Comics, Identity, and Storytelling

How can we turn personal experiences and identity into a new means of dialogue? Illustrator and comic artist Noa Katz creates complex and multi-layered comics while maintaining a unique and authentic voice in the comic world. Through an in-depth examination of her work, we will explore issues of identity, womanhood, queer representation, and individual artistic authenticity.

Her personal story is at the center of her works as an opening to a broader discourse on identity, gender, family, and community. Noa presents her LGBTQ experience with humor, sharpness, and brilliant illustrations. Her debut book "4" deals with four different coming out experiences, with the understanding that coming out is an ongoing process that never ends. "The Birds Book" features queer birds, and "The Reproduction Book" - the complete illustrated guide to contemporary sex education, offers a new and modern look at diverse families.

Noa believes in the power of stories to bring about change, bridge people, and create a space for new identities. In her lectures and creative processes, she examines how to translate a personal experience into a story that touches on multiple aspects. She discusses ways to explore a subject without losing its emotional essence and demonstrates how comics can serve as a tool for personal and social change.

Noa Katz is an illustrator and comic artist, a graduate of the Visual Communication Department at Bezalel Academy (2016), and a graduate student at Bezalel’s Visual Communication program.

In addition to her creative work, she teaches comics, mentors creative processes, and conducts lectures and workshops on illustration, gender, and identity. Since completing her studies, she has published five books, and her sixth book is currently being released. She has won numerous awards, including the Karters Award for Comics, the Dudu Geva Award, and the Aryeh Navon Award. In 2024, she was shortlisted for the Edmond de Rothschild Prize for her body of work. Additionally, she teaches comics, guides creative processes, and delivers lectures and workshops on illustration, gender, and identity.