If you’ve ever found solace in the sound of a pencil dragging across paper, or spent hours lost between the folds of a sketchbook, October in Bangkok might feel like home. The Bangkok Illustration Fair returns at Central World from October 23-26, a four-day collision of colour, paper and perspective that has grown from a small creative gathering into one of Southeast Asia’s most beloved art events.
The event is now in its fifth year, and it’s a living sketchbook. 200 artists from 17 countries have been selected to show their work, from Thailand to Japan, Italy, Greece and Taiwan. The fair resists hierarchy, letting new illustrators share the same space as veterans. More than 50 reviewers, from studios and agencies across the world, roam the aisles each year in search of artists who catch their attention. And it’s not just the on-site booths and sales for those chosen; every artist who applies gets their own corner to showcase work on BangkokIllustrationFair.com.
For the first time, the fair introduces ‘International Alliance’, a new zone dedicated to cross-border collaboration, giving artists who have only met through screens a chance to talk, share and perhaps start something new. Other familiar corners return too: ‘B2A (Business to Artist)’, where illustrators meet potential clients, and ‘Portfolio Review’, where a ten-minute chat might quietly alter a career.
The highlight, though, hides in the smaller details. At ‘ZINE! Workshop’, visitors can fold, cut and staple their own mini-magazines, while ‘MESSAGE to Artist’ lets you write a postcard to your favourite creator – an analogue gesture in an age of double taps.
Bangkok Illustration Fair 2025 takes over the 7/F of Central World from October 23-26. Tickets are B150, available via Eventpop.