“Dearest Pinocchio – Selected Italian Comics and Art”

Descrizione

Curated by Paola Bristot and produced in collaboration with Cinemazero, this exhibition celebrates the bicentennial of Carlo Collodi’s birth through illustration, comics, and animation.
Following its presentation in Hungary from October 14 to 17, the exhibition will be on display in San Vito al Tagliamento from November 15, 2026, to January 10, 2027.
Marking the 200th anniversary of the birth of Carlo Collodi (1826–1890), the exhibition pays tribute to a character who continues to transcend eras, mediums, and generations. Ever since Enrico Mazzanti’s illustrations for the first book edition in 1883, the adventures of the puppet have unleashed an extraordinary imaginative potential, fueling a long history of interpretations across illustrated books, comics, and animated film.
The project brings together works by Franco Matticchio, Glenda Sburelin, Igort, Giorgio Carpinteri, Davide Toffolo, Anna Dietzel, Maicol&Mirco, Marco Corona, Luca Salvagno, Massimo Giacon, Riccardo De Biasi, Stefano Zattera, Lorenzo Mattotti, Roberto Catani, and Gianluigi Toccafondo. Both renowned masters and emerging voices—each with their own distinct techniques and sensibilities—capture the vitality of a protagonist who speaks just as effectively to adults as he does to children.
At the heart of the exhibition is Pinocchio—adventurous, curious, and restless—who finds himself drawn into surprising encounters, traps, and metamorphoses. His strength lies, in part, in the freedom to be imperfect; long before he becomes a real boy at the end of the story, it is the puppet himself who embodies that fantastical energy that artists continue to reimagine.
The works thus open the door to unexpected interpretations. Franco Matticchio, for instance, plays with the story’s inherent power to transform even the reader. Gianluigi Toccafondo restores a poetic life to the character through the imagery of animation. The exhibition also includes the work of Lorenzo Mattotti—who designed the sets and characters for Enzo D’Alò’s film—as well as stills from Roberto Catani’s *Il burattino e la balena* (“The Puppet and the Whale”), featured in a 2026 publication by Withstand.
In the realm of comics, Pinocchio encounters other imaginative worlds: he becomes “Pinocchio Maltese” in the hands of Luca Salvagno, while Maicol&Mirco invert the final transformation, turning the boy back into a wooden puppet. Massimo Giacon brings the character into the contemporary era through panels originally published in *Linus*; Igort offers a version marked by unmistakable elegance, and Davide Toffolo captures his poetic essence through a minimalist, essential style. Stefano Zattera reinterprets the character with echoes of *Ranxerox* and *Zanardi*, while Riccardo De Biasi transforms him into his own “Pi-Nokia.” Other key figures from the tale also make an appearance—from the Cat and the Fox, as envisioned by Anna Dietzel and Glenda Sburelin, to Mastro Ciliegia, interpreted by Giorgio Carpinteri.
Following its Hungarian preview, the exhibition will open on November 15, 2026, at the Church of San Lorenzo (PFA HUB) on Via Amalteo in San Vito al Tagliamento. The official opening will take place on Friday, November 20, coinciding with the highlight of the *Piccolo Festival dell’Animazione*, which runs this year from November 14 to 22. Alongside the artists' drawings—which include works by Roberto Catani, Beatrice Pucci, and Guido Scarabottolo, as well as a wooden "Pinocchia" (female Pinocchio) by Ugo Furlan—the exhibition will feature books and illustrated editions by Roberto Innocenti, Luciano Bottaro, and Benito Jacovitti, a comic book version by Osamu Tezuka, and other volumes that attest to the character’s enduring visual legacy.
On Friday, November 20, there will also be a screening of *The Adventures of Pinocchio* (1911) by Giulio Antamoro—the first Italian feature film dedicated to the puppet. This silent film will be presented with a musical score composed by Enrico Sist.
The exhibition will be open to the public until January 10, 2027, from Friday to Sunday, between 10:00 AM and 12:00 PM and from 3:00 PM to 7:00 PM. Admission is free.

Organizzato da:

Curata da Paola Bristot e realizzata con la collaborazione di Cinemazero
cinemazero@cinemazero.it