2. HRVATSKI BIENNALE ILUSTRACIJE by Dubravka Perisa

gkd

GALERIJA KLOVI∆EVI DVORI

Jezuitski trg 4, Zagreb, Hrvatska

Drugi hrvatski biennale ilustracije seconD croatian biennial of illustration 3. 6. 2008. – 27. 7. 2008.

organizacija izlozˇbe organisation of the

Prostorna koncePcija izlozˇbe i weba

exhibition

Maja Kalogera

Galerija Klovićevi dvori Zagreb autorica strucˇne koncePcije author of the Professional concePtion

Koraljka Jurčec Kos

Antonio Picukarić Petra Senjanović eDukativni PrograMi eDucational PrograMMes

Liljana Velkovski

ProsuDbena koMisija

oPreMa ilustracija

jury

layout of illustrations

Frano Dulibić Darko Glavan Branka Hlevnjak Željko Ivanjek Ranka Javor Tonko Maroević Feđa Vukić suraDnica collaborator

Anita Zlomislić

Marketing

Davor Markotić Dragutin Matas rasvjeta lighting

Damir Babić

tehnicˇka realizacija technical realisation

Tomislav Antolić Damir Babić Dragutin Kožić Davor Markotić Dragutin Matas Vinko Soldan Tomica Šetek Željko Troha Izložba je ostvarena uz financijsku potporu Ministarstva kulture RH, Gradskog ureda za obrazovanje, kulturu i šport Grada Zagreba, Galerije Klovićevi dvori i sponzora The exhibition has been realised with the financial support of the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Croatia, the Zagreb City Office of Education, Culture and Sports, the Klovićevi dvori gallery and sponsors

Med-unarodni karakter Drugoga hrvatskog biennala ilustracije koraljka jurcˇec kos

Drugi hrvatski biennale ilustracije nadovezuje se na temu, iskustva i dosege prve izložbe, kao i prijedloge samih ilustratora, u smislu nadogradnje izložbenih tema. Dopune sadržaja za moguće nove bijenalne manifestacije posvećene ilustraciji u našoj su galeriji zapažene, a potom izdvojene u sklopu druge manifestacije, kao knjižna, novinska, dječja i reklamna ilustracija. Prva održana izložba prikupljenim je osobnim dojmovima umjetnika ilustratora, raspravama održanoga okruglog stola o ilustraciji i dvama stručnim predavanjima pozvanih predavača (doc. dr. Frane Dulibića i pov. umj. Barbare Vujanović), kao i pregledom hemeroteke, utjecala na promjenu koncepcije druge izložbe – proširili smo je na druge oblike ilustratorskog interesa uz, i nadalje najzastupljeniju, dječju ilustraciju (koju ponovno predstavlja Ranka Javor). Prvi hrvatski biennale ilustracije u Galeriji Klovićevi dvori realiziran je prema konceptu kustosice, kako bi kvaliteta izložaba iz ciklusa ilustratora i karikaturista održavanih u Galeriji Gradec i Kuli Lotrščak, od 2002. do 2004., prerasla u veću manifestaciju u novomu, primjerenom prostoru, uz naglasak na valorizaciji radova što ujedno podrazumijeva više standarde u likovnom postavu. Prvi hrvatski biennale ilustracije predstavio je, od 6. lipnja do 30. srpnja 2006., u izložbenim dvoranama Galerije Klovićevi dvori, hrvatsku suvremenu ilustraciju u međunarodnom kontekstu, u smislu najave sve brojnije prisutnosti autora iz inozemstva. Prve godine održavanja, prvi put uopće u Zagrebu i Hrvatskoj, bio je posvećen djeci i mladima, u skladu s temom “Muzeji i mladi posjetitelji“ koju je Međunarodni savjet za muzeje –ICOM– predložio svjetskoj mreži muzeja. Prateći sustavno pravila i organizaciju niza manifestacija u Europi i svijetu koje trideset ili više godina predstavljaju ilustraciju uspješnim, tradicionalnim bijenalnim ili trijenalnim izložbama, poslije dvije godine intenzivnih priprema, Hrvatsku i Zagreb uklopili smo u mrežu svjetskih izložbi. Bijenalnim ritmom održavanja izložbe u ljetnom terminu omogućili smo našim i stranim ilustratorima sudjelovanje na izložbama od Bratislave i Martina u Slovačkoj, Beograda, Ljubljane, Barreira u Portugalu, Sarmedéa i Bologne u Italiji, Teherana, do „Oita biennala“ u Japanu, a gostima iz Irana sudjelovanje na UNESCO-ovu natječaju NOMA za zemlje Pacifika, Afrike i Azije. Kao podsjetnik na okolnosti započinjanja bijenalne izložbe ilustracija s međunarodnim selekcijama, treba ponovno spomenuti činjenicu da je retrospektiva Cvijeti Job pripremljena u zagrebačkoj Galeriji Ulrich tek 2003. godine, autorici koja je prvi put izlagala 1937. u Splitu, a 1967. je na međunarodnoj izložbi ilustracija u Bratislavi dobila diplomu. U Enciklopediji hrvatske umjetnosti 1995. g. ilustracija nije imala vlastitu natuknicu, iako je imala natuknicu u Enciklopediji likovnih umjetnosti 1972., a obje enciklopedije izdanje su istog nakladnika. Slovenija priređuje bijenalne manifestacije posvećene svojim ilustratorima u međunarodnom kontekstu u Ljubljani, pa su održane već sedam puta, Srbija i Crna Gora u Beogradu su to učinile osam puta, a Slovačka ih u Bratislavi održava još od 1967. godine. Iste godine utemeljena je hrvatska nagrada za

