FINESTRE is the winning book of the eleventh edition of the Silent Book Contest – Gianni De Conno Award 2024, the first international competition dedicated to the book without words, a demanding bet for the international world of illustration: illustrators are called to participate in a competition for the creation of a "silent" book and evaluated by an important International Jury.
Since the 2018 edition, the competition has been dedicated to Gianni De Conno, in memory of its creator and great artist who passed away in August 2017.
The International Jury, chaired by Walter Fochesato (teacher of children's literature and history of illustration – Italy), is composed of Emanuela Bussolati (illustrator – Italy), the new entry Marco Gillo (journalist and deputy editor-in-chief of Corriere della Sera), Eros Miari (member of the editorial board of the Turin International Book Fair – Italy), Elena Pasoli (director of the Bologna Children's Book Fair – Italy), Sonja Riva (writer and journalist of RSI – Switzerland), Sara Wang (CEO of Sidee Cultural Communication – China), Javier Zabala (illustrator – Spain) and Patrizia Zerbi (publisher of Carthusia Edizioni – Italy).
Last February the Jury, with the support of Costanza De Conno and Francesco Zamboni of the SBC Organizing Secretariat, selected, among 250 works from 57 countries around the world, 16 unpublished finalist projects:
- Ahmad Momeny (Afghanistan) - Mi casa
- Aleksandra Artymowska (Poland) - The Yarn
- Alice Cao (Canada) - Stamped
- Bi Li Ge (China) - A journey home
- Carol Coquette (Brazil) - Favilla
- Gerard Sancho Novell (Andorra) - Operación tresmenocuarto
- Keung (China) - Life of a Painting
- Lola Svetlova (Russia) - Windows
- Lara Kaminski (Germany) - The Winter coat
- Letizia Battisti (Italy) - Il coraggio di Susy
- Markéta Penickova (Czech Rep.) - Firefly
- Maya Gonen (Israel) - The Forest Within
- Nelli Lassen (Russia) - The cat in the Museum
- Qi Jiaona (China) - Roll the lantern
- Santiago Viamonte Martinez (Spain) - We are fiercy beasts
- Thais Mesquita (Brasil) - The search
After meeting a second time, the International Jury chose the winning project of SBC 2024.
FINESTRE (WINDOWS) is a wordless book that takes us into the bedroom of a little girl who, looking out of the windowsill, observes what is happening in the rooms of the house across the street, where strange shadows are moving around and look like something... but are in fact something else entirely!
In a veritable ‘game’ through images, with its rich and sympathetic figures with strong features, this silent book tells of the importance of not stopping at first glances and not being fooled by stereotypes.
"The idea came from my passion for psychology and social dynamics, which led me to tell a story that was both entertaining and profound, that explained that beyond the veil of perception extraordinary things can be hidden" says the author Lola Svetlova.
The author Lola Svetlova lives in Almaty, in Kazakhstan. She is a dedicated visual artist, author and illustrator with a passion for children’s books. Since 2023 she has focused on personal projects, distinguishing himself with his warm colour palettes and mixed techniques.
FINESTRE joins the "SILENT BOOK" series published by Carthusia Edizioni, which today collects 32 titles, including SBC winners and finalists. Great books without words to tell stories through the magic of images, "silent" books by great authors, both winners and finalists, who participated in the prestigious Silent Book Contest.
It will be available in bookstores throughout the country starting from May 24, 2024.
The Award Ceremony of the winning book was held
Saturday, May 11 at 2:15 PM
during the Turin International Book Fair,
at the Yellow Room in Hall 4.
At the event, Walter Fochesato, Eros Miari, Marco Gillo, Lorena De Vita, Mussi Bollini, Antonio Ferrari Vivaldi, Patrizia Zerbi e Francesco Zamboni were present.
For the entire duration of the Book Fair, from 9 to 13 May, the physical exhibition of the finalists of the Silent Book Contest 2024 could also be visited in the Bookstock Village Area.
Since 2018 the Silent Book Contest is dedicated to Gianni De Conno, its ideator and creator. An artist of great impact, one of the greatest illustrators of the Italian publishing scene, in which he operated a dense dreamlike vein sustained by an inclination to hyperrealism, a magical and surrealism, a sort of profoundly original creative oxymoron. Gianni De Conno was also a true “Grandmaster”, he illustrated and interpreted the world, he taught with passion and care, in this little and small editorial world, he made a lot of other extraordinary things in his work.
