Date

22 April 2024

A meeting that brought together professionals from the sector, teachers and students from the Visual Arts school as well as other specialisations

The renowned illustrator, muralist and comic book author María Herreros (Valencia, 1983), visited IED Kunsthal Bilbao on 18 April to mark the launch of her latest graphic novel ‘Un barbero en la guerra’ [‘A Barber in the War’] (Lumen).

The artist, who is internationally recognised and appears in the Taschen catalogue as “one of the 100 most influential illustrators from around the world”, showed great generosity by sharing a journey through her work with participants, in which her personal experiences and her career as a professional in the publishing world were inextricably mixed. An account that went through her childhood and adolescence, her time at university, and the decisions she took to publicise her first fanzines, when her professional career began.

Doubts, emotional blocks, authorship and how to deal with a publishing commission were topics that the artist took the opportunity to share while reviewing her most iconic works, such as ‘Us: Stories of Women and More’, the book she illustrated for Rosa Montero, and ‘Georgia O’Keeffe’, a work she edited and illustrated about the American painter. 

Finally, the artist recounted the process that led her to write her latest creation, ‘Un barbero en la guerra’, a work that deals with universal themes such as human suffering, survival, loyalty, love, friendship and the ethical dilemmas that arise in times of war. María Herreros managed to connect with the audience thanks to her ability to make the most intimate and personal subjects universal; an ability that she also manages to convey in her works, through her powerful illustrations and sincere texts, characterised by great delicacy, simplicity and strength.

At the end of the talk, the author signed copies and enjoyed a relaxed moment with the audience in IED Kunsthal Bilbao’s Aula-Bar.

You may be interested in:

14 April 2026

Albert Folch leads a new session of IED MUSES Talks at Bilbao

A new session of IED MUSES Talks brings together Albert Folch and Isabel Fernández to explore design from an expanded perspective.

23 February 2026

IED Kunsthal Bilbao presents “¿Y TÚ? TA ZU? ” in collaboration with the Bilbao Guggenheim Museum and the Mayor of Bilbao.

The graphic intervention emerges from the students’ direct engagement with the exhibition dedicated to Barbara Kruger at the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, inviting the public to reflect on their role within today’s complex reality.

23 February 2026

IED Kunsthal Bilbao launches 4 new postgraduate programs

IED Kunsthal introduces the Postgraduate format and begins a new academic phase focused on specialization.

20 February 2026

VISIONI DAL FUTURO - A century of posters from the Triennale Milano Archives, animated and reinterpreted by young designers

The installation, part of the European project SISS – Sounding Images, Screening Sounds, was presented in the Agora of IED Kunsthal Bilbao with a live performance.

26 January 2026

IED’s campuses in Madrid, Bilbao and Barcelona are hosting Valor Ancestral, the travelling exhibition by Latam Creative Talent.

The exhibition will debut in Madrid on February 17 as part of the Madrid Design Festival.

08 January 2026

TDC 71 Exhibition connects New York with Bilbao, Barcelona, and Madrid

A traveling exhibition that brings together a leading international selection of typography, calligraphy, and lettering across fields such as identity, editorial design, and applied graphics.

28 October 2025

Rural Futures at Class of 25 @ DDW

A selection of projects from various IED campuses was showcased at the latest edition of Dutch Design Week under the title “Rural Futures.”

21 October 2025

Ainara Urquijo, a graduate of IED Kunsthal Bilbao, is featured at the Basquerville Fest.

Ainara Urquijo, a Fashion Design graduate from the 2023/2024 class of IED Kunsthal Bilbao, presented her project BLANCA at Harroby, the emerging talent section of the Basquerville Fest, a Basque design and technology festival held in Vitoria-Gasteiz.

12 June 2025

Last Undergraduate Programme Scholarships 2025: your design journey starts now

Choose your programme at IED Barcelona, IED Kunsthal Bilbao or IED Madrid and submit your application