dječju knjigu, «Grigor Vitez», koja se od tada do danas dodjeljuje za najbolje napisanu i najbolje ilustriranu knjigu u jednogodišnjoj produkciji. U Zagrebu, osim odnedavno u okviru Akademije likovnih umjetnosti i nastavne metodologije Svjetlana Junakovića, nije bilo moguće sagledati složenost, a niti kvalitetu naše ilustratorske produkcije umjetnika koji sebe prvenstveno smatraju ilustratorima. Hrvatske ilustratore htjela sam premijerno predstaviti u kontekstu radova njihovih kolega iz inozemstva. Tu prvu izložbu zasnovala sam na izboru žiriranih radova hrvatskih ilustratora i radova selektiranih inozemnih autora. Tadašnju želju izbora, prikupljanja i kataloške obrade radova inozemnih ilustratora ostvarile su kustosice i povjesničarke umjetnosti iz inozemstva: Barbara Brathova, Luise Kloos, Nina Pirnat Spahić, Karin Gavassa i Farideh Khalatbaree, a izabrani autori bili su iz: Austrije, Slovačke, Slovenije, Italije i Irana, prema kriteriju tradicije u izložbenoj prezentaciji ilustracije, kriteriju vrhunske izvedbe u primijenjenim umjetnostima i višegodišnje uspješne suradnje. Kustoski doprinos inozemnih povjesničarki umjetnosti bio je uvjetovan prvenstveno financijskim ograničenjima prve manifestacije, postojećim osobnim kontaktima i uvjerenjem kako nema smisla promovirati djela hrvatskih ilustratora u ozbiljnoj galeriji bez istodobne mogućnosti usporedbe njihova rada s inozemnim autorima. Za Drugi biennale ilustracije usporedba s radovima inozemnih umjetnika postala mi je još važnijom. Stoga sam pozvala sve prethodno spomenute države samo s drugim selektorima, kao i nekoliko novih. Italiju predstavlja Leo Pizzol, direktor Međunarodne izložbe ilustracije u Sarmedeu, znalac talijanske likovne scene i inicijator međunarodnih likovnih radionica ilustracije; Iran predstavlja Lili Hayeri Yazdi, voditeljica programa za predstavljanje iranskih ilustratora u inozemstvu, u sklopu „Kanoona“, posebnog instituta za razvoj djece i mladih iz Teherana, i uz podršku Iranskoga kulturnog centra iz Zagreba. Slovensku selekciju u organizaciji „Cankarjeva doma“ pripremila je povjesničarka umjetnosti Tanja Mastnak iz Ljubljane. Slovenska selekcija od početka je zamišljena kao predstavljanje ne samo dječje već popularno-znanstvene ilustracije, kako bismo proširene teme koncepcije ovogodišnjeg biennala odmah uklopili u najbliži „susjedski“ kontekst i izlagački kontinuitet. Mađarsku selekciju pripremila je free-lance kustosica Gyongyver Horvath iz Budimpešte prema istim načelima. Slovačku selekciju načinila je ponovno Barbara Brathova iz Bratislave s obzirom na njezino dugogodišnje iskustvo u pripremi bijenalnih izložbi ilustracija pri Bibiani i Narodnom domu u Bratislavi, kao i golem broj umjetnika iz cijelog svijeta koji se javljaju na njezin natječaj. Luise Kloos iz Graza umjetnica je koja okuplja, u sklopu svojih međunarodnih projekata od kojih su mnogi ostvareni u Hrvatskoj, sve relevantne austrijske umjetnike koji djeluju i kao ilustratori. Ruska selekcija ilustratora sastavljena je prema načelu izbora umjetnika koji kao poznati ilustratori djeluju pri Moskovskom udruženju likovnih umjetnika, uz najveći valorizacijski doprinos Olge Ionajtis i Julije Panipartove i uz kritički uvodni tekst Georgija Mahašvilija. Prvi put u selekciji, koliko tradicionalnoj toliko i

