Sara Colaone

Sara Colaone was born in 1970 in Pordenone, Italy, Colaone teaches cartoon drawing and illustration at Bologna’s academy of fine arts and works as an animator, comic strip author, and illustrator.

She made her debut as an illustrator in 1998 with the graphic novel »Pranzo di famiglia« (tr: Family Meal), written by Francesco Satta. Six years later, she teamed up with Massimiliano De Giovanni for »Nei panni di Zazà« (tr: In Zazà’s Shoes) as part of the series »Lupin III Millennium.« In between, Colaone’s work was published by Italian publishers such as Kappa Edizioni, Coconino Press, and Associazione Vivacomix. Her illustrations have appeared in magazines such as »Internazionale« and »Ventiquattro,« as well as in textbooks for trade publishers. She has had exhibitions in Naples, Bologna, Ravenna, and Ljubljana, among other places. Her collaboration with comic author Luca de Santis produced the impressive 2008 graphic novel »In Italia sono tutti maschi« (tr: They’re All Real Men in Italy), which was awarded the 2009 Attilio Micheluzzi Grand Prize. With clearly structured text and illustrations, the graphic novel tells the story of 75-year-old Antonio, called Ninella, a homosexual who, like some 300 others, was arrested by the fascists in Mussolini’s Italy, and interned on the tiny island of San Domino in the Adriatic from 1938 to 1940. Two young filmmakers who are making a documentary about the island accompany the old man on his journey through his past. But they are only interested in exploiting their interviews with him for movie material, and conflict soon develops. The visit to San Domino has awakened Ninella’s memories of degradation, suffering, and homesickness, as well as the tensions and infighting among the prisoners, but it has also reminded him of the acceptance he found among the small, friendly island community, where his self-confidence was restored. The old man’s memories are drawn throughout in black-and-white, with a two-tone ochre coloration giving them added patina. As the German daily »Tagesspiegel« wrote, »that results in an aesthetically charming and high-contrast panorama of the Italian present: a past that has virtually never been dealt with is lugged around by two generations.« A review in the newspaper »Die Tageszeitung« compared the haunting directness of Colaone’s images with the work of American comic book artist David Mazzucchelli. For the graphic novel »Ciao ciao bambina« (2010, tr: Ciao, Ciao Baby), the artist both wrote the text and drew the illustrations. In a 2014 interview, she said that this independence allowed her to pursue new creative directions.

Colaone lives in Bologna.

Pranzo di famiglia

[Mit Francesco Satta]

Kappa Edizioni

Bologna, 2003

Lupin III Millenium:

Nei panni di Zazá

[Mit Massimiliano De Giovanni]

Kappa Edizioni

Bologna, 2004

Monsieur Bordigon, sublime luce

[Animationsfilm]

[Mit Francesco Satta / Brane Solce]

Slowenien/Italien, 2007

Ciao ciao bambina

Kappa Edizioni

Bologna, 2010

Insel der Männer

[Mit Luca de Santis]

Schreiber und Leser

München, 2010

[Ü: Resel Rebirsch]

saracolaone.blogspot.it