The Grand Tour’s programme includes special exhibitions celebrating writing, illustration and creativity.
In Frankfurt, Sharjah and Guadalajara.
Launched in 1967, the Bologna Illustrators Exhibition displays the outstanding work of artists from many different countries. This display is a selection of 20 of Italy’s most interesting illustrators selected in recent years for the Bologna Exhibition. Many of them have seen their work recognised at international level.
In Frankfurt, Sharjah and Guadalajara.
This exhibition shines the spotlight on outstanding wordless picture books by Italian artists, testifying to one of the most interesting trends in children’s publishing. On display is a series of books by historic, internationally renowned artists but also by the latest generation of authors and illustrators. Reaching beyond linguistic barriers, wordless books can be enjoyed by readers of all ages. They encourage children to tell their own story of what they see, increasing literacy and creative skills.
In Montréal
This completely new exhibition presents a selection of comics published in recent years by twenty-five Italian publishers - ranging from independent micro-publishers to leaders in the Italian comic book sector, both famous names and fairly recent new entries. On show are single volumes, mini-series, magazines and serial productions. The wide assortment testifies to the narrative and artistic excellence of current comic book production by consolidated creatives but also by many writers and illustrators under forty, who have given an innovative thrust to Italian comic book narrative and illustration. In fact, the exhibition includes 'pure' cartoonists, but also multifaceted authors comfortable in several different expressive languages. Illustrators Lorenzo Mattotti and Sarah Mazzetti will be in Montreal as special BCBF guests. Organised by Bologna Children's Book Fair in partnership with the Comics & Graphic Novels Commission of Italian Publishers’ Association (AIE) and with the support of the Italian Trade Agency promoting Italian companies abroad, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, the exhibition is a great opportunity for an international audience to discover – or re-discover – Italian comic book excellence. The show is curated by Marco Pellitteri, associate professor of Media and Communication at the School of Humanities and Social Sciences at Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University.
In Montréal
Curated by Mimaster Illustrazione, the Exhibition presents a selection of comics for children and young adults by Sarah Mazzetti, an Italian illustrator and cartoonist whose delightfully satirical touch gently points up the many paradoxes of life. Sarah's visual alphabet spans many different subjects and artistic media without ever losing its distinctive characteristics and colours, which in some instances, like Elsa’s Jewels, are no more than two. Whether an account on a single page like The Invention of the Pepper Mill, or a full-fledged book, Sarah’s comic books and stories take their cue from simple everyday happenings, or tap into widely shared childhood memories - like a love (or hate) of candied fruit - to generate a series of unexpected stories.
In Montréal and Guadalajara
To mark the 10th anniversary of Mimaster, the International Master's Degree in Illustration, asked all its former students as well as great illustrators like Noma Bar, Brad Holland, Katsumi Komagata, Libero Gozzini, William Grill, Federico Maggioni, Lorenzo Mattotti, Emiliano Ponzi, Peter Sìs, and Olimpia Zagnoli to search through their drawers and digital archives for a villain they had tackled in their careers as illustrators. The result is a marvellous gallery of ‘the villains’ who have accompanied the professional lives of longstanding illustrators or artists just starting out. The Montréal exhibition comprises a selection of the most renowned villains – from our history books, movies or literature – chosen from the over 140 'villains' sent in by the illustrators taking part in the project. Curated by Mimaster Illustration, the Exhibition was inaugurated at BCBF 2022 and continues its international tour at major book fairs and various exhibition venues in Italy and abroad.
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