inovativnoj, imamo priliku u Zagrebu vidjeti originalne radove ruskih umjetnika, zasigurno nekih od ilustratora najljepših djela svjetske književnosti. Knjižna ilustracija osnova je izraelskoj selekciji umjetnika. Suradnju su inicirali izraelski umjetnici sami, zahvaljujući nedavnoj izložbenoj suradnji Grada Zagreba i Tel Aviva i predložili radove s temom ilustracije za knjige poezije i, primjerice, za Borgesove ili Kafkine fantastične pripovijetke. Izraelska ilustracija dječje knjige do sada je jedini put u Zagrebu predstavljena izložbom plakata u foajeu kazališta „Trešnja“. Prilikom žiriranja radova hrvatskih autora, prispjele pošiljke radova triju ilustratora iz Srbije, koji su se samoinicijativno javili na objavljen hrvatski natječaj, vrednovali smo kao dopunu inozemnim selekcijama, zbog likovnih kvaliteta poslanih ilustracija. Stoga, mislim da vrijedi naglasiti drugu bijenalnu izložbu ilustracije u Klovićevim dvorima kao nastavljanje međunarodne izložbene suradnje, prvenstveno kustoske i umjetničke, putem uspostavljanja trajnih, visokih izlagačkih i komunikacijskih vrijednosti.

the international character of the second croatian biennial of illustration koraljka jurcˇec kos

