News

This year, Area Performance ODV returns with its iconic live-painting session at the Carducci Pavilion for the 2024 edition of Lucca Comics & Games. Over the festival’s five days, more than 60 artists will participate in the Artist Playground, an event that celebrates creativity and talent, giving the public the unique opportunity to watch some of the biggest names in illustration and comics bring their art to life.

Here are some of the participating artists:

Ivana Abbate, Sergio Algozzino, Yoshitaka Amano, Paola Andreatta, Steve Argyle, Francesca Baerald, Marco Bernardini, Simon Bisley, Lelio Bonaccorso, Ciruelo Cabral, Domenico Cava, Silvia Corso, Giuseppe De Iure, Livia De Simone, Jesper Ejsing, Martina Fackova, Paola Fiorentino, Nicholas Fusari, Giacomo Galligani, Daniele Garbugli, Andrea Gatta, Michele Giorgi, Riccardo Innocenti, Tyler Jacobson, Karl Kopinski, Roman Kuteynikov, Katerina Ladon, Cristiana Leone, Martin Lucchini, Davide Marescotti, Federico Mele, Carlo Monopoli, Andrea Musso, Marta Nael, Daniele Orizio, Erol Otus, Andrea Pesi, Andrea Piparo, Michele Poli, Simone Pontieri, Fabio Porfidia, Daniele Procacci, Arianna Rea, Elisa Rio, Lapo Roccella, Davide Romanini, Jacopo Schiavo, Anna Schilirò, Enrico Simonato, Donald Soffritti, Cristiano Soldatich, Melissa Spandri, Sunny Dee, Mauro Talarico, Toonie, Francesca Urbinati, Vanadia, Antonello Venditti, Martina Volandri, Florinda Zanetti, Eliah Zanoni.

Lords for Fantasy 2025: A New Calendar by Area Performance

Back by popular demand, “Lords for Fantasy” will be available again in 2024, featuring original works from Area Performance artists. The 2025 edition celebrates the association’s 25th anniversary and includes 13 new illustrations created during last year’s Artist Playground. The pages and notes have been curated by the Italian Association of Tolkien Studies (AIST), who have dedicated themselves to studying and promoting the works of the Oxford professor. Proceeds from calendar sales will go to Area Performance ODV, supporting our charity initiatives.

Calendar Events:

• Official Presentation: Wednesday, October 30, from 4:45 p.m. to 5:45 p.m. in Sala G. Ingellis, with Eterea Edizioni, our publishing partner.
• Calendar Signing Events: Meet some of the featured artists during the five days of the festival at booth CAR 324 in the Carducci Pavilion:
  • Paolo Barbieri (cover artist): Friday, November 1, 9:30–10:15 a.m.
  • Giacomo Galligani: Thursday, October 31, 3:00–4:00 p.m., and Saturday, November 2, 2:00–3:00 p.m.
  • Antonello Venditti: Wednesday, October 30, 11:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m., and Saturday, November 2, 9:00–10:00 a.m.
  • Ciruelo Cabral: available for signings at his booth within the Carducci Pavilion.
  • Andrea Piparo: at the Magic Alley, Wednesday, October 30, 9:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m., and Thursday, October 31, 9:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m.

Join us in celebrating these moments of art, culture, and charity. Be part of the magic of Lucca Comics & Games 2024 and support Area Performance’s projects!

🎨 25 years of incredible artists, 25 years of contagious creativity, 25 years of Area Performance ❤️

We are thrilled to share an extraordinary milestone with all of you: our 25th anniversary! Since 1998, Area Performance has brought together some of the world’s most talented artists to create unforgettable moments through live art. Every year at Lucca Comics & Games, hundreds of artists have contributed their works to support charitable projects and spread the love of art in all its forms.

To celebrate this incredible journey, we have created a special documentary:
“1998-2023 Area Performance Silver Anniversary – The Story”.
The video tells our story, the evolution of Area Performance, and the most iconic moments that have shaped our growth year after year. Through exclusive interviews and behind-the-scenes footage, the documentary offers an exciting glimpse into how we’ve come this far.

The documentary was presented on September 21, 2023, during the FantastikA – Biennale d’Illustrazione in Dozza, an event dedicated to fantasy illustration that annually hosts artists and creatives from all over the world. During the screening, we had the chance to relive these 25 years of achievements together and share the importance of this artistic community that has always supported charitable and cultural initiatives.

Watch the full documentary here:

A special thanks goes to all the artists, collaborators, partners, and supporters who have made this incredible journey possible. It’s thanks to you that we’ve reached this point. We hope this documentary can convey even a fraction of the passion, dedication, and creativity that has been at the heart of Area Performance since day one.

Let’s continue this journey together, always with art at our core!

Our “Christmas” auction on Catawiki ended on December 12th.

Another record to be added to the others, in fact, over 16,000 euro were raised with the beautiful original works created between 1st and 5th November during the community event and those created during the Weekend Art Party in July, with works sold for up to 5,101 euros as in the case of La medusa dei dragoni by Paolo Barbieri.

After the extraordinary result achieved during the pandemic, with more than 14,000 euros raised, our charity auctions are confirmed as the ideal platform to celebrate art and civilization that builds a bridge between the artist and the benefactor. Each work is a testimony to the talent and creativity of great artists who have come together to do charity.

