A Triumph of Generosity: The Success of the Auction at Lucca Comics & Games 2023

We are pleased to share with you an exceptional triumph of generosity and commitment that characterized the auction held on the occasion of Lucca Comics & Games 2023. Thanks to your extraordinary support, we achieved unprecedented results, raising an incredible proceeds of over 60,000 euro.

This extraordinary success is the result of the contribution of over 70 artists who have demonstrated extraordinary dedication. The enthusiasm and active participation of each of you made it possible to achieve this goal.

The activities we will support this year are:

1. “The Paediatrics Journal”
We plan to publish and distribute a comic in collaboration with the USL company. This project aims to raise public awareness on issues related to physical and mental health, particularly among young patients.

2. “Scholarship for The Sign Comics & Arts Academy”
For the next 3 years, we will offer an annual scholarship at the Florentine Academy The Sign Comics & Arts Academy. This scholarship will cover the entire three-year period of study, offering a student the opportunity to develop their artistic and marketing skills.

3. Emergency support at sea with Emergency
Part of the funds raised will be allocated to Emergency, a humanitarian organization involved in rescue work in the Mediterranean sea. This contribution will help provide vital assistance to those in dangerous situations.

4. Relief for the victims of bad weather in Tuscany
Following the emergency caused by the recent bad weather that hit our beloved Tuscan region, part of the funds will be allocated to a regional fund to help people affected by this natural disaster.

Your commitment and generosity are having a positive and lasting impact on the lives of many people. Every gesture of solidarity counts, and we are grateful to each of you who are part of our Area Performance family.

The Area Performance auction online on Catawiki!

From today, Friday 17 to Sunday 26 March, the auction of the Area Performance Area will be online on Catawiki with over 30 pieces created live during Lucca Comics & Games 2022.

From Angelo Stano to John Blanche, from Chris Riddell to Yoshitaka Amano, up to Steve Argyle and the Italians Franco Brambilla, Gianmarco Veronesi and even Cristina Scabbia, frontwoman of Lacuna Coil. From tomorrow, Friday 17 March, at 12, it will be possible to participate in the charity auction of the Performance Area which will count over 30 works created live during the five days of Lucca Comics & Games 2022, the most significant community event in Europe.

The selection of works can already be viewed on Catawiki, sponsor of Lucca Collezionando, at the following link: http://bit.ly/3TfSstc

The artists up for auction this year will be (in alphabetical order): Angelo Stano, John Blanche, Candida Corsi, Chris Riddell, Claudio Capellini, Cristiana Leone, Cristina Scabbia, Daniela Durisotto, Daniela Giubellini, David Messina, Davide Romanini, Federica Costantini , Florinda Zanetti, Francesca Urbinati, Franco Brambilla, Gianmarco Veronesi, Lapo Roccella, Luca Strati, Marco Soresina, Martina Volandri, Michele Poli, Paola Fiorentino, Roberto Bianchi, Roberto Gigli, Roberto Irace, Steve Argyle and Yoshitaka Amano.

The proceeds will go to Emergency and other charity projects of Area Performance: https://areaperformance.com/progetti/

More than 8.000 euro raised for Emergency’s projects for the Ukraine emergency

The annual online auction on the Catawiki.com site has ended with the original pieces made for charity by the great guests of Lucca Comics & Games within the Festival Area Performance: the eagerly awaited appointment for all fans of the world of comics and illustration in search of unpublished and unique tables and illustrations, which started in Lucca Collezionando, led to the collection of over 8.000 euro.

The sum will be entirely allocated to EMERGENCY’s projects in favor of its war plans in Ukraine. Among the activities promoted by the NGO, those to guarantee assistance to refugees in Moldova and Italy and to deliver drugs and medical material to be sent to hospitals in Kiev.

Over 40 original “contended” by fans, works by great national and international names of the level of Don Rosa, Paolo Barbieri, Paul Bonner (three of the artists who have received the most offers) and Paolo Virzì, Joshua Held, Nigel Sade, John Bolton, Luca Strati, Don Alemanno, Jesse Jacobs and many others.

In a special silent auction, a splendid watercolor created by Angelo Stano for the Area Performance during Lucca Comics & Games 2021 was also awarded which featured the famous nightmare investigator Dylan Dog: the magnificent work was sold for over € 2.800.

Extraordinary results that are added to those achieved in over 20 years of life of the project that brings together in Lucca the greatest artists in the world to create images for charity.

The Area Performance auction has started on Catawiki

On Friday 1 April the auction with some of the works of the greatest artists, cartoonists and fantasy and science fiction illustrators from around the world started on Catawiki in favor of EMERGENCY in support of their intervention for the war in Ukraine.

The auction will be open until April 16, to participate just go to the Catawiki portal at this link: https://bit.ly/3IY53dY

There are 46 lots that make up the auction, with authors such as: Don Rosa, Paolo Barbieri, Paul Bonner, Paolo Virzì, Joshua Held, Nigel Sade, John Bolton, Luca Strati and many others.

By participating in this auction you can not only win a work signed by a great author, but also collaborate in the charity project that for over 20 years has brought together the world’s greatest artists in Lucca to create images for charity.