The Second Croatian Biennial of Illustration elaborates further on the subjects, experiences and achievements of the First Biennial and takes into account suggestions made by the illustrators themselves, all of which has broadened the content of the exhibition. The curators of our gallery have expanded its range to include new fields of illustration, so the second exhibition now contains book, newspaper, children’s and commercial illustration. The experiences gained at the first exhibition through the personal impressions of the artistillustrators, a round table discussion on illustration and the lectures of two invited teachers (Associate Professor Frane Dulibić, PhD, and art historian Barbara Vujanović), together with a review of collections of printed material, have led us to change the conception of the second exhibition which we have extended to other forms of illustration besides those for children, although the latter still remain the most numerous (and are again presented here by Ranka Javor).The First Croatian Biennial of Illustration at the Klovićevi dvori Gallery was realised according to the conception of the gallery curator with the objective of raising the quality of the illustration and caricature exhibitions held from 2002 to 2004 in the Gradec Gallery and Lotrščak Tower and turning them into a more important event in a new more suitable place, with emphasis on evaluating the works. This also implied higher standards in mounting the exhibition. The First Biennial, held from 6 June 2006 to 30 July 2006 in the exhibition halls of the Klovićevi dvori Gallery, presented the work of contemporary Croatian illustrators in an international context and was a prologue of the future growing turnout of foreign artists. The first biennial, which was the first such exhibition in Zagreb and Croatia, was restricted to illustration for children and young people in response to the theme Museums and Young Visitors that the International Council of Museums ICOM proposed to the world museum network. After two years of intensive preparation that included a systematic study of the rules and organisation of many similar events in Europe and the world, which have for thirty or more years presented illustrations in successful biennial or triennial exhibitions, Croatia and Zagreb became part of the network of world exhibitions. In a biennial rhythm and at a summer exhibition, we made it possible for Croatian and foreign illustrators to participate at exhibitions from Bratislava and Martin in Slovakia, Belgrade in Serbia, Ljubljana in Slovenia, Barreiro in Portugal, Sarmede and Bologna in Italy, Teheran in Iran, to the Oita Biennial of Illustrations in Japan, and for our guests from Iran we made possible their participation at the NOMA Concours for Picture Book Illustration for countries of the Pacific, Africa and Asia organised by UNESCO. As a reminder of the circumstances under which we began our biennial exhibitions of illustration with international participation, we must once more mention that Cvijeta Job did not have a retrospective exhibition in Zagreb until 2003, at the Ulrich Gallery, although she had her first exhibition in 1937 in Split and in 1967 won a diploma at the international exhibition of illustrations in Bratislava. Illustration did not have its own

entry in the Encyclopaedia of Croatian Art from 1995, although it had had an entry in the Encyclopaedia of the Fine Arts from 1972, both by the same publisher. Slovenia has organised biennial exhibitions of illustration in the international context in Ljubljana seven times, Serbia in Belgrade eight times, and Slovakia in Bratislava since 1967. That was the year when the Croatian Grigor Vitez Prize for Children’s Books was founded, which has since then been awarded for the best-written and best-illustrated children’s book of the year. In Zagreb, except since recently at the Academy of Fine Arts with the teaching method of Svjetlan Junaković, it was not possible to get an overview of the complexity or the quality of Croatian illustration by artists who primarily see themselves as illustrators. In showing the work of Croatian illustrators for the first time, I wanted to present their work in the context of that of their colleagues from abroad. The first exhibition contained juried works by Croatian illustrators and selected works by foreign artists. Foreign curators and art historians selected, collected and catalogued the works of the foreign illustrators: Barbara Brathova, Luise Kloos, Nina Pirnat Spahić, Karin Gavassa and Farideh Khalatbaree, and the artists came from Austria, Slovakia, Slovenia, Italy and Iran. The criteria were tradition in exhibiting illustrations, peak execution in the applied arts and many years of successful cooperation. The reasons for inviting foreign art historians to act as curators lay, in the first place, in the financial restrictions of the first event, existing personal contacts and the belief that it made no sense for a serious gallery to promote the work of Croatian illustrators without at the same time making it possible to compare their work with that of foreign artists. Comparison with the work of foreign artists became even more important at the Second Biennial of Illustration, to which all the countries mentioned above were invited to participate with different selectors, and also some new countries. Italy is represented by Leo Pizzol, Director of the International Exhibition of Children’s Book Illustrations in Sarmedé, an expert on the Italian art scene and initiator of international art workshops of illustration. Iran is represented by Lili Hayeri Yazdi, head of the programme for presenting Iranian illustrators abroad within Kanoon, a special institute for the development of artistic talents and creativity among children and young adults in Tehran, and with the support of the Iranian Cultural Centre in Zagreb. The Slovenian selection was prepared, in the organisation of Cankarjev dom, by the art historian Tanja Mastnak from Ljubljana. From the beginning the Slovenian selection was planned as representing not only children’s but also popularscience illustration, so that the wider concept of this year’s biennial fitted into the closest “neighbourly” context and the continuity of the exhibition. The Hungarian selection was organised by the free-lance curator Gyongyver Horvath from Budapest according to the same principle. The Slovak selection was again made by Barbara Brathova from Bratislava because of her many years of experience in the preparation of biennial exhibitions of illustrations at Bibiana and the People’s Hall in Bratislava, and the enormous number of