This year the funds will be allocated to:

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

• Emergency support at sea with Emergency. This contribution will be used by EMERGENCY’s Life Support ship to help those who risk their lives in the Mediterranean, which has for years been the most dangerous migratory route in the world: over 20,000 migrants have died or gone missing since 2014, according to the International Organization for Migration ( IOM), an average of six people per day.

• The creation of the first multipurpose center of the Community of Sant’Egidio, where to collect and activate services for the poorest; services such as a canteen, laundry, bathrooms including showers, a classroom to study.

• “Il Giornalino della Paediatrics” for the publication and distribution of a comic in collaboration with the Local Health Authority of Tuscany. This project aims to raise public awareness on issues related to physical and mental health, particularly among young patients.

• Scholarship for “The Sign Comics & Arts Academy”. For the next 3 years, in collaboration with The Sign Comics & Arts Academy we will offer an annual scholarship to cover the entire three-year period of studies to students with an ISEE of less than 26,000 EUR. You will be offered the opportunity to develop your artistic and marketing skills.

In our 25 years we have seen the birth of incredible collaborations such as the “Musketeers of Italian Fantasy Art” (Zontini, Orizio, Parrillo, Barbieri) and the Tolkien calendar Lords for the Ring, a new project is born whose proceeds will be added to the generosity of benefactors of the auction: the Lords for Fantasy calendar, created in collaboration with Eterea Edizioni, which brings together a selection of the best works created within the space where the artists meet together (Together) to work shoulder-to-shoulder and brush- a-brush in creating new artistic contamination. The calendar can still be purchased on the publishing house website.

Thanks to all the artists who donated their talent and time, your commitment will have a concrete impact: Ivana Abbate, Yara Abril Galan, Sergio Algozzino, Chris Ayers, Paolo Barbieri, Daniele Barbugli, Marta Bertagna, Federico Bertolucci, Roberto Bianchi, Ivan Buonino, Ciruelo Cabral, Alessandro Cappuccio, Vanadia Cantaro, Claudio Cappellini, Marco Carloni, Marco Casalvieri, Ivan Cavini, Milivoj Ceran, Candida Corsi, Silvia Corso, Paolo D’Altan, Antonio De Luca, Jesper Ejsing, Paola Fiorentino, Renato Florindi, Annalisa Forghieri, Roberto Fontana, Shivan, Silvia Gadina, Giacomo Galligani, Andrea Gatta, Michele Giorgi, Daniela Giubellini, Lorenzo Giusti, Joan Grenier, Richard Kane-Ferguson, Karl Kopinski, Roman Kutienikov, Fortunata Laurenti, Jim Lee, Cristiana Leone, Emanuele Manfredi, MinaLima, Silena Moni, Angelo Montanini, Micheal Monte Moore, Dany Orizio, Alberto Pagliaro, Beatrice Pelagatti, Andrea Pesi, Andrea Piparo, Michele Poli, Simone Nigraz Pontieri, Fabio Porfidia, Chiara Riva, Alessia Rizzo, Lapo Roccella , Luis and Romulo Royo, Davide Romanini, Nigel Sade, Jacopo Schiavo, Andrea Sfiligoi, Enrico Simonato, Cristiano Soldatich, Marco Soresina, Fabrizio Spadini, Melissa Spandri, Franco Tempesta, Enzo Troiano, Francesca Urbinati, Antonello Venditti, Mihaela Vengher, Martina Volandri , Florinda Zanetti, Elia Zanoni.

Thanks to all the benefactors, every gesture of solidarity counts, we are grateful to each of you.

We are thrilled to announce that an extraordinary event will take place from 1st to 12th December: the Area Performance auction on Catawiki! ?

▶️▶️▶️ Link: https://bit.ly/49YhJjC

Unique Works from the Lucca Comics & Games Festival 2023:

The beautiful original works you will find were created in November 2023 to celebrate 25 years of Area Performance at the international Lucca Comics & Games festival. Each work is a testimony to the talent and creativity of great artists who have come together for a charity project. Added to these are those created during the Weekend Art Party at the Hotel Guinigi last summer.

By participating in this auction, you will not only have the chance to win a unique work signed by a great author, but you will also help support these 2 projects:

– the Emergency project linked to emergency support and rescue in the Mediterranean Sea.

– a fund established by the Tuscany region to help people affected by the latest natural disaster linked to bad weather.

Extraordinary Artists in Auction:

Yara Abril Galan, Sergio Algozzino, Chris Ayers, Paolo Barbieri, Federico Bertolucci, Roberto Bianchi, Vanadia Cantaro, Claudio Cappellini, Ivan Cavini, Candida Corsi, Paolo D’Altan, Paola Fiorentino, Renato Florindi, Annalisa Forghieri Shivan, Giacomo Galligani, Michele Giorgi, Daniela Giubellini, Cristiana Leone, Emanuele Manfredi, Silena Moni, Angelo Montanini, Dany Orizio, Alberto Pagliaro, Beatrice Pelagatti, Andrea Pesi, Andrea Piparo, Simone Nigraz Pontieri, Fabio Porfidia, Alessia Rizzo, Davide Romanini, Andrea Sfiligoi, Cristiano Soldatich , Marco Soresina, Melissa Spandri, Franco Tempesta, Francesca Urbinati, Antonello Venditti, Mihaela Vengher, Martina Volandri.

? Save the Date: 1 – 12 December on Catawiki!

Don’t miss the opportunity to own a unique work of art and support a noble cause.

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.

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/

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.