Ukrainian illustrator Mariia Rizak designs visual identity for Bologna Children’s Book Fair 2027

Six hand-embroidered landscapes by Ukrainian artist Mariia Rizak will form the visual identity of the 2027 Bologna Children’s Book Fair. The designs depict the sky, sea, city, countryside, woodland, and mountains, according to the fair’s official website.

Rizak was selected after becoming one of 75 winners from 31 countries at the 2026 Bologna Illustrators Exhibition. The Italian design studio Chialab, which develops the fair’s visual identity, chose her for her distinctive embroidery technique.

“Her technique, her embroidery and her textures wove stories and landscapes that won us over,” the Chialab team said.

Given Russia’s ongoing full-scale war against Ukraine, the organisers first contacted Rizak to confirm whether she would be able to participate. After she agreed, they invited her to Bologna in July 2026 to take part in the Visual Identity Workshop.

The theme of the 2027 visual identity was “Landscape,” which the organisers interpreted broadly, encompassing realistic, abstract, spiritual, rural, mountainous, and coastal scenery. According to Chialab, conflicts around the world may also have influenced the choice of theme.

Workshop participants were asked to bring six landscapes of personal significance. They shared stories about the places and their inhabitants before cutting up the images and rearranging the fragments into new compositions.

The team initially explored the idea of homes and nests as spaces of shelter and belonging but eventually abandoned it. Rizak and fellow workshop participants Marina Lepore and Luna Perrier then began experimenting with embroidery, using needles, coloured threads, and embroidery hoops.

This process led to the final concept of six interconnected landscapes representing the sky, sea, city, countryside, woodland, and mountains.

On the final day of the workshop, Rizak sketched the six compositions on her tablet before returning to Ukraine to embroider them by hand. The finished pieces arrived at Chialab’s studio in early September.

According to the designers, the embroidered images change in appearance depending on the lighting, with threads reflecting light differently and creating a sense of depth and texture. The landscapes, connected by bridges, roads, ships, and railways, became the foundation of the fair’s visual identity.

In January 2026, Rizak was selected as one of the winners of the 60th Bologna Illustrators Exhibition for her embroidered work “Picture 1,” inspired by Zakarpattia folklore and depicting mythical creatures and humans inhabiting the same space.

The exhibition received 20,790 submissions from 4,158 artists representing 95 countries and regions. Of the 317 finalists, eight were Ukrainian, while 75 artists from 31 countries were ultimately selected as winners.

The Bologna Children’s Book Fair develops its visual identity annually through the BCBF Visual Identity Workshop, organised by Italian design studio Chialab. Previous editions featured work by South Korean illustrator Bumi Cha in 2026, Brazilian artist Bruno de Almeida in 2025, and Portuguese illustrator Inês Oliveira in 2024.

The 64th Bologna Children’s Book Fair will take place April 5–8, 2027, in Bologna, Italy, with Poland as Guest of Honour. Established in 1963, the fair brings together publishers, writers, illustrators, literary agents, and translators from around the world. Its Illustrators Exhibition, launched in 1967, showcases international illustration talent.

As reported earlier, eight Ukrainian illustrators were shortlisted for the 2026 Bologna Illustrators Exhibition, including Rizak. In 2025, Ukrainian illustrator Maria Haiduk was among the exhibition’s winners with her project “Killing the Gods,” which explores human violence against nature and animals. She subsequently received the Bologna Children’s Book Fair – Fundación SM International Illustration Award.

Photo: Bologna Children’s Book Fair