Live Drawing Performance with Elene Usdin
With a pencil in her hand, comic book artist Elene Usdin brings a sheet of paper to life right before your eyes, turning it into a colorful landscape.
While traveling in Finland as part of the Septentrionales residency program, Elene Usdin, winner of the 2026 edition, will be visiting Helsinki for a few days. During her visit, she will transform the French Institute’s library into a performance space for a live drawing session to be held on Monday, September 28.
Originally a photographer and illustrator, Elene Usdin currently writes and draws comic books. In late 2025, she published Detroit Roma, co-illustrated with her son Boni, which won the France Télévisions-Villa Médicis Comic Book Award. Her creative world draws inspiration from her travels and dreams to create vibrant new worlds, interwoven with questions addressing social and political issues.
At this event, you’ll have the opportunity to talk with the artist about her creative process and sources of inspiration – and much more!
The event will be held in English.
Co-organized by the French Institutes in Denmark, Sweden, Norway, and Finland, Septentrionales is an annual, eco-friendly artist-in-residence program throughout the Nordic countries. The 2026 recipient of the program, Elene Usdin, is currently working on a new comic book project set in Northern Europe. Travelling from August 15 to October 15, 2026, her journey is fully documented through a virtual journal, available on this link.