Two Taiwan artists featured at the 2025 Bologna Children’s Book Fair’s Illustrators Exhibition, raising the global visibility of Taiwan’s content creators.
According to the Taiwan Creative Content Agency (TAICCA), Chang Hsiao-chi and Ballboss were among the 77 selected from a pool of 4,374 competitors from 88 countries. Five other local creators also participated in the book fair, including Chang Yeou-yu, and Liu Hsu-kung, who were among the three domestic artists to be nominated for Sweden’s Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award this year, as well as Lin Wei-ting, Dong Dong, and A-Meow.
Speaking at the Taiwan Story Picnic pavilion’s opening ceremony March 31, Vincent Y. C. Tsai, Taiwan’s representative in Italy, pledged to continue deepening Taiwan’s cooperation with Italy in areas spanning comic books, films, illustrations and literature.
In addition to supporting the participation of domestic publishers in the festival, TAICCA joined the Bologna Licensing Trade Fair/Kids for the first time this year, arranging nearly 100 copyright meetings for intellectual property licensors.
Three IP licensors took part in the licensing exhibit, showcasing characters from illustrator Jimmy’s “The Moon Forgets” and animated series “Takokuma’s Adventure Story” and “My Little Boys–A Nee Gu.” Jimmy’s picture books have been translated and distributed in over 20 countries, while “Takokuma” has successfully expanded into the Japanese and South Korean markets and “My Little Boys–A Nee Gu” has been adapted into children’s shows, comic books, films, picture books and stage plays.
Cristina Angelucci, representative of the licensing fair’s organizer, lauded the diverse styles and innovative designs of Taiwan’s IP.
Launched in 1963, BCBF is one of the most influential international events dedicated to the children’s publishing and multimedia industry.This year’s edition ran through April 3. (POC-E)
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