artists from the whole world who send in applications for her competition. Luise Kloos from Graz is an artist whose international projects, many of which were realised in Croatia, gather all the relevant Austrian illustrators. The Russian selection was made from among artists affiliated, as well-known illustrators, with the Moscow Association of Artists. Olga Ionaitis and Julia Panipartova made the greatest contribution in the evaluation of their work, and Georgy Makhashvili wrote a critical introductory text. For the first time, in a selection both traditional and innovative, we have the opportunity of seeing in Zagreb original works by Russian artists, some of whom illustrated what are certainly the most beautiful works of world literature. The Israeli selection also basically concentrates on book illustration, not only of children’s books but also of those for adults. The cooperation was in this case initiated by the Israeli artists themselves thanks to the recent cooperation in exhibitions between the Cities of Zagreb and Tel Aviv, and they proposed to contribute illustrations of books of poetry, Borges’ and Kafka’s fantastic stories. Zagreb has so far only once had the opportunity of seeing Israeli illustrations of children’s books, in an exhibition of posters in the lobby of the Trešnja Theatre. During the jury’s work on selecting illustrations by Croatian artists they encountered the works of three illustrators from Serbia who had on their own initiative submitted their works in answer to the published Croatian competition. Because of the art quality of the illustrations they sent, we included their illustrations as an addition to the foreign selection. In my opinion, the second biennial exhibition of illustrations in the Klovićevi dvori Gallery is important as a continuation of international exhibition cooperation, in the first place of curators and artists and the establishment of lasting, close and valuable communication.

christoPh abbreDeris Maria blazejovsky lore heuerMann stePhanie hilgarth luise kloos Paul MangolD claus r. n. reschen eDith teMMel sibylle vogel linDa wolfsgruber

