On May 14 and 15, I will be at the Salone Internazionale del Libro di Torino for the release of my new illustrated book Never Give Up. Here are all the events I will be taking part in:
- Thursday, May 14 at 12:00 PM
Ten Stories for Democracy
A conversation inspired by Vietato Arrendersi (BeccoGiallo)
with Gianluca Costantini, Laura Cappon and Angela Vitale.
Ten true stories of young women and men who, in different parts of the world, stand up for democracy and human rights. A portrait of the present through experiences of courage, commitment, and responsibility, showing how freedom is never guaranteed once and for all, but is something that must be defended every day. Link
- Thursday, May 14, from 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM
Book signing of Vietato arrendersi at the BeccoGiallo Publishing Stand, Pavilion 2 – Stand K82–L81.
What does it mean, today, to take a stand in the first person? And what happens when doing so involves real risks such as prison, exile, or censorship? The people portrayed in this book come from different contexts — Syria, Iran, Belarus, Afghanistan, Hong Kong, Gaza, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo — but they share the same choice: not to remain neutral. Anwar al-Bunni uses law, Rita Baroud uses writing, Sasha Skochilenko uses drawing, and Zahra Joya uses journalism. Others organize protests, build networks, and keep attention alive when everything pushes toward silence. This book tells what it means to choose, to expose oneself, to persist, and it invites readers to reflect on what their own way might be, today, to refuse to stand by and watch.
- Friday, May 15, from 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM
Book signing of Zodiac (Oblomov Edizioni) at the La Nave di Teseo Stand,
Pavilion 3 – Stand P80–Q79.
A journey that moves through space, myth, and reality. Drawing inspiration from the twelve signs of the Chinese zodiac — present in many of his works — and the human characteristics associated with them, Ai Weiwei, artist and political dissident, tells the story of China intertwined with his own life and artistic evolution. The result is a reflection on the role of art and the artist in today’s world.
- Friday, May 15, from 1:15 PM to 2:00 PM
Book signing of Vietato arrendersi at the BeccoGiallo Publishing Stand, Pavilion 2 – Stand K82–L81
- Friday, May 15, from 4:00 PM to 6:00 PM
Book signing of Secret Diary of Pasolini and Julian Assange at the Altreconomia Stand, Pavilion 3 – Stand N32–P31
Fifty years ago, Pier Paolo Pasolini was killed. Once a child and a young boy himself, his “Secret Diary” is a genuine invention, built by weaving together documents written by him and by people who knew him.
It is a sentimental education that brings Pasolini back in the golden dust of adolescence, capable of looking at the world with both wonder and unease. Through words and drawings, reworked photographs and collages, an impossible and necessary coming-of-age story takes shape. By giving him a voice, it also resonates within us.
- Friday, May 15, from 6:00 PM to 7:00 PM
Book signing of Vietato arrendersi at the BeccoGiallo Publishing Stand, Pavilion 2 – Stand K82–L81.
Also being released at the Salone Internazionale del Libro di Torino is Una pistola alla tempia, the new book by Francesco “Kento” Carlo, published by Terre di Mezzo. I also created the cover for it.
Through paintings and murals, the artist Aladin Hussain Al Baraduni denounces the injustices and abuses of his homeland, Yemen. But truth is dangerous to the regime. Aladin is threatened, imprisoned, and sentenced to death. To survive, his only option is to flee to Italy.
The rapper Francesco Kento Carlo, who also works as an educator alongside his music and writing, tells the story of his friendship with this artist who continues, even today, to fight for what is right — at any cost.
