In a world where it seems we know only how to clash or isolate ourselves in our bubbles, is it still possible to find ways to navigate disagreement? The 2026 edition of A occhi aperti explores, through comics, the forms of contemporary conflict, seeking in the medium of drawing the ideal space to examine our relationship with otherness.

“Breaking points”, the title of the 2026 edition of A occhi aperti, uses visual storytelling to offer a collective reflection on the forms that conflict takes in our lives today. On the one hand, there is the tragic reality of war, which has now become almost a backdrop to our daily lives; on the other, there is the growing difficulty in looking beyond ourselves, in recognizing the other as an individual .

Comics and drawing become a space to ask ourselves:hHow can we once again make conflict a starting point for a different future?

If every era has needed some form of conflict to engage with others and redefine the boundaries of coexistence, this drive seems to have stalled today. Perhaps the time has come to ask ourselves if there are other ways of relating. It is true that the presence of the other inevitably entails “natural friction”— the need to come to terms with those who are different from us — and this conflict has gradually been stripped of its generative potential, reduced to mere polarization of opinions and fueling authoritarian political tendencies. 

Today, the risk is that of falling into what the philosopher Byung-Chul Han calls the “expulsion of the other.” We are increasingly tempted to isolate ourselves in protective bubbles made up of ideas and people who mirror our own, rejecting any disagreement.

At the heart of this exploration of conflict is the first Italian solo exhibition by Swiss artist Helge Reumann, the special project at the center of the festival. Curated in dialogue with the space of the former Church of San Mattia in Bologna, the exhibition will trace his body of work through original drawings, installations, and sculptures. 

One of the most influential voices in European independent comics, Reumann explores the anxieties of the contemporary world through his work. At the heart of his exploration lies a disembodied universe that has been reduced to a simulacrum of itself and desperately seeks validation of its existence through an aesthetic of violence —which, however, remains a false movement.

His visual universe draws from the weird, horror, and science fiction. His penchant for the grotesque intertwines with the portrayal of a fragile humanity, crushed between the illusion of absolute dominion over the Earth and the reality of its own finite nature. Tensions and conflicts play a central role, observed through an irreverent gaze that reveals their absurdities and the indifference of an imposing natural landscape.

All of this is expressed through a purely visual narrative: his comics, devoid of words and explicit moral judgment, resonate with the general loss of meaning that characterizes the current landscape. 

Many other artists from the international comics and illustration scene will contribute their perspectives to create a mosaic in which the concept of conflict takes on a wide variety of forms — from warfare to everyday clashes to the complexities of communication in the time of social media and AI.

Thierry Van Hasselt, with his latest graphic novel, La véritable histoire de Saint-Nicolas, offers a contemporary reinterpretation of the legendary protector of children in light of the climate crisis, ongoing wars, and the general decline of social values; Lisa Blumen, one of the most interesting authors in contemporary French comics, brings her stories to the festival; starting from the intimate relationships between characters, these stories unfold into narrative universes that reflect many of the distortions of the present; Lorenzo Mattotti presents the project Sottolebombe, a series of illustrations that, with the urgency of black and white, offers a concrete representation of the theme of conflict through the eyes of its victims. Other guests include Davide Reviati, Vittorio Giardino, and Laurie Agusti.

Alongside the exhibitions, the festival reaffirms its role as a training ground for young artists: the program includes a day dedicated to dozens of students from ten of Italy’s leading art academies; portfolio review sessions; an intensive workshop for artists under 35; and a rich programme of guided tours, workshops, and visual literacy activities for schools and libraries.