austrija austria

Slikovnice za Sve dobi

utopija i stvarnost luise kloos

Vrlo je zahtjevna zadaća ilustrirati knjige za djecu. Problem je u tome što je mašta djece znatno bogatija od mašte odraslih. No, prisjećajući se svojih slikovnica iz djetinjstva, vidim da su mi se najviše svidjele upravo one slikovnice čije su ilustracije odražavale moje predodžbe, ali i poticale nastanak novih ideja. U bajkama nisam podnosila nespretno nabacane ilustracije, a tako prikazane priče nisam željela ni čitati. Uživala sam u brižno, do u detalje obrađenim slikama koje vjerno prikazuju carstvo tvrdoglavih princeza ili dražesne seljanke, ali i veseli svijet likova poput Janka Raščupanka. Vodeći se svojim iskustvom, smatram da i današnja djeca osjećaju slično. Sviđaju im se zahtjevne i bogate slike koje stalno iznova mogu istraživati u svojim slikovnicama. Možda su razlog tome i vizualni podražaji koji djecu obasipaju sa svih strana, najviše preko medija – na radiju ili televiziji. Slike u knjizi odvode u svijet izvan riječi koji je istodobno utopijski i realistični. Djeca stalno promatraju te slike, izmišljaju uz njih vlastite priče, preokreću i izvrću svijet mašte. Vole mnoštvo sitnica, lijepe boje, neobične oblike i drugačije perspektive. Najviše ih inspiriraju apstrakcije koje ih emocionalno obuzimaju. Stvaranjem tradicije dobrih slikovnica razvile su se u Austriji kvalitetne strukture i organizacije koje svake godine podijele brojne nagrade za rad na knjigama za djecu i mladež. Višestruko nagrađivani autori (Linda Wolfsgruber, Maria Blazejovsky, Christoph Abbrederis, Sybille Vogel i Paul Mangold) predstavljaju se na 2. hrvatskom bijenalu ilustracija. Claus Rudolf N. Reschen i Stefanie Hilgarth još su relativno mlada lica u ovom području. Lore Heuermann i Edith Temmel višestruko su odlikovane međunarodnim nagradama te se u Zagrebu predstavljaju svojim ilustracijama iz literature za odrasle. Slike namijenjene odraslima postaju sve popularnije. Osobito mladi, navikli na bogato oslikane slikovnice, posežu za pričama koje su popraćene ilustracijama. Knjige u knjižarama sadržavaju oznaku o tome kojoj su dobi namijenjene. Svakim danom susrećemo se sa sve više primjera kako lijepe slikovnice čitaju i listaju ljudi svih dobi. Slikovnice su rado viđen poklon, a ako izlaze u malim nakladama postaju vrijedan kolekcionarski primjerak. Što si još ljepše možemo poželjeti nego vidjeti izložbu originalnih vrsnih ilustratora koji su si zadali zadatak nacrtati i naslikati kvalitetne, zanimljive, vesele, napete, nove, senzibilne, iščašene, neobične i hrabre slike. Za ostvarenje te utopije, otvaranja bijenala ilustracija u Zagrebu, zaslužni su Koraljka Jurčec Kos i Klovićevi dvori.

Picture bookS for all ageS

utopia and reality luise kloos

Illustrating books for children is a very demanding task. The problem is that children have a much richer imagination than adults do. When I remember the picture books from my own childhood, I realise that the ones I liked best had illustrations that reflected my imaginings but also encouraged the growth of new ideas. I could not stand fairy tales with awkward and careless pictures and would not even read the stories they illustrated. I enjoyed meticulous pictures showing their subject down to the last detail, faithful renderings of the empire of stubborn princesses or charming peasant girls, or the world of happy-go-lucky figures such as Shock-headed Peter. Guided by my own experience, I think that today’s children feel the same. They like picture books with demanding and rich illustrations that they can always explore afresh. Perhaps the reason also lies in the visual stimulation that overwhelms children from all sides, most of all through the media. Pictures in books take them to a world beyond words which is both phantasy and reality. Children look at the pictures time and again, invent stories of their own to go with them, turning and twisting the imaginary world. They love a lot of detail, beautiful colours, unusual shapes and different perspectives. Abstractions that engulf them emotionally they find the most inspirational of all. As the tradition of good picture books developed in Austria, so also did quality organisations that give many prizes every year for work on books for children and young people. At the Second Croatian Biennial of Illustration we are presenting artists who have won many prizes (Linda Wolfsgruber, Maria Blazejovsky, Christoph Abbrederis, Sybille Vogel and Paul Mangold) and some who are still relatively new faces in this field (Claus Rudolf N. Reschen and Stefanie Hilgarth). Lore Heuermann and Edith Temmel have won aPictures for adults are becoming increasingly popular. Especially the young, who grew up with richly illustrated picture books, are interested in stories accompanied by illustrations. In bookshops books are marked to show which age group they were written for and every day we see more and more people of all ages reading and browsing through lovely picture books. Picture books make a well-liked gift, and if they came out in a small number of copies they become a valuable collectors’ item. What better to wish for than an exhibition of original works by fine illustrators who have set themselves the task of drawing and painting beautiful, interesting, joyful, exciting, new, sensitive, quaint, unusual and bold pictures. It is Koraljka Jurčec-Kos and the Klovićevi Dvori Gallery who deserve the merit for making this utopia come true, the opening the Biennial of Illustration in Zagreb.

