The 57th Lucca Comics & Games Festival, held from Nov. 1 to 5, featured an exhibition by the Cultural Division of the Taipei Representative Office in Italy, showcasing 30 outstanding Taiwanese comic works from 18 publishers. Taiwanese comic artists Rimui Yumin (韋蘺若明) and Aliyo (艾莉柚) were invited to participate, and Animo (阿尼默) and Yeh Chang-ching (葉長青) were also present to promote books of theirs newly translated in Italian. The Taiwanese exhibition area offered a series of interactive events such as opening ceremonies, autograph sessions, and lectures, allowing for more exchanges and opportunities for collaboration in the Taiwanese comic industry.
Taiwanese folk beliefs and culture have a mysterious and captivating charm. This exhibition focused on the theme of “Taiwanese Comic Gods’ Pilgrimage,” featuring works from recent years that explore religious beliefs and the supernatural, including Rimui Yumin’s “Funeral Concerto (送葬協奏曲)” and Aliyo’s “Cat Demon Chronicles (貓妖傳).”
Comic artists Animo and Yeh Chang-ching were invited by Italian publishers Add and IF to promote the Italian-language versions of their works “The Short Elegy (小輓)” and “Mayfly Island (蜉遊之島)” at the festival. They also held book signing events during the exhibition, giving fans the opportunity to get closer to their favorite comic creators.
The Cultural Division of the Taipei Representative Office in Italy stated that the Lucca Comics & Games Festival, founded in 1966, is the largest and longest-running event of its kind in Europe. This year, the Cultural Division continued to promote the brand of Taiwanese comics, attracting Italian publishers and readers to appreciate the charm of Taiwanese comics and expanding overseas translation and publishing channels to support the Taiwanese comic industry’s international market expansion.