Each of us has a painting, a statue, or a photograph that clearly expresses a concept that words alone cannot fully define.
For the past 10 years, the Human Rights Festival has used multiple forms of expression to show how important it is to be aware of our freedoms. This year, we decided to do it through illustration as well.
We turned to our longtime friend Gianluca Costantini. He immediately said yes and brought the idea to a group of his former students from the Comics Language specialization course at the Academy of Bologna.
With: Eugenia Erba, Alice Marchi, Beatrice Algeri, Emanuele Cantoro, Granita, Irip, Kizazu, Maxem, Riccardo Pedone e Vittoria Adorno.
Since our 2025 Festival is dedicated to the “stubborn and defiant”, we decided to challenge the illustrators with pairs of opposites.
What is the opposite of rights? Privileges. That’s our first conceptual pair. And of course, we couldn’t leave out peace/war. But we also found pairs like credibility/fake news and us/ego to be incredibly timely…
The results are dazzling. Each artist put their heart into it — some with a light touch, others with clear fantasy references; some offered a cerebral image, others something that feels like a snapshot of current events.
It’s a portfolio of illustrations you can quickly swipe through or take your time to savor, pausing on the details.
In either case, they remind you that there aren’t only inequalities — there’s also equality; that violence can and must be countered with respect; that chains can be broken, and freedom can be chosen.
