“Concept Development / Execution / Strategy”
A unique masterclass, led by the internationally acclaimed designer and illustrator Viktor Koen, will be available to members of the AKTO student community.
The masterclass, themed “Concept Development / Execution / Strategy”, offers an intensive and productive experience for developing a focused mindset, fostering personal style and aesthetic direction, with the aim of helping participants advance to the next level of practice in the applied arts.
Its structure is based on a series of exercises, assignments, critiques, and idea exchange, and includes advice for professional development. The masterclass aims to:
- Analyze and learn methods for developing and implementing ideas.
- Create new works to complete and enrich a competitive portfolio.
- Highlight and perfect personal expression and style.
It will be held over two consecutive days (Thursday 5/03 and Friday 6/03), exclusively for final-year students from the university degree programs BA (Hons) Comics & Cartoon, BA (Hons) Graphic Design, and BA (Hons) Fine Art & New Media.
It is worth noting that the masterclass is taking place within the framework of Viktor Koen’s solo exhibition “Artvice: Artistic Advice (and Viktorisms)”, hosted at AKTO’s Athens Campus from March 4 to 18.
A few words about the artist
Viktor Koen was born in Thessaloniki. He holds a BFA from the Bezalel Academy of Arts in Jerusalem and earned his MFA with honors from the School of Visual Arts (SVA) in New York. An acclaimed designer and illustrator, he currently heads the Illustration and Comics departments at SVA.
He has collaborated with the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Time, Newsweek, The Guardian, Esquire, Nature, National Geographic, Rolling Stone, Wired, ESPN, Bloomberg, The Atlantic, The Economist, Fortune, Forbes, Penguin Random House, Harper Collins, Rizzoli, Atlantic Records, Virgin, IBM, Stavros Niarchos Foundation, BBC, and the UN.
In addition to his TED talks, he regularly lectures at academic and professional conferences.
His work is exhibited in galleries and museums worldwide, included in public and private collections, and frequently featured in publications and art books.
He has been awarded the Communication Arts Award of Excellence, Graphis Gold Awards, American Illustration Awards, and the 3×3 Educator of the Year Award.