The inaugural Shanghai Illustration & Pop Culture Show (SIPS) confirmed what the Western licensing industry has been slow to see: China has a thriving, commercially savvy illustration scene, ready to engage with the world.
An Impressive Debut
I came to Shanghai to run the Licensing Portfolio Review and moderate a panel, and left certain I had witnessed something important in a market the West has yet to appreciate.
SIPS (29–31 May) closed leaving numbers hard to ignore: three days, 158 exhibitors from 11 countries and regions, and over 13,600 visitors. For a first edition, it was anything but tentative.
A Rich, Autonomous and Mature Scene
The Chinese scene is richer than distance suggests, featuring established and emerging artists, alongside commercial and niche voices. Booths like Laowang1102, Zhang Lelu, Qian You and Sherry Bright drew constant crowds. Korean and Japanese artists featured strongly, and international brands came for more than licensing: MINI brought a convertible into the hall with illustrator Pinko Summer, while France’s VILEBREQUIN presented an installation inspired by the sea.
Then came the brands of Chinese youth culture: GOST, founded by rapper Lil Ghost Wang Linkai, and BIRD’S FRIENDS, linked to singer Zhang Yuan, both fluent in younger generations’ language. Illustrators Avenue gathered more than 60 young illustrators and IP creators — proof of how the next generation conceives of its work as a system, not a single object.
What strikes a Western eye is the freedom with which these artists move beyond European and American canons. This is not an absence of references, but a visual system with its own voice, autonomous and mature.
The Licensing Magazine Delegation
Licensing Magazine did not come alone. We brought a delegation from complementary sectors to open a channel between Western and Asian markets: Gabriella Bruzzone, literary agent and talent scout; Matteo Pedroni, founder of NeddGames; Anya Kuvarzina, founder and CEO of Art Lab Agency; and Sylviane Qiu, Sourcing & Procurement Specialist at Carioca.
The fair gave us direct encounters with Asian artists through the Licensing Portfolio Review. Bo rn at the Bologna Children’s Book Fair, the format proved fertile ground for forging concrete connections between artists and industry. The program was built for exactly this, offering 10 masterclasses, 6 workshops and 230 review sessions.
A Natural Entrepreneurial Vision, and a Productive Paradox
What struck me most was the ease with which artists, even the youngest, presented not just illustrations but a full product line: keychains, bags, clothing, fans, and stickers. These are not add-ons, but a deliberate extension of their identity — an entrepreneurial mindset many Western artists, though better at self-presentation, have yet to develop.
And here lies the paradox, as fascinating as it is productive. Those same artists, so at ease building a product universe, struggle to present themselves to companies, pitch, or engage with the licensing market on its terms. They can’t yet sell themselves in the B2B sense — a gap, but also enormous space for growth on both sides.
The Panel: Copyright, Portfolio and the B2B Market
No coincidence that this tension — among creativity, protecting one’s work, and the market — was at the heart of the panel I moderated: Protecting Your Art: Copyright, Licensing, and Portfolio, a masterclass with simultaneous Chinese–English interpretation.
On stage, four complementary voices shared their insights: Gabriella Bruzzone (agent and scout, Italy), Anya Kuvarzina (Art Lab Agency, UK), Jennie (BETWEENS Agency, China) and artist Weber (China). The conversation showed how global the debate around copyright, portfolio and B2B access has become.
Building the Bridge
The talent is there. The commercial vision is there. The willingness to grow and open up is there. What is missing — and what Shanghai made clear — is a structured system connecting these artists to the international licensing market. Building it, through tools like the Portfolio Review and panels like this one, is among the most exciting challenges our industry faces.
SIPS 2026 was only the first edition. If the debut delivered this much, we can’t wait for 2027. We intend to return with a larger delegation, better tools and the same openness.
When a market this vital begins to engage earnestly with the licensing world, the possibilities are almost impossible to imagine. We intend to explore every one.
