Louka Butzbach (Fontenay-sous-Bois, 1995) is a comic book author based in Marseille. Following his early forays with micro-publishing, he released his first book, “La Constituante” (Éditions Matière, 2023), an anachronistic narrative set in a comic workshop during the French Revolution. His body of work, poised between short story, fable, theatre and dream, offers youthful, androgynous and melancholic characters a stage on which to unfold their restless search for freedom. He has contributed to magazines including Lagon, Colorama Clubhouse or Strapazin, and also devotes himself to illustration and painting. His practice often extends to collective projects, among them the web series “Cheezy Dream” (2024) and the exhibition cycle “Exposissimo” (2021-2023).

The International Comics Residency is a cross-institutional experience promoted by Azkuna Zentroa, the Cité Internationale de la Bande Dessinée et de L’image (Angoulême), and La Maison de la Littérature (Quebec), with the support of BilbaoArte. The initiative fosters creation in the field of comics and encourages encounters between people from different countries in key professional environments for graphic novels, connecting residents with artists from other contemporary artistic disciplines.

The results of the residency will be presented in the exhibition Running on Empty. Comics as Visual Poetry, at the Mediateka space of Azkuna Zentroa–Alhóndiga Bilbao, from March 17 2026 on occasion of the Comic and Graphic Novel Day in Spain.

@hellomireille