christoPh abbreDeris Oscar, neobična ptica, 2004, akvarel i gvaš, 21x30 cm Oscar, the weird bird, 2004, aquarel and gauche 21x30 cm

Maria blazejovsky Princeza s nje탑nim no탑icama, 2006. akril na papiru, 36,5x28 cm Princess with soft legs, 2006, acrylic on paper, 36,5x28 cm

lore heuerMann Kružni – u krugu, I-VI, 1996. tuš na papiru, 30x30 cm Circled – in the circle, 1996, indian ink on paper, 30x30 cm

stePhanie hilgarth Zvijezda, 2006. flomaster i fotokola탑, 42x29,7 cm Star, 2006, felt-tip marker and photoprint, 42x29,7 cm

luise kloos Feniks iz pepela, 2004. ulje na papiru, 56x38 cm Phoenix from the ashes, 2004, oil on the paper, 56x38 cm

Paul MangolD Sretni ribar, oko 1994. akvarel, 23x18 cm Lucky Fisherman, cca 1994, aquarel, 23x18 cm

claus r. n. reschen Tajna zlatnog roga , 2007. kreda i pastel, 29,7x21 cm The Mystery of the golden horn, 2007, crayon and pastel, 29,7x21 cm

eDith teMMel Walden ili život u šumi, ilustracija za knjigu „Walden“, Henryja Davida Thoreau , 2001., kombinirana tehnika 35x50 cm Walden or the Forest Life, 2001, combined technique 35x50 cm

sibylle vogel Dok ukulele tiho svira, 2008. kombinirana tehnika 16x24 cm While ukulele quietly plays 2008, combined technique 16x24 cm

linDa wolfsgruber More je beskrajno, 2003. crte탑 i monotipija, 22x31 cm Endless Sea, 2003, drawing and monotype, 22x31 cm

auStria

biografije christoPh abbreDeris rođen je 1961. u Bregenzu. Nakon više godina provedenih u New Yorku i Madridu vraća se godine 1999. u Bregenz gdje se bavi ilustracijama i grafikama. Održao je brojne samostalne izložbe. Od 2004. godine radi na dnevniku “Das tägliche Scheitern” (Svakodnevni neuspjeh) u kojemu svaki svoj dan dočarava u obliku stripa. Odlikovan je za brojne književne i reklamne ilustracije.

Maria blazejovsky

stePhanie hilgarth

rođena je i odrasla u austrijskoj pokrajini Štajerskoj. Završila je Školu primijenjenih umjetnosti u Beču baveći se grafikama, fotografijama i ilustracijama. Radi kao slobodna umjetnica i ilustrator u području grafičkog dizajna, a sama je autorica nekoliko djela. Kontinuirano se bavi dječjom literaturom i knjigama za mlade. Osvojila je brojne nagrade. Voditeljica je igraonica za djecu i organizatorica seminara za pedagoge i knjižničare.

rođena je 1982. u Grazu. U rodnom je gradu i u Milanu studirala industrijski dizajn, a zatim je kratko živjela u Hamburgu. Od 2000. godine studentica je Akademije likovnih umjetnosti u Beču, a istodobno radi kao ilustratorica u nekoliko časopisa.

lore heuerMann rođena je 1937. u Münsteru (Westfallen), Njemačka. Od 1958. živi u Beču te radi kao grafičarka, a bavi se i crtanjem i ilustriranjem knjiga. Već više od 40 godina bavi se proučavanjem ljudskih pokreta. Svoje instalacije i crtačke izvedbe predstavljala je na mnogim međunarodnim izložbama.

luise kloos rođena je 1955. u Judenburgu. Godine 1991. magistrirala je pedagogiju/ filozofiju na Sveučilištu u Grazu. Od 2002. članica je Grupe 77, a od 2003. i Europskoga kulturnog parlamenta. Bavi se postavljanjem izložaba, interaktivnim performansima, slikarstvom, crtanjem, grafikom, instalacijama, drži predavanja, radionice. luise.kloos@iic.wifi.at

