The famous Comicdom CON Athens 2023 comics festival has chosen Italy as guest of honour for its 17th edition, to be held from 12 to 14 May. Italy, in collaboration with the Italian Cultural Institute of Athens, will organise two exhibitions. The first, entitled “Calvino Immaginario – I mondi immaginari di Italo Calvino” (The Imaginary Worlds of Italo Calvino), is dedicated to the centenary of Italo Calvino’s birth (1923). It will be a multifaceted exhibition of comics, illustrations and cartoons inspired by the famous writer’s imaginary worlds and featuring famous artists such as Giorgio Cavazzano, Sara Colaone, Lorenzo Mattotti and Vittorio Giardino. The exhibition will be presented for the first time outside Italy in Athens, before beginning a world tour.
The second exhibition is “Fumetti dal Mare” (Comics from the Sea), featuring six international artists – Shpend Bengu (Albania), Gianluca Costantini (Italy), Gogo (Greece), Thomas Gilbert (France), Roberta (Joe1) Muci (Italy) and Marco Paschetta (Italy) – presenting works inspired by the sea, a primordial and vital element that unites cultures and becomes a place of encounter, transit, integration and discovery.
In addition, Tito Faraci will be the protagonist of a workshop, a portfolio review session and a retrospective meeting with the public during which he will receive an award for his global contribution to the art of comics. Considered one of the most important Italian comics authors, Faraci has published his works in more than twenty countries and received numerous awards. He is particularly popular in Greece. In his rich career, he has left his mark on iconic Italian comics such as Dylan Dog, Tex, Diabolik, Magico, Vento and Zagor, and was one of the first Italian authors to work on American comic characters such as Spider-Man, Daredevil and Captain America.
