“History and stories of the 20th century in comics”, banner
Anna by Beatrice Brandini
From today until November 9, 2025, at Palazzo Blu in Pisa it will be possible to visit the beautiful exhibition of Sara Colaone, illustrator, cartoonist and teacher at the Academy of Fine Arts of Bologna.
Sara Colaone, Ciao ciao bambina, Bologna, Kappa Edizioni, 2010. Pastel on paper.
The exhibition that Palazzo Blu dedicates to graphics, entitled “History and stories of the 20th century in comics”, presents more than two hundred original plates that tell with a refined graphic style, complex and very current themes such as immigration, historical memory and the condition of women.
Sara Colaone, Didier Quella Guyot, Alain Quella-Villéger, Escaped from the Harem, Quartu Sant’Elena (CA), Oblomov Edizioni – La Nave di Teseo, 2021. Indian ink and graphite on paper.
The exhibition curated by Giorgio Bacci, in collaboration with “Lucca Comics & Games”, follows an exhibition path in five different comics, showcasing a fascinating journey through twentieth-century figures, also partially valorizing some forgotten stories.
Sara Colaone, Luca de Santis, Ariston, Quartu Sant’Elena (CA), Oblomov Edizioni, 2018. Graphite, pastel on paper, digital print.
Thus we can admire Evase dall’Harem, the story of the two daughters of a dignitary of the Ottoman Empire who in 1906 fled from Constantinople to Paris, claiming a freedom denied. In Leda Che solo amore e luce ha per confine, the author tells us the story of Leda Rafanelli, a scholar, anarchist, Muslim, passionate lover, fortune teller, a character who embraced almost a century of Italian history, that of the twentieth century, with participation and courage.
Sara Colaone, Luca de Santis, In Italy They Are All Males, Bologna, Oblomov Edizioni, 2019 (1st ed. Bologna, Kappa, 2008). Ink on paper.
In Italia sono tutti maschi tells the story of the persecution and deportation of homosexuals to the border during the fascist regime, whose protagonist is Antonio Angelicola, known as Ninella. In Ciao ciao bambina, the refrain of the famous song Piove by Domenico Modugno, Colaone narrates the immigration of Italians abroad in the 1950s and 1960s. Finally, in Ariston we find Renata, the female protagonist, in an Italy that has just emerged from the war, which opposes a destiny already written. Owner of a hotel on the Adriatic coast that will be the ideal setting for love affairs, business, but also poolside parties.
Sara Colaone, Ciao ciao bambina, Bologna, Kappa Edizioni, 2010. Pastel on paper.
“This is an exhibition that, through a rich selection of original plates, over two hundred, retraces the twentieth century from oblique and often forgotten perspectives, giving voice to women, minorities, migrants and irregular subjectivities – says Giorgio Bacci, curator of the exhibition.
Sara Colaone, Luca de Santis, Ariston, Quartu Sant’Elena (CA), Oblomov Edizioni, 2018. Ink and graphite on paper.
Sara Colaone’s illustrations do not limit themselves to telling stories, but forcefully bring to the surface themes that are more urgent than ever today: self-determination, memory, freedom, civil rights. A visual and narrative journey that intertwines art, history and civil commitment.
Sara Colaone, Illustration for the poster of the exhibition “Sara Colaone. History and stories of the 20th century in comics”. Ink, watercolor and graphite on paper.
Sara Colaone won the Gran Guinigi award as Best Designer at Lucca Comics & Games in 2017.
Palazzo Blu offers an increasingly complex and interesting exhibition proposal, the year opened with the great exhibition on Hokusai, currently, in addition to Sara Colaone, the exhibition “Razza Umana” by Oliviero Toscani is underway, a cultural offer that places Pisa and Palazzo Blu as a strategic destination of our beautiful Italy.
Good life to everyone!
Beatrice