Chinese Excellence in Children’s Illustration: a new series of exhibitions organised by BCBF/BolognaFiere, China South Publishing & Media Group Co. Ltd, and Sidee Cultural Communication Co. Ltd, continues with its second edition. Replicating the successful format of Italian Excellence (which held its fourth edition in 2023 and was successfully presented in more than 50 countries during several international tours), Chinese Excellence aims to showcase the talents of Chinese illustration by presenting a selection of the best illustrations by both well-known and unpublished contemporary artists each year, selected by a jury composed of Chinese and international publishing and illustration experts. The finalists of the selection are presented at CCBF, while the winners, and the exhibition displaying their illustrations, will feature in Bologna.
Marco Polo. Traveller, merchant, storyteller: on the occasion of the seven hundredth anniversary of the death of the great traveller, merchant and storyteller who was the first to act as a bridge between Italy and China, a selection of international titles for children and young people (curated by Giannino Stoppani Cooperativa Sociale/Accademia Drosselmeier) will guide visitors on a journey through time and space to explore the life of Marco Polo, thus celebrating the bond that has linked the two cultures for centuries. Accompanying the exhibition will be the lectio magistralis ‘Marco Polo’s Description of the World and its Readers: A Travel Account Mistaken for a Fantasy Book’ (16 November, 10-11 am, Conference Room) in which Professor Alessandro Barbero will explain how Marco Polo’s travel diary has become a true work of legendary fantasy for future generations. The event will be chaired by Ivan Canu (illustrator and Director of Mimaster Illustration) and will include an opening address by Elena Pasoli (Director of Bologna Children’s Book Fair) and Professor Francesco D’Arelli (Director of the Italian Cultural Institute in Shanghai). The meeting will be held in collaboration with the Italian Cultural Institute of Shanghai, as will the book exhibition and the lectio magistralis Professor Barbero will be giving on Friday at the prestigious Shanghai Library, one of the world’s largest libraries.
A Fabulous Wardrobe. Fashion, Clothing and Threads in Children’s Picture Books: created with the patronage of the University of Bologna’s Rimini Campus, the exhibition showcases a selection of books featuring the best of children’s publishing, divided into 6 sections, with a total of 150 books from 21 countries. The exhibition path will follow the traces of embroidery and explore patterns that take on surprising shapes and ever-changing identities, investigating the relationship between childhood and clothing, between dressing and being dressed, evoking real and imagined wardrobes by discovering epochs, styles, techniques, anecdotes and languages of fashion from every era, in an endless game of quotations and cross-references. A journey through so many different aspects of the relationship between fashion, childhood and storytelling, because in the colourful and well-designed world of children’s books, fashion goes beyond being an art form, inspiring and nourishing the sensibilities and innovative thinking of the youngest children.
Accompanying the exhibition is the conference “A Fabulous Wardrobe: Threads of Imagination. Where Children’s Books Meet Textiles and Fashion” (15 November, 11 am-12. 30pm, Conference Room), a discussion between publishing professionals chaired by Silvana Sola (Professor of History of Illustration, ISIA Urbino) and Marcella Terrusi (Professor at the Department of Sciences for the Quality of Life, University of Bologna), both co-curators of the exhibition together with Mariaelena Schiavo (Special Projects Manager Bologna Children's Book Fair). Speakers include: Justyna Karpinska (Senior Foreign Rights Manager, Wydawnictwo Dwie Siostry, Poland), Jon Klassen (author and illustrator, USA), Giulia Rizzo (Deputy Editorial Director, Terre di mezzo, Italy), Kristian Steinberg (Director of Education, Istituto Marangoni Shanghai, Sweden), Emily Sutton (artist, illustrator, Print Maker, UK), Wu Binrong (Hua'er) (author, editor, curator, China) Xiao Aozi (artist, Associate Professor, School of Design and Art, Hunan University, China). The conference will be followed by a guided tour of the exhibition.