TALKING PICTURES
Sat 16 September 2023, 6:00pm arrival for 6:30-8:30pm
The Braggs lecture theatre, The Braggs Building, The University of Adelaide, Victoria Drive, Adelaide, South Australia
Cost: FREE (bookings essential)
Ana Maria Méndez Salgado, Ashley Ronning (VIC), Brendan Boyd, Daria Healy-Koljanin, Gavin Aung Than (WA), Jason Pamment, Kit Beukes, Nathan Grixti and Sheydin Dew, with Owen Heitmann (emcee)
Experience comics in a different way at Talking Pictures, where creators will combine art and performance for a multimedia storytelling event. The presenters will each perform a live reading accompanied by onscreen projections of their own art.
Meet our roster of presenters (alphabetically by surname) below! After reading about each of their credentials and experience, you are sure to want to see their interpretations of the Talking Pictures theme, which this year is ‘Music’.
Our diverse group of visual storytellers will bring you an evening of engaging, entertaining, and thought-provoking readings, with Adelaide-based comic creator and Papercuts Comics Festival co-director Owen Heitmann as emcee.
This session will feature sign interpretation in Auslan, provided by Deaf Connect. You can find an accessibility guide here, which also shows the location of the Braggs Building.
There will be a short intermission halfway through the event. Readings before the intermission will be suitable for all ages, while the second half may contain mature themes.
To reserve your place at this event, please click here to book through Eventbrite.
Gavin Aung Than †
Gavin is a New York Times bestselling cartoonist from Perth. He began his comic career in 2012 with Zen Pencils, a webcomic that has been collected into four books. He then wrote and illustrated the middle grade graphic novel series Super Sidekicks, published by Puffin Books and Random House Children’s Books. His debut picture book, Baa Baa Black Belt, was released in July 2023. He is currently working on a middle grade graphic novel about a hospital for mythical creatures, due out in 2024.
Kit Beukes
Kit specialises in comics and storyboards for animation. They have a passion for fantasy and science fiction, as well as work that concerns and amplifies the voices of LGBT+ people. Their comics have appeared in Heavy Metal Magazine, the Ignatz Award winning anthology We’re Still Here, and Meanwhile, a collection of stories by LGBT+ creators. They’ve recently worked on shows for Netflix and Disney and currently work as a CDW Studios lecturer, storyboard artist and part-time tattoo artist. They are a recent import to Australia from South Africa.
Brendan Boyd †
Brendan has left his mark on many aspects of the Australian comics community since the early 1990s. His contributions range from self-publishing his own work to co-editing anthologies and co-curating exhibitions. Reflecting this versatility, his own comics effortlessly navigate genres from slice-of-life to humour to romance. Brendan has also collaborated with legendary musician Don Walker (Cold Chisel) to transform songs into visually stunning comics. His Heartland Graphic Novel, complete with soundtrack to create an immersive experience, has been hailed as one of the most ambitious projects in Australian comics.
Sheydin Dew †
Sheydin is a creative force best known as writer and illustrator of the ongoing series No Man’s Land, a tale of rival street-skating teams in a small Australian town. The first two volumes in the series are currently available, with an eagerly anticipated third on the horizon. Sheydin developed the series while studying for a Bachelor’s Degree in Digital Media with Honours at Flinders University, alongside CDW Studios. Her other publication credits include visually inventive magazine illustrations and children’s book illustrations. She is also an accomplished graphic designer and screenprinter.
Nathan Grixti †
Nathan’s comics include Redback Armageddon, an explosive Oz-ploitation series that was a finalist in the graphic novel category of the Australasian Horror Writers Association’s Australian Shadows Awards for 2020, and The Spicer, a gonzo journalism account of his extensive experience working in Australia’s failing mental health system. He also contributed to Image Grand Design, the ultimate fan comic inspired by the Cartoonist Kayfabe YouTube Channel, with the project raising over $4000 for the Hero Initiative. Beyond comics, Nathan has also held a number of solo exhibitions as an award-winning fine artist.
Daria Healy-Koljanin
Daria is a freelance screenprinter, illustrator and DJ who creates visually stunning and meditative art. You can catch a rotating exhibition of Daria’s latest gig-poster illustrations in the depths of Ancient World. With a passion for blending real-life experiences with abstract concepts, Daria is an avid world-builder with grassroots/DIY at the epicentre of all that they do. Daria is a community minded creative and has hosted workshops with the likes of Youth Inc, Girls Rock! Adelaide and Ace Gallery. They are currently developing a graphic novel that delves into deep themes of mental health, trauma, sexuality and gender identity in an innovative and captivating way.
Ana Maria Méndez Salgado †
Ana is a visual storyteller with a passion for creating unique worlds, characters and stories through illustration, animation and comics. She works both as a freelancer and as an Art & Animation Director at her boutique animation production company, Karu-Karu. Ana also enjoys nurturing local emerging talent and teaches animation and visual development at UniSA. Originally from Colombia, Ana’s work transports viewers to a realm of wonder and mystery inspired by her love of fantasy, poetry, children’s literature and magic realism.
Jason Pamment †
Jason is the author and illustrator of the graphic novels Ember and the Island of Lost Creatures and Treasure in the Lake. Both books showcase his gorgeous artwork and talent for imaginative storytelling, transporting readers to vibrant and fascinating worlds filled with strange and wonderful characters. Outside of creating comics, Jason directs and designs for a variety of media, including award-winning animated films, children’s television shows, music videos, commercials and video games. He has contributed to the BAFTA-winning video game Florence and films such as the Oscar shortlisted The Cat Piano.
Ashley Ronning †
Ashley’s creative endeavours began at the age of five when she cut her own hair to complete a picture of a pony. As an adult, Ashley spends most of her time in her studio drawing, risograph printing, creating her next zine, and sometimes drawing ponies. Her commercial illustration work ranges from gig posters to museum displays, and her art has been featured in frankie magazine, Meanjin Quarterly, The Lifted Brow and Eisner Award nominated kuš! #37 Down Down Under.
† The artists whose names are marked with this symbol also have stalls at the Papercuts Market Day, where they will be selling their work.
Talking Pictures is presented in collaboration with the University of Adelaide Department of Media and the J.M. Coetzee Centre for Creative Practice.
Talking Pictures is based on similar events held interstate under the name Read To Me, with the permission and cooperation of Read To Me co-creators Gabriel Clark and Fionn McCabe.