Summer's Tale

Digital print 29.7 x 42 cm 

A nostalgic tribute to childhood imagination, this piece portrays a whimsical figure alongside an elephant — symbols of innocence, wonder, and boundless creativity. The gentle connection between the two evokes memories of fantastical daydreams and the pure, dreamlike world seen through a girl's eyes.

Aleksandra Kozak was born in 2002 in Zakopane, Poland. She is currently in her fourth year of studies at the Magdalena Abakanowicz University of the Arts in Poznań, specializing in graphic design. Her work is rooted in themes of nostalgia, sensitivity, and the complexity of human experience. She often complements her visual pieces with poetry and stories, creating multi-layered narratives that blend image and text. She explores intimate moments and internal landscapes, inviting viewers into a personal world. Her art is a quiet dialogue between emotion and form.

Digital print 29.7 x 42 cm 

Alla Sorochan

Ukrainian graphic designer based in Manchester. 

Digital print 29.7 x 42 cm 

This artwork is inspired by the glowing star wallpaper in my childhood bedroom. Every night, just before sleep, I’d reach out and try to catch them. If dream jobs were real, mine would’ve been a star catcher, collecting all the glittering wonders scattered across the sky.

Amber Aü is an illustrator and picture book author-illustrator based in Cheshire. She love creating whimsical, joyful and heart-warming illustrations. Her illustration journey started while she was battling an eating disorder, so food often appears in her artwork—sometimes tucked away in little hidden details. 

Digital print 29.7 x 42 cm 

This piece is based on a photograph from the artist’s meaningful trip to the Philippines, where her family originates. Having not visited as an adult, the journey felt like a true homecoming—a chance to connect with her roots in a profound new way. While mangos are a beloved fruit in the Philippines, they also bring Anna back to fond childhood memories of eating mango paletas in Chicago summers - creating a beautiful cross between her two cultures. This artwork captures not just the visual beauty of that moment, but the emotional layers of belonging, nostalgia, and cultural convergence, alongside the joy of creating new memories with her family, friends and husband.

A Filipina-American artist from Chicago now based in Manchester. Anna draws inspiration from nature, food, and everyday moments. A lover of drawing, she has recently expanded her practice to include oil pastels and wheel-thrown pottery. Her art weaves together organic forms, culinary traditions and the beauty found in daily life. This evolution from digital to hands-on materials reflects a deepening exploration of texture, color and form.

Digital print 29.7 x 42 cm 

As a child I always loved a visit to the beach, this is inspired by long days in the sand and the excitement of rummaging through and overstuffed shop and not knowing if I was coming out with a toy lizard stuffed with sand, some paprika crisps or a giant inflatable crocodile.

I am Elsa, one half of 2B Or Not 2B. We are two sisters who work together from our studio at Islington Mill in Salford. I am often inspired by our childhood together, with a love of playing games , telling stories and making each other laugh.

Digital print 29.7 x 42 cm 

This surreal piece captures a dreamlike moment of awakening beneath four elemental sirens—nymphs of earth, water, air, and fungi. Viewed from below, as if just rising from sleep, the viewer gazes up at these ethereal beings suspended in a celestial haze. Each figure embodies a natural force, blurring the line between goddess and hallucination. Vivid colors, intricate textures, and unfinished elements echo the fleeting clarity of a dream half-remembered.

I’m a graphic novel writer, illustrator, and miniature portrait painter based in Manchester. My work explores the intersection of sci-fi, mythology, and theology, with a focus on character design that fuses the human form with elements of animals, insects, plants, seasons, and abstract concepts. Through this hybrid visual language, I build rich, otherworldly narratives that reflect on identity, transformation, and belief. My style blends intricate detail with bold imagination, creating immersive worlds where the divine meets the alien.

Digital print 29.7 x 42 cm 

It's been fascinating discovering more ESEA LGBT+ media crop up recently, Boyscation (Hong Kong dating show) and The Boyfriend (Japanese dating show) come to mind. 

Thinking back to my childhood, unfortunately I can't remember many happy LGBT+ stories growing up. Inspired by those shows, this illustration is dedicated to all the relationships that had to hid or could not reveal themselves due to societal stigma - where LGBT+ couples are accepted and normalised when I was still a child. I often paint ESEA characters as I feel like they are still not given fair treatment and opportunities in media.

I work as an illustrator and game artist that ventures into food illustration and characters. I celebrate Pride month by painting an annual heart-warming illustration that I wish I'd have seen when I was younger. As a British Born Chinese, I grew up with two different food cultures and I find great pleasure in painting food that I had access to, hoping to resonate and bring joy to others who have experienced the delicious cuisine such as dim sum, take away food and baked goods.

Digital print 29.7 x 42 cm 

“Date night” gives you that warm feeling of relaxing in an Italian restaurant after a hot day exploring a new city. 

Using procreate, Katy Otterbach creates vivid, modern pieces that bloom with feminine energy and color. Her work celebrates the playful and powerful essence of modern art and flowers.

Digital print 29.7 x 42 cm 

This illustration captures a summer memory in a lavender garden, where bees busily gather nectar. I find their round shapes irresistibly adorable. I also included my cat and childhood doll in the scene. Bringing my doll along for photos has always been my habit. It is a way for me to record moments from daily life.

Takoko is a storytelling illustrator from Hong Kong, now based in the UK. She works across digital media and risograph printing, weaving mood and narrative into her art through playful colour and thoughtful composition. Her work often draws inspiration from nature and features her original characters Alex, a beloved childhood doll, and Batman, her lovely cat.

Digital print 29.7 x 42 cm 

Summer, to me, means time with the ocean—cool seawater, mysterious marine life, blazing sunlight, and soft sand compose every beautiful summer. This work combines a love of the sea, the cherished childhood memory of collecting shells, and the Taiwanese White Dolphin, listed by the IUCN as Critically Endangered, presenting a joyful, dreamlike, fairy-tale atmosphere. Besides seeking to introduce viewers to the Taiwanese White Dolphin through the image, it also aims to raise awareness of their current situation.

A Taiwanese illustrator and painter working in oil painting, lacquer, and mixed media. Her art reflects a lifelong love for animals and the natural world, expressed through a contemporary, illustrative, and childlike style. She explores stories of love, symbiosis, growth, transformation, and connection, highlighting conservation and the bond between humans and nature. By blending traditional techniques with experimental materials and personal stories, she aims to share the warmth and wonder that inspire her creative journey.

Digital print 29.7 x 42 cm 

Suspended gardens bloom in midair like seeds of imagination. Here, dreams sprout in floating red vessels, summer’s dreams growing weightless and wild.

Yu Min Teoh is a Malaysian-born artist and architectural designer based in the UK. Her creative practice blends spatial thinking with illustrative storytelling, often exploring themes of playfulness, vibrant colour, and architecture. She works across various media, using both structure and softness to express deeply personal narratives. Her recent works reimagine urban futures through whimsical, utopian visuals, creating spaces, both real and imagined, that invite reflection, connection, and joy.