Giornate degli Autori: the Poster Between Dream and Reality

Illustrator and architect Francesca Gastone is the artist behind the poster for the 21st edition of Giornate degli Autori. Following the artistic contributions by Rä di Martino in 2021 and Anna Franceschini in 2022, the festival continues its tradition of entrusting a talented artist with the creation of its poster.

Who is Francesca Gastone?

Francesca Gastone, passionate about all forms of art, began her career as an architect, working in Italian and international studios, first in São Paulo, Brazil, and then in Hong Kong. Upon returning to Milan, she specialized in editorial illustration, collaborating with prestigious institutions like the Politecnico di Milano, Mondadori, Electa, and publications such as “L’Espresso,” “Jacobin Italia,” “La Nuova Ecologia,” and “Anorak Magazine.”

Her preferred technique is collage, in which analog and photographic elements coexist in a space dominated by architecture and human presence. Currently, Francesca divides her time between her studio, Atelier Fyumi, located in Ticino Park, and the shared space Bota Fogo, in the Isola district of Milan.

The Poster for Giornate degli Autori 2024

The 2024 Giornate degli Autori poster, created by Francesca Gastone, depicts a girl balancing on a tightrope suspended over a dizzying contemporary metropolis. Around her, herons are in flight, her thoughts are floating among the clouds, and her questioning gaze is directed towards the viewer.

Francesca Gastone stated, “The works I like best are the ones that don’t provide answers but trigger questions instead.” This poetics is perfectly reflected in the image she created for Giornate degli Autori, capturing the essence of a world in precarious balance.

“This new image for the Giornate degli Autori poster was quite a challenge,” explains Francesca Gastone. “It contains the entire world, with all its shadows and contradictions, but also the upsweep of a heart striking out in a new direction, excitedly, fearfully, eyes set on all the things we can still draw and craft together. Many thanks to the guidance and the vision of the individuals that have taken this path with me in a spirit of dialogue and trust. Here’s to all the roads that we can still imagine and that can lead to new heights and new places.”

Words from the Artistic Direction

Gaia Furrer, artistic director of Giornate degli Autori, commented: “For this year’s poster, we were looking for an image even more evocative, if possible, than those of previous years: something that could capture the precariousness of a world torn by worsening conflicts. Thanks to Francesca’s sensibility and her ability to build worlds, we managed to arrive at an exquisitely beautiful expression of our idea, one that is not only a metaphor for contemporary life but also underscores the value of the creative act and the vision of artists and our Autori, who unravel and herald the complexity of the times we live in.”