Lucca turns pink with the 5th Stage of the Giro d’Italia 2024, which will arrive in Lucca Wednesday 8 May 2024, after 39 years of absence. A significant and highly anticipated sporting moment, in which he will also participate Lucca Createwith some special initiatives powered by Lucca Comics & Games.
In particular, there will be two activities capable of attracting the attention of cycling enthusiasts, but also of the general public and citizens. Lucca Comics & Games will pay homage to the stage race with the exhibition “Karl Kopinski: Wearing the Pink” and with 12 giant art installations.
In the church of San Franceschetto (in Piazza San Francesco with inauguration on May 3rd), making the most of the great experience gained over the years, Lucca Comics & Games will create the exhibition “Karl Kopinski: Wearing the Pink”, dedicated to the English artist of the same namewho has been working in the illustration industry since 1997 and has reached the top of the industry, nominated to the BP Portrait Award – one of the most important awards for portrait artists – and with a huge social following.
Great cycling enthusiast and long-time friend of Lucca Comics & Games, Kopinski created a series of portraits of pedal heroeswhich belong to the history of cycling including: Gino Bartali, Fausto Coppi, Francesco Moser, Marco Pantani, Eddy Merckx and contemporary champions who have made their way into our hearts as Mark Cavendish, Bob Jungels, Bradley Wiggins And Tadej Pogačar.
“A ten year long stage, a long awaited goal and achieved with perseverance and stubbornness. Like in big stage races. Ever since we met Karl Kopinski, and learned about his dimension linked to contemporary art, we wanted to create this exhibition, together with the curators Roberto Irace, Luca Bitonte And Antonio Rama. Today, we are finally here, and as a team of followers we are proud to have given the lead to the great English master who will finally, here, in his Lucca, wear pink!” tells Emanuele Vietina, director of Lucca Comics & Games.
The exhibition, open to visitors with free entry from 5pm on Friday 3 May to Sunday 12 Maywill also explore the artist’s affectionate relationship with the city of Lucca and the festival Lucca Comics & Gamesenriching the exhibition with the originals of the poster of the event created by Kopinski in 2015 and the Grog of 2023, the reinterpretation created by the artist of the Lucca Games mascot which turned 30 last year.
There will be no shortage of precious things catalog dedicated to the exhibitionavailable for purchase in the exhibition spaces, printed in collaboration with CMONa leading company in the gaming sector and great friends of Karl Kopinski himself and the festival.
To accompany the exhibition, in the main squares of the cityin the late afternoon of April 30th they will make their appearance in the city twelve memorable giant marblesinstalled in four places: San Michele, San Frediano, San Francesco and in front of the Caffè delle Mura. Large transparent and colorful installations, some of which are up to six meters high in Piazza San Michele and up to four meters on the walls, to recall the marbles that many of us used to play on the beach as children, and in which they will be positioned the portraits of the pedal heroes, interpreted through the art of Karl Kopinski.
Appointment on April 30th with the giant marbles and on May 3rd, at 5.00 pm, for the inauguration of the exhibition.
Tags: Lucca Comics Games pays homage Giro dItalia
