At the festival

In 2014 BilBOlbul International Comics Festival celebrates its 8th edition. This year the festival is at a new time of year (from 20 to 23 November 2014) and takes on a new look.
The primary transformation is the move towards a reflection on the changing world of publishing, specifically for comics. The festival will be a catalyst for reflection for people working in the sector as well as for young artists; it is in this way BilBOlbul remains faithful to its founding mission of bringing the best of Italian and world comics to the forefront of the conversation.
BilBOlbul 2014 presents a conference on the global publishing situation; most of all it concentrates on the need to educate young artists about these topics. Sezione LAB is dedicated to this new mission with round table conversations, workshops and portfolio reviews by top professionals. In order to underline the importance of investing in new artists and the cultural relevance of publishing the festival will promote diverse productions of exhibitions and books: Icinori, inspired by Bolognese naturalist Ulisse Aldrovandi’s water colors, will show at the Museum of Palazzo Poggi; Paper Resistance will lead a collaborative project in the galleries of the Anatomic Wax Museum of Bologna; independent publisher Teieria will curate a project by Roman Muradov (who will also have a solo show during the festival); Delebile will curate a conversation between Max De Radiguès and Charles Forsman; AkaB will guide us on a journey through the basement of the oldest Palazzo in Bologna.
This year, BilBOlbul, will enter into the city’s museum of contemporary art, MAMBO, with a new concept show. The exhibition will focus on one of the most important books of the last year, a book that must be brought to the public’s attention: L’intervista by Manuele Fior. Another high point of the 2014 festival is the anthological exhibition curated by Canicola through photographs examining the new German School (at the Music Museum); this show is curated by Squadro and shows Volker Pfüller as the leader of this movement.
BilBOlbul maintains is focus on the Italian production of comics for children and young adults which is still quite small; therefore the festival continues to look abroad and this year Anouk Ricard is the main artist, with her fun series Anna and Froga, the hope is to grab the attention of Italian publishers.
The festival closes with a market dedicated to international independent publishers who have been invited to BilBOlbul 2014.