Ravenna,
Press Release 1
Exhibition: Komikazen: International Festival of reality
comic-strips
Curators: Elettra Stamboulis and Gianluca Costantini
Locations: Ravenna's "Museo d'Arte" at "Loggetta
Lombardesca" in Via di Roma 13, Ravenna; the "Almagià"
in Via dell'Almagià, Ravenna; the
"Centro Giovanile" in Via Chiavica Romea n.88, Ravenna
Organised by: The Mirada Association and Ravenna's Local Authority
for Youth Initiatives.
Inauguration: 30th September, 6 p.m.
Dates: 30th September - 2nd November 2005
On Friday 30th September at 6 p.m., the Mirada Association in
collaboration with Ravenna's Local Authority for Youth Initiatives
will present Komikazen, the first International Festival of reality
comic-strips, hosted by the city of Ravenna at three different
sites: the "Museo d’Arte" of Ravenna; "Almagià",
the former sulphur factory; and the "Centro Giovanile"
in Via Chiavica Romea.
After the success of exhibitions entitled "Per Ventiquattromila
baci: fumetti dall’altra Europa”, “Joe Sacco:
Nuvole da oltre frontiera”, and “Marjane Satrapi ovvero
dell’ironia dell’Iran”, that centred narration
around real life accounts, the Mirada Association wanted to provide
the public with a greater opportunity to make contact with, and
get to know, the most internationally important authors to recount
reality through words and pictures.
The Festival, the first of its kind on an international scale,
is arranged by Gianluca Costantini and Elettra Stamboulis and
will last three days, while the planned exhibitions will be open
to the public throughout October. At MAR (the Office for External
Relations and Marketing), there will be an exhibition of original
storyboards from the winners of the International Competition
La Battaglia di Algeri: racconto a strisce di una storia in bianco
e nero as well as the works of authors already established in
their respective countries, such as Phoebe Gloeckner, Nicole Schulman,
Felipe H. Cava, Tomaž Lavric and Kamel Khélif.
The festival will intersect with other methods of communication,
such as journalism and photo-reportage, thanks to the collaboration
of the magazine “Internazionale”, a partner in this
project.
The festival will above all, however, be an opportunity to meet
the guest authors, including Marjane Satrapi and Joe Sacco, who
will both meet the public. The show will also offer associated
workshops for school groups relating to autobiographical comic-strips.
Biographies
of guest authors
Phoebe
Gloeckner: a reader at Michigan University, USA, is known
in Italy for the now impossible-to-find "Vita da bambina"
(Topolin Editions), an autobiographical account of domestic violence.
Gloeckner has produced many comic books and has worked with authors
such as James Graham Ballard; Robert Crumb is one of her fans.
Nicole
Schulman: a young American designer, linked to the noglobal
movement and to the alternative American scene, she collaborates
with the World War III collective. Schulman designs posters, tattoos
and illustrations for the political performances of activists
and is characterised by her xylographic sign and strong interest
in social issues. Together with Paul Buhle, she created Wobblies,
a book about the history of American Trade Unions. Her work has
been published in Italy in the magazine "InguineMAH!gazine".
Kamel
Khélif: the work of this French-Algerian writer
has been printed by publishing houses such as France's "Fremòk".
The stories, of a very pictorial nature, are all linked to the
transverse theme of the search for identity by "those born
in other people’s countries". The sense of exile and
of belonging is portrayed through short scenes set in the cities
of provincial France and Algeria. These stories are a tribute
to the lost youth of these countries and a homage to the nostalgic
beauty of memory. He is, as yet, unpublished in Italy.
Felipe
H. Cava: a Spanish scriptwriter (also of film), he has
worked with many writers, including Raul. Cava is known abroad
particularly for "Berlin ‘31" and "Ventana
a Occidente" (unpublished in Italy), and he also coordinated
the editorial initiative 11 Marzo, created by a group of Spanish
scriptwriters, and concerning the railway attacks that led Spain
to withdraw from Iraq. During the 70's he was part of the political-creative
collective known as El Cubri.
Tomaž
Lavric alias TBC: a Slovenian writer, he is known in
Italy for Racconti di Bosnia (Magic Press Editions), that won
various international prizes for best comic book, Tempi Nuovi
and La Fuga di Lucertola, by the same publisher. He also created
Il Decalogo IV for Panini comics. Lavric uses pictures to tell
stories that describe his country as it reaches a junction between
the past and the present, from a disenchanted and pitiless viewpoint.
Guests
at the festival will include Joe Sacco, a reporter
who draws comic strips regarding conflicts such as those in Bosnia
and Palestine, and also an observer of the American internal political
debate (published recently by "Internazionale"), who
has already exhibited in a solo show organised by Mirada at the
Museum in 2001, and Marjane Satrapi, an Iranian
comic-stripwriter, of French adoption, known in Italy particularly
for Persepolis, which was also published as a comic book supplement
to the daily newspaper "Repubblica".
The
catalogue published by "Coniglio Editore" of Rome, and
produced for the Festival, will present stories, previously unpublished
in Italy, by all the featured writers as well as a critical contribution
by Elettra Stamboulis and Tahar Lamri and a piece by Felipe H.
Cava on historic events and the comic-strip.
Press
Office
MAR - Office for External Relations and Marketing
Tel. 0544 - 482017/482775 ufficio.stampa@museocitta.ra.it
Associazione Mirada
Tel. 0544 – 600825/61446 Fax 0544 – 590810 Mobile
3295372762 mirada@tele2.it http://www.mirada.it
