BOOKS Festival Launches in Bologna Dedicated to Art and Artist Books
A new festival called BOOKS, dedicated to art and artist books, is running until May 28 at MAMbo's Sala delle Ciminiere in Bologna. Curated by Danilo Montanari and Lorenzo Balbi, it fills a gap left by two defunct events: Artelibro (2003–2014) and FLAT (2017–2019). The first edition features 36 exhibitors, including booksellers and publishers, with a guiding image by Paolo Ventura. The setup uses discussion tables instead of stands, alongside 10 historical focus displays: artist books by Franco Vaccari, five books from the 1970s collaboration between Claudio Parmiggiani and Mario Diacono, editorial production by Maurizio Nannucci, limited editions by Paolo Ventura, volumes curated by Luigi Ghirri, artist books by Daniela Comani, fanzines by Jacopo Benassi, a posthumous tribute to Irma Blank (who died just over a month ago), a monograph on Giorgio Maffei (pioneer of art publishing in Italy with Liliana Dematteis), and eight titles from Xong collection, an artist record label by Xing. The program also includes talks and conversations.
Key facts
- BOOKS festival runs until May 28 at MAMbo's Sala delle Ciminiere in Bologna
- Curated by Danilo Montanari and Lorenzo Balbi
- 36 exhibitors including booksellers and publishers
- Guiding image by Paolo Ventura
- Replaces defunct Artelibro (2003–2014) and FLAT (2017–2019)
- Features 10 historical focus displays
- Includes tributes to Irma Blank and Giorgio Maffei
- Includes Xong collection artist records by Xing
Entities
Artists
- Danilo Montanari
- Lorenzo Balbi
- Paolo Ventura
- Franco Vaccari
- Claudio Parmiggiani
- Mario Diacono
- Maurizio Nannucci
- Luigi Ghirri
- Daniela Comani
- Jacopo Benassi
- Irma Blank
- Giorgio Maffei
- Liliana Dematteis
Institutions
- MAMbo
- Artelibro
- FLAT – Fiera Libro Arte Torino
Locations
- Bologna
- Italy
- Sala delle Ciminiere
- Turin