Paul MangolD

eDith teMMel

sybille vogel

rođen je 1944. u Grazu gdje je završio školu Ortwein za grafiku i dizajn. Nakon školovanja posao pronalazi kao grafičar u Kölnu i Helsinikiju, a poslije povratka u Graz radi kao samostalan grafičar za reklamne agencije i izdavačke kuće. Godine 1977. otvara vlastitu izdavačku kuću Mangold koju, nakon više od 10 godina rada i pedesetak izdanih naslova, prodaje. Danas radi kao grafičar i ilustrator za brojne izdavačke kuće.

rođena je u Grazu, gdje živi i radi kao slobodna umjetnica. Bavi se temama iz Biblije, pa je tako nastalo više ciklusa s temama iz Staroga zavjeta. Autorica je ilustracija u brojnim djelima kao i naslovnih stranica (npr. austrijske Školske Biblije). Objavljuje vlastite zbirke slika poput djela ‘’Das Hohe Lied’’ (‘’Visoka pjesma’’), 1998., i ‘’Klangbilder’’ (‘’Slike zvuka’’) na temu sinestezije – čuti slike, 2006. godine.

rođena je 1963. u Mainzu (Njemačka), odrasla je u Berlinu i Beču. Od 1997. bavi se ilustracijom i radi kao slobodna umjetnica. Sudjeluje na brojnim tečajevima ilustriranja u Austriji i Americi te vodi nekoliko radionica ilustriranja u Granadi (Španjolska). Danas živi i radi u Beču crtajući stripove i ilustrirajući knjige za brojne agencije, novine i izdavačke kuće. Dobitnica je vrijednih nagrada za svoj rad i stipendistica austrijskoga Ministarstva za obrazovanje i umjetnost.

claus ruDolf n. reschen rođen je 1946. u Voitsbergu. Bavi se grafikom, slikarstvom i dizajnom. Njegova djela su neobična i impresivna, a radovi na papiru srednje veličine. Stilski ih se smješta između tzv. ‘sirove umjetnosti’ (l’art brut) i dekorativnog nadrealizma.

linDa wolfsgruber rođena je 1961. u Brunecku (južni Tirol), a u St. Ulrichu je završila Umjetničku školu. Školovanje nastavlja u Münchenu. Kao slobodna umjetnica radi u Firenci, Teheranu, Brunecku i Beču u kojemu i danas živi. Njezine su knjige prevedene na 17 svjetskih jezika. Dobitnica je brojnih priznanja za doprinose u oslikavanju dječjih knjiga i knjiga za mlade.

auStria

biographies christoPh abbreDeris Born in 1961 in Bregenz, Austria. After spending several years in New York and Madrid, he returned to Bregenz in 1999 where he now lives and works in illustrations and prints. He has had many solo exhibitions. Since 2004 he has been working on the diary Das tägliche Scheitern (Everyday Failures) in which he shows every day in his life in strip form. He has won many prizes for literary and advertising illustrations.

She is the recipient of many prizes, heads a children’s playgroup and organises seminars for educators and librarians.

lore heuerMann Born in 1937 in Münster (Westfallen), Germany. Since 1958 she has lived in Vienna and works as a graphic artist, also making drawings and illustrating books. For more than 40 years she has studied human movement. Her installations and drawings were shown at many international exhibitions.

Maria blazejovsky

stePhanie hilgarth

Born and grew up in Styria, Austria. She finished the School of Applied Arts in Vienna, focusing on graphic art, photography and illustration. She works as a free-lance artist and illustrator in graphic design, and has herself created several books. Her continual interest is children’s literature and books for young readers.

Born in 1982 in Graz, Austria. She studied industrial design in Graz and Milan, and then lived for a short time in Hamburg. From 2000 she studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna, and at the same time worked as illustrator in several magazines.

luise kloos 1955 born in Judenburg 1991 Masterdegree in Education/Philosophy at University of Graz 1992-1994 Academy of Fine Arts Vienna