1998-2023 Area Performance Silver Anniversary - The Story
Celebrations for Area Performance's25th anniversary continue also in 2024. Area Performance, which has always been hosted in the Carducci pavilion at Lucca Comics & Games, celebrates illustration and visual arts by offering participants a genuine "artist playground"— named by Karl Kopinski — where they can freely express themselves and find points of connection and cross-pollination among artists.
It was 1998 when a group of artists, including Rick Berry, Phil Hale e Gerald Brom, decided to gather for a live collective performance during the festival. This event marked the birth of a unique moment of spontaneous painting that immediately captivated the audience. Since then, this tradition has continued annually, attracting increasingly larger crowds of curious spectators and passionate art enthusiasts.
Directed by Luca Bitonte, the documentary 1998-2023 Area Performance Silver Anniversary - The Story is a tale of passion, art, friendship, and solidarity, narrated by Emanuele Vietina, director of Lucca Comics & Games, and Cosimo Lorenzo Pancini, art director of Lucca Comics & Games. Featuring, among others, Karl Kopinski, Ciruelo Cabral, Monte Moore, Beatrice Pelagatti, Melissa Spandri, Candida Corsi, Angelo Montanini, Antonello Venditti, Paolo Barbieri, Ivan Cavini, Fabrizio Spadini, and Gabriele Stazi.
The premiere of the documentary will take place in Dozza (BO), a medieval village situated on the hills of the Bolognese Apennines. This event is part of the 10th edition of the Fantastika Illustration Biennale, which will be held on September 21 and 22, 2024. During this occasion, Lucca Comics & Games will also celebrate the 25th anniversary of Area Performance alongside Ivan Cavini – the artistic curator of the event and the creator of the dragon Fyrstan – as well as with Associazione Italiana Studi Tolkieniani(AIST) and the artists who, along with Cavini, have made the history of Area Performance.
The screening of the documentary is scheduled for 5:30 PM on Saturday, September 21, at the Teatro Comunale in Dozza. Alongside Emanuele Vietina, Luca Bitonte, and Ivan Cavini, Antonello Venditti, Paolo Barbieri, and other artists who have been part of the Area Performance circle over the past quarter-century will also be present.
The official trailer of the documentary is available on our Youtube channel.
Additionally, Lucca Comics & Games will play a role in another event at Fantastika: on Saturday, September 22, at 2:30 PM, the director Emanuele Vietina will introduce the presentation of the new translation of The Hobbit (Bompiani) at the Teatro Comunale. This session will feature contributions from Wu Ming 4 and Riccardo Riccobello.
For the full schedule and detailed information on how to attend Fantastika, please refer to the official site.