About
A OCCHI APERTI, DRAWING THE NOW
A occhi aperti. Drawing the Now is an international comics and illustration festival curated by the cultural association Hamelin.
Born in 2023 as a continuation of the BilBOBul International Comics Festival, it continues its journey with a fresh look and perspective.
A occhi aperti does not limit itself to showcase the artistic value of contemporary comics, and presents challenges and questions on how the comics language reflects the themes of our age, both as a looking-glass and as a thought process.
Every edition of the festival is built around a topic that encompasses some of the most pressing matters of the present and explores them through the works and voices of artists from all over the world.
The festival itself then becomes a tool for investigating our day and age, that aims to propose a concerted reflection through a programme of showcases, meetups, roundtables, artistic residences, movie screenings, workshops and a section entirely devoted to independent production.
A occhi aperti. Drawing the Now is an international comics and illustration festival curated by the cultural association Hamelin.
Born in 2023 as a continuation of the BilBOBul International Comics Festival, it continues its journey with a fresh look and perspective.
A occhi aperti does not limit itself to showcase the artistic value of contemporary comics, and presents challenges and questions on how the comics language reflects the themes of our age, both as a looking-glass and as a thought process.
Every edition of the festival is built around a topic that encompasses some of the most pressing matters of the present and explores them through the works and voices of artists from all over the world.
The festival itself then becomes a tool for investigating our day and age, that aims to propose a concerted reflection through a programme of showcases, meetups, roundtables, artistic residences, movie screenings, workshops and a section entirely devoted to independent production.
HAMELIN
Hamelin is a cultural association based in Bologna, Italy. Since 1996, it has been devoted to promoting and showcasing children's literature, comics and illustration through different projects and activities.
Hamelin develops literacy projects for children and teenagers, bringing books and comics to public schools, libraries, and other educational spaces.
Hamelin is a cultural association based in Bologna, Italy. Since 1996, it has been devoted to promoting and showcasing children's literature, comics and illustration through different projects and activities.
Hamelin develops literacy projects for children and teenagers, bringing books and comics to public schools, libraries, and other educational spaces.
It also offers continuing education for teachers and librarians, as well as curating cultural events and illustration and comics exhibits.
From 2007 to 2021 Hamelin organized the BilBOlbul International Comics Festival and since 2018 it’s been curating the children's literature festival BOOM! Crescere nei libri alongside the Libraries and Cultural Welfare Sector of the Bologna Municipality.
Hamelin also publishes the semiannual magazine "Storie figure pedagogia", as well as the monographic editorial "Oblò", and has edited several volumes dedicated to the history of children’s literature, illustration and comics.