Here is the link of the specific Emergency project that we will support this year: https://www.emergency.it/cosa-facemo/ucraina/

Silent Emergency Auction in Ukraine

From today (28 March) the splendid watercolor created by Angelo Stano for Area Performance during Lucca Comics & Games 2021 which depicts the famous nightmare investigator Dylan Dog (watercolor on paper 35×50 cm) is up for auction.

The proceeds will be donated to Emergency in support of their intervention for the war in Ukraine.

Angelo Stano “Dylan Dog illustration # 3” – Watercolor on paper – 35x50cm

The auction will take place in silent mode, or you can participate by sending an email to info@areaperformance.it – ​​(read the regulation at the bottom of this news).

On Thursday 31 March an update will be published on all our channels with the figure at which the offers have arrived. The winner of the auction will then be announced on Sunday 3 April directly at Collezionando 2022, where the work will be exhibited at the Catawiki stand for both days of the event (2 and 3 April).

Right on the famous portal, Friday 1 April our auction will start with some of the works of the greatest fantasy and science fiction artists, cartoonists and illustrators from all over the world with the proceeds that also in this case will be donated to Emergency for the same cause (here you will find the dedicated article).

SILENT AUCTION REGULATION

  • Starting price € 500.00
  • Send an email to info@areaperformance.itIn the email, indicate your name, surname and any shipping address.
  • Clearly indicate the amount offered.
  • Only multiple bids of € 10 are allowed, different bids will be rounded down (for example € 717 corresponds to a bid of € 710).
  • In the case of ex aequo as a major offer, the piece will be assigned to the one who first sent the email.
  • The deadline for submitting the offer is Sunday 3 April at 12:00.
  • By submitting an offer, you will undertake, in the event of an award, to pay this amount within 30 days from the notification of the winning.
  • The amount you offer will also cover insured shipping (therefore shipping is included) if the address is in Italy. If the shipping address is outside Italy you will have to consider an addition of 30.00 euros for shipping.

Area Performance on Catawiki for Ukraine Emergency

On the occasion of Collezionando, an event powered by Lucca Comics & Games, some of the works of the greatest fantasy and science fiction artists, cartoonists and illustrators from around the world are auctioned on Catawiki in favor of Emergency in support of their intervention for the war in Ukraine. The team of doctors and volunteers in the field will offer nursing care, primary medicine and provide psychological assistance.

The Area Performance will put at your disposal a series of magnificent original tables. The proceeds will be donated to Emergency which, as a first intervention, has brought its Politruck, the largest among the mobile clinics, to the emergency areas, to offer assistance to the thousands of elderly people, women and children who are arriving in these days in escape from the war in Ukraine.

In this first phase of their intervention, their field team will offer nursing care, primary care and provide counseling. Thanks to the mobile clinic, they will be able to operate by moving to different places, to follow the needs that the unpredictable situation of the conflict imposes. The auction features some of the most interesting works made at Lucca Comics & Games 2021 and some pieces from previous years.

The online auction will open on Friday 1 April and will end on Saturday 16 April.

Link: CATAWIKI AUCTION

Area Performance is back!

After the difficult period that characterized the entire panorama of events and beyond, finally the Live Auction of the Area Performance is back.

During the last edition of Lucca Comics & Games 2021 the classic final auction took place with all the protagonists who alternated in the four days of the fair: in addition to the legendary Angelo Stano resident artist, Roberto Recchioni, Carmine Di Giandomenico, Nigel Sade, Paolo Barbieri, Sarah Wilkinson and many others.

In an exciting auction, also broadcast online thanks to the live streaming of the Twitch channel of N3rdcore.it, the sum of € 29,820 was collected, with over 30 works sold.

Thanks to this important contribution we will continue to support our important projects, moreover, all the other works that have not been auctioned will be auctioned on Catawiki on the occasion of Collezionando 2022 on 5 and 6 March.

So again this year we just have to thank you and invite you to continue following us on our social networks and above all subscribe to our mailing list at the bottom of the page.

The importance of comics as an educational tool

On May 1, 2021, an article in which the importance of comics as an educational tool appeared on the pages of The Lancet, the most authoritative medical journal at the international level.

The article, which you can read above, is inspired by the use of comics as a method of combating racism, subsequently extending the concept to various important aspects of medicine, health education and health promotion.

All this confirms the right vision that in 2009 led Renato Genovese, Emanuele Vietina and Doctor Raffaele Domenici to create the project “Il Giornalino della Pediatria“.

A collaboration between our Area Performance Association, Lucca Crea and the pediatric ward of Lucca that has allowed us to create a path dedicated to “informed awareness”, which had already begun between 2004 and 2007 with the Gugo and Guga books by Studio Genovese.

Dr. Raffele Domenici kindly answered some questions on this very topic:

How can we evaluate the educational importance of comics?

As an easily recognizable narrative form, comics represent a powerful tool in education, can contribute to a growth of critical consciousness and can represent a stimulus for deepening and reflection on various themes, be they social, health, ecological, etc. .
By combining textual and visual elements to create the narratives, the comic briefly communicates information and evokes emotional responses, balancing lightness and seriousness.

