A conversation on illustration’s evolving role across publishing, design, advertising, and digital culture
On Thursday, June 11 at 6:00 PM, Salotto – Casa IED in New York will host “Beyond the Page: Other Forms of Illustration,” a conversation dedicated to the expanding possibilities of contemporary illustration and the ways visual storytelling continues to move beyond the printed page.
The event will open with remarks by Claudio Pagliara, Director of the Italian Cultural Institute of New York, followed by an introduction by Emilio Varrà of Hamelin. The discussion will bring together Olimpia Zagnoli and Emiliano Ponzi, two of the most internationally acclaimed Italian illustrators, in conversation with Nicholas Blechman, The New Yorker Art Director and one of the leading voices in contemporary visual communication.
Through a dialogue shaped by their diverse experiences and practices, the speakers will explore how illustration today extends far beyond books and editorial publishing, engaging with fields such as design, advertising, fashion, public space, installation, animation, and digital media. The conversation will examine how illustrators are redefining their role within contemporary culture and how images continue to evolve across different platforms, audiences, and contexts.
The event is part of “Zig Zag: A Visual Bridge Between Italy and the USA,” a festival dedicated to illustration and the exchange of visual languages between Italy and the United States. From June 8 to June 12, 2026, New York City welcomes some of the most significant voices in contemporary illustration through a program of talks, conversations, and public events hosted across the city.
Curated by Steven Guarnaccia and Hamelin, in collaboration with the Bologna Children’s Book Fair and promoted by the Italian Cultural Institute of New York, the festival was conceived to strengthen cultural dialogue between the two countries and to create new opportunities for reflection on the present and future of visual storytelling.
Olimpia Zagnoli is an Italian illustrator recognized internationally for a bold and instantly recognizable visual language. Her work is defined by strong graphic synthesis, vibrant colors, and a clear modernist influence. She operates across illustration, editorial design, posters, and visual communication projects, often moving fluidly between cultural and commercial contexts. Her images frequently combine irony with elegance, creating compositions that are both immediate and conceptually sharp. She has collaborated with major newspapers, magazines, and global brands. Her visual vocabulary draws from 20th-century design, pop culture, and contemporary visual culture. Zagnoli’s work often reduces complex ideas to essential forms without losing expressive force. She is attentive to rhythm, composition, and the communicative power of simplicity. Her illustrations are widely exhibited and published internationally. She is considered one of the most distinctive voices in contemporary European illustration.
Emiliano Ponzi is an Italian illustrator and visual artist known for his refined, conceptual approach to contemporary image-making. His work blends narrative clarity with strong visual synthesis, often translating complex ideas into striking, essential compositions. Working across editorial illustration, advertising, publishing, and cultural projects, he has collaborated with major international newspapers, magazines, and brands, establishing a distinctive visual language recognized for its balance between elegance, symbolism, and immediacy. Ponzi’s practice moves fluidly between traditional drawing and digital experimentation, always grounded in a deep attention to storytelling and composition. His images frequently explore themes such as contemporary society, human behavior, and perception, using metaphor and reduction to create visually powerful narratives. Alongside his professional work, he has contributed to exhibitions and lectures dedicated to illustration as a cultural and communicative tool, helping to shape the international conversation on the role of images in today’s visual culture.
Nicholas Blechman is an American art director, illustrator, and graphic designer, best known for his work as the Art Director of The New Yorker, where he has played a key role in shaping the magazine’s distinctive visual identity. His career spans editorial illustration, book design, and independent publishing, with a strong focus on visual storytelling and conceptual clarity. Blechman is also the founder of the independent publishing imprint Nozone, through which he has developed experimental and politically engaged illustrated projects. His work is characterized by a sharp editorial sensibility, minimalist visual language, and a strong interest in the intersection between illustration, journalism, and contemporary culture. As both practitioner and curator, he has contributed to redefining the role of illustration in editorial contexts, supporting a generation of illustrators and expanding the possibilities of visual communication in the media landscape.
Claudio Pagliara is an Italian journalist and cultural director, currently serving as Director of the Italian Cultural Institute in New York. His career has been deeply rooted in international reporting, with a long trajectory as a correspondent for RAI, where he covered major global developments from key geopolitical centers including the United States and the Middle East. His work has consistently focused on interpreting complex political and cultural dynamics for an Italian audience, combining field reporting with a strong analytical perspective. Over the years, Pagliara has developed a journalistic approach attentive not only to events, but also to the broader cultural and historical frameworks in which they unfold. This sensitivity to context has shaped his way of understanding international relations as narratives shaped by both power and perception. His experience in different regions of the world has contributed to a nuanced view of global interconnections, particularly between Europe and the United States. In his current role at the Italian Cultural Institute in New York, he works at the intersection of culture, diplomacy, and public engagement. He oversees programs that promote Italian cultural production abroad and encourage dialogue between artists, institutions, and audiences. His direction reflects a vision of culture as an active space of exchange rather than a static representation of identity.
Through his dual background in journalism and cultural management, Pagliara brings together storytelling, institutional strategy, and international perspective.
Emilio Varrà is an Italian editor, curator, and cultural operator, and a key figure within Hamelin, a Bologna-based cultural association dedicated to illustration, comics, and visual storytelling. Through his work with Hamelin, he has contributed to the development of research projects, exhibitions, publications, and educational initiatives focused on contemporary illustration and its critical interpretation. Varrà’s activity is centered on promoting illustration as a cultural language, fostering dialogue between artists, publishers, scholars, and institutions. He has curated and co-curated numerous projects in Italy and abroad, often focusing on the relationship between image and narrative, and on the evolving role of illustrated storytelling in contemporary culture. Active in both national and international contexts, he collaborates with festivals, museums, and educational institutions, supporting initiatives that explore the intersections between illustration, comics, and visual arts. His work reflects a consistent commitment to building platforms for critical exchange and for the recognition of illustration as a central field within contemporary visual culture.
Zig Zag Festival
New York, June 8-12, 2026
Some of the best Italian and American illustrators gather in New York for a visual dialog that spans and unites both sides of the Atlantic.
A program of talks on illustration and comics celebrating the 250th anniversary of the United States.
Organized by the Italian Cultural Institute
Curated by Hamelin and Steven Guarnaccia,
in collaboration with the Bologna Children’s Book Fair
Partners: Society of Illustrators, Rizzoli Bookstore, Salotto, Sullaluna Bookshop & Bistrot, SVA School of Visual Arts
