- Galeri B9 UNNES
- Semarang
Semarang international Illustration Festival #5 2025
Semarang International Illustration Festival (SIIF) 2025 marks its fifth edition as a biennial celebration of global illustration art. Since its inception in 2017, SIIF has grown into a respected platform that gathers illustrators, visual storytellers, and art enthusiasts from around the world. Hosted in the historic city of Semarang, Indonesia, this international event exhibition has received wide acclaim for its inclusive spirit and thought-provoking themes.
For 2025, SIIF presents “Being Human: The Presence of Imperfection”—a theme that invites reflection on the emotional complexity and fragility of the human experience. In a world increasingly driven by perfection and control, SIIF 2025 embraces the raw, the flawed, and the deeply personal aspects of what it means to be human. Artists are encouraged to explore emotions such as joy, grief, anger, regret, and hope as central elements of their visual narratives.
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Exhibitor
100+ illustrators from 25 Countries -
Event Date
8-13 Sept 2025 -
Submission
21 Jul - 27 Aug 2025
Exhibitor
Theme
Being Human: The Presence of Imperfection
Nothing can quite compare to the human experience. And while it may be a road full of agony and despair, it is one where even the smallest spark can bring unparalleled joy.
Everything we do defines who we are — a result, an accumulation of the past, of all the highs and lows of our lives. We allow these minuscule yet intricate details to tether us and guide us toward our goals, however small they may be.
Every step we take, every word we speak, every choice we make, and every creation we build with our own two hands carries an underlying context that can't be reduced to something as simple as numbers and statistics. This is what the human experience is truly about — what "Being Human" is about: learning to value the journey, and perceiving that the parts of us which are rough around the edges are to be cherished and embraced.
Artificial Intelligence may be able to emulate human emotions; however, it lacks the ability to comprehend why we feel the things we feel, and how we are able to form connections.
AI simply cannot replace what has been built through centuries of growth — shared across space and time
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The 5th SIIF 2025 Participation Terms
- 1. The 5th SIIF 2025 is an illustration exhibition open to the public and free to participate in, with the theme: “Being Human: The Presence of Imperfection”
- 2. By submitting a work, participants are deemed to agree to all the provisions set by the committee
- 3. The work is an original work created by the participant themselves. The copyright belongs entirely to the illustrator, and must not contain elements of plagiarism or infringement of the copyright of other parties.
- 4. Illustration works are submitted in the form of digital files (JPEG/PNG) with a minimum resolution of 300 dpi, A2 format (42 x 59.4 cm) and portrait or landscape orientation.
- 5. The work does not contain elements of pornography, excessive violence as well as elements that offend ethnicity, religion, race, inter-group relations and other discriminatory elements
- 6. AI (Artificial Intelligence) generated images will not be accepted.
- 7. The file name of the work must use the following format: SIIF5_Name_Country_Title of Work.jpg/png. (example: SIIF5_Budi_Indonesia_Humanity.png
- 8. Each work will go through an internal curation process by the committee team, and the decision is final.
- 9. The committee will only use the work for exhibition, catalog, and documentation purposes, without commercial purposes. Copyright remains the property of the participants.
- 10. Deadline for submission: 27 August 2025
The Semarang International Illustration Festival (SIIF) is a biennial event that showcases the works of illustrators from around the world. Since its inception, SIIF has been held successfully in 2017, 2019, 2021, and 2023, receiving positive recognition from professionals and academics in the fields of art and design across various countries.
SIIF 2017 marked the first edition of the festival, featuring more than 250 illustrators from 18 countries. It included a variety of activities such as a 50-meter doodle contest (the longest at the time), an illustration competition for school students, workshops, and creative sharing sessions.
SIIF 2019, the second edition, brought together over 450 illustrators from 24 countries. The event featured a doodle duel competition, another illustration competition for school students, as well as workshops and creative sharing programs.
SIIF 2021, the third edition, was held online due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and showcased works by more than 150 illustrators from 61 countries through a virtual gallery platform.
In 2023, the 4th Semarang International Illustration Festival (SIIF) collaborated with the 4th ASEDAS International Exhibition. The theme of the exhibition was "Gotong Royong"—an Indonesian term meaning collective cooperation toward a shared goal. Embracing this spirit, the exhibition aimed to strengthen the relationship between artists and society, promote cultural and environmental awareness, and provide inclusive access to the creation and appreciation of art. It served as a platform to foster stronger connections within the artistic community and to encourage broader social engagement through art.
Download SIIF Catalogue