The immediacy with which it involves the reader forces one to confront the topics, the characters, the story; however, since the interpretation of the images is left to the viewer, it creates opportunities for personal interpretation and interpersonal comparisons.

It has long been recognized in medicine as a useful tool for its ability to represent the experience of the disease, to promote health education, health promotion, informed awareness.

How did the Pediatrics newspaper project come about?

The project was born from the need to contribute to soliciting the attention of children, with an immediate and easily accessible tool and language, on issues related to health promotion and informed awareness of choices and behaviors, to raise awareness on how to take care of itself, to increase well-being and prevent pathologies.

The stories have the same protagonist to maintain narrative continuity and are dedicated to the most important themes of prevention, to lifestyles to inform and help children take care of their health.

Not everyone still knows that the onset of the main and most disabling chronic diseases can be completely avoided or long delayed, paying attention to some determinant health risk factors, such as smoking, alcohol, sedentary lifestyle, incorrect diet, substance abuse, failure to comply with hygiene rules.

What does it mean to publish an article like this in a major magazine like The Lancet?

The Lancet is one of the most important international medical journals. The publication of a work like this is also the recognition in the scientific field of the fundamental importance of comics as an educational tool, but also as an element of reflection and discussion on even broader and deeply felt issues, such as the disparity in access to care. and the lack of equity in health care, also different according to ethnicity and cultural level, topics addressed in some comics taken into consideration in the article.

The conclusion of the work underlines how the educational action of comics can help develop a path towards justice and equality within medicine and health care.

The project, of which you can find all the numbers here, continues today and indeed in recent years, thanks to the collaboration of the North-West Tuscany ASL, it is starting to expand throughout the Tuscan territory.

Emergency and COVID-19 Outbreak

Area Performance, among the various beneficiaries, has been supporting Emergency for years. Which has carried out health interventions in the poorest parts of the world.

To find out more, you can visit our supported projects page here.

Last year, during the height of the global health emergency, thanks to the contribution of our artists and supporters, we contributed to Emergency’s interventions in response to Covid-19.

The humanitarian association has in fact launched a series of extraordinary projects linked to the emergency both on Italian soil and in the less wealthy areas of the world.

Thanks therefore to Emergency and to all our supporters who have proved, once again, attentive and sensitive to concretely help those in need of help.

Read more: Emergency Response Covid-19

Documentaries on some artists who are friends of Area Performance

During the last Lucca Changes 2020, many exclusive contents of exquisite workmanship were created.

Among all the broadcasts, the specials and the various live broadcasts, we are very pleased to report these three documentaries that see the protagonists of the great friends of our Area Performance.

Paolo Barbieri and Ciruelo on Raiplay:

Italian public TV and radio took to the field to support the great event dedicated to comics and games. Side by side, like the protagonists of our favorite sagas, in the challenge of the millennium. During the week of the festival, the group’s editors offered insights, specials, unpublished videos, and many other proposals within their schedules to enjoy the cultural contents of Lucca Comics & Games – Changes edition, from the comfort of home.

Rai Radio2 was the official radio of the Changes edition, with interviews and direct links with the protagonists of this edition. RaiPlay has dedicated an entire section to Lucca Comics & Games with an offer made up of exclusive originals, specials of Rai 4, Rai 5, Rai Italia, Radio 2, and a special selection of the best proposals for films, TV series and insights dedicated to pop culture fans.

Here are the two starring “our” Ciruelo and Paolo Barbieri:

Ciruelo: a life in Art – The life of the master of dragons

Ciruelo is a lover of nature and never misses an opportunity to represent it in his works, appreciated and exhibited in various cities in Europe, the United States and South America. Internationally recognized as the Master of Dragons, the artist impressed the general public with his “Petropictos”, works in which he has brought his powerful “high fantasy” suggestions directly to stone. From Argentina to Spain, passing through Lucca Comics & Games, this documentary tells the extraordinary life of the fantasy illustrator.

Masters of the fantastic – The story of “fantasy” illustrators

Today, artists who deal with fantastic art for publishing are called illustrators. But the definition does not matter: Italian and international “fantasy” illustrators are the heirs of a long tradition that has shaped centaurs, dragons and sirens over the centuries, the same tradition that has seen the exploits of illustrious predecessors such as Bosch, Blake, Dalì, Rossetti and many others. Luca Beatrice, art critic, and Paolo Barbieri, fantasy illustrator, talk about the arts while walking in the evocative rooms of the GAM in Milan.

The entire RaiPlay offer will be available on demand until February 28, 2021.

Luis and Romulo Royo on Youtube:

The specials went online not only on RAI channels, but also on the Lucca Changes Youtube channel.

Inside the Laberinto Gris with Luis and Romulo Royo:

An exclusive tour of the studio of one of the giants of world fantasy, Luis Royo who with his son Romulo founded the art studio Laberinto Gris, in Zaragoza. Between masterpieces of the past and juicy previews of future projects, Luis and Romulo will lead us to discover their creative processes, from the idea, to the project, to the realization.