The National Book Council has presented the official poster of the 2022 Malta Book Festival, taking place Wednesday, November 23 till Sunday, November 27 at the Malta Fairs & Conventions Centre (MFCC), Ta’ Qali.
This year’s poster was illustrated and designed by children’s author and illustrator Gattaldo around a theme that dates back to the cave dweller – visual storytelling. The festival poster tells a story through images arranged sequentially, like in a silent comic. An encounter with a book engages our protagonist and gives them a new perspective. They relate to the story and become it. Drawings and paintings predate the written word by millennia. Books are more commonly associated with words, and yet the very first books we encounter as children are picture books.
The 2022 Malta Book Festival poster is an ode to the pictures and illustrations that enrich books, from alluring images on front covers persuading readers to lose themselves in the stories within to the genres that have made visual storytelling a literary art. The spotlight on the role of illustrators and graphic designers forms part of the NBC’s renewed commitment to create synergies with a number of entities to draw up new initiatives for the benefit of all publishing industry stakeholders. Among other initiatives, seminars and keynotes many publishing professions, the festival will feature a ‘from illustration to book’ exhibition, created in collaboration with Arts Council Malta and MCAST and taking place at the MFCC for the duration of the festival.
Gattaldo has worked in art direction in advertising and photography throughout Europe. He currently lives in London, and his work was published in the UK and the US. The Maltese-language version of his children’s book Fearless will be published at the end of 2022 by Midsea Books. A guest at the festival, Gattaldo will engage with the public in a number of events with children and publishing stakeholders alike.
Returning to the MFCC, Malta’s largest international conference and exhibition venue, this year’s Malta Book Festival will be boasting a record number of more than 50 exhibitors. Over 8,000 square metres of space is being dedicated to exhibition areas for publishers, booksellers and NGOs, and activity areas for the numerous book presentations and discussions, while providing visitors with full accessibility and hassle-free parking.
The National Book Council remains committed to ensuring the safest possible experience for visitors. In the coming weeks and months the National Book Council will be announcing the Festival’s local and international guest authors, and the Festival’s events programme catering for audiences of all ages.
Illustrations and branding copyright by Gattaldo.
Follow the National Book Council website and Facebook page for further updates about the 2022 Malta Book Festival.