From 22 to 25 October 2026, on the occasion of the 26th Week of the Italian Language in the World and the 200th anniversary of the birth of Carlo Collodi (1826–2026), the Istituto Italiano di Cultura Mumbai presents Italian Excellence: Pinocchio’s New Clothes, an exhibition by BolognaFiere | Bologna Children’s Book Fair, celebrating the timeless appeal of Pinocchio through the work of established and emerging Italian illustrators.
At the heart of the exhibition is the beloved character created by Carlo Collodi, author of The Adventures of Pinocchio, one of the most widely translated, illustrated and reinterpreted works of Italian literature. First published in 1883, the story has gradually transcended the boundaries of literature to become part of a shared international cultural heritage, continuing to inspire artists, illustrators, cartoonists, theatre and film directors, and masters of animation.
The exhibition’s presentation in Mumbai takes place as part of the Mumbai LitFest, the city’s leading international literary festival, founded in 2010 by Anil Dharker. Through the eyes of illustrators from different generations, the exhibition offers new visual interpretations of a character that has become part of the collective imagination, highlighting the vitality and richness of Italy’s illustration tradition. The artists’ different sensibilities bring to life ever-new versions of Pinocchio, a character able to cross eras and artistic languages without losing his evocative power.
In a city shaped by the coexistence of many languages, stories and creative traditions, Pinocchio becomes a meeting point between different cultural imaginations, offering an opportunity to bring Italy’s tradition of visual storytelling into dialogue with India’s vibrant worlds of illustration, literature, cinema and the arts.
The initiative reflects the Istituto Italiano di Cultura Mumbai’s commitment to promoting Italian creativity in India and fostering opportunities for exchange and collaboration between the cultural communities of the two countries. Through art and the language of visual storytelling, the exhibition invites audiences to rediscover a great classic of Italian literature and explore the new forms of expression that continue to make it relevant today.