 September at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, we welcome paper and panel proposals that deal with our themes of IMAGINATION, MEDIATION, & MANIFESTATION, whether within, in-between, or across disciplines, practices, and professions.

• papers: 20 minutes (to be placed in a panel with 2 other presenters for a total of 90 minutes, including a 30-minute q&a/discussion); please submit abstracts of 300 words plus a short bio of 150 words to conference@graphicmedicine.eu by 30 April 2026. Confirmation of acceptance will be sent by 15 May 2026.

• panels: 90 minutes (3 presenters with 20-minute paper presentations, followed by a 30-minute q&a/discussion); please submit a panel abstract of 300 words plus 300-word abstracts and short bios of 150 words per presenter to conference@graphicmedicine.eu by 30 April 2026. Confirmation of acceptance will be sent by 15 May 2026.

For the more maker-focused part of the conference, from 11-12 September at Cross Comix at De Doelen Rotterdam, we welcome proposals for workshops, the makers market, or the zine kiosk.

• workshops: 1-2 hours on day 3 or 4 at Cross Comix; please submit abstracts of 300 words plus a short bio of 150 words to conference@graphicmedicine.eu by 30 April 2026. Confirmation of acceptance will be sent by 15 May 2026.

• makers market: all day on days 3 and 4 of the conference during Cross Comix, where you can sell your comics, drawings, and any other merchandise; please visit Cross Comix to view the open call.

• zine kiosk: all day on days 3 and 4 of the conference, during Cross Comix, where you can have your self-published/small publisher comics or zines for sale; please visit Cross Comix to view the open call.

Fees

Conference fees are for all four days of the conference, 9-12 September 2026. Fees include coffee/tea breaks, lunches, receptions, and entry into Cross Comix.

• Regular fee (for fully employed professionals): €225,00
• Reduced fee (for partially employed professionals and students): €125,00

*For participants who require a further reduction or fee waiver, please contact Erin La Cour and Alice Scavarda, co-chairs of the Board of Directors of Graphic Medicine Europe at info@graphicmedicine.eu with a short explanation.

Locations

9-10 September 2026
Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
De Boelelaan 1105
1081 HV Amsterdam,
Netherlands

11-12 September 2026
Cross Comix
De Doelen, Kruisplein 30/40
3012 CC Rotterdam,
Netherlands

Questions?

Please contact Erin La Cour and Alice Scavarda, co-chairs of the Board of Directors of Graphic Medicine Europe at info@graphicmedicine.eu.

Made possible by funding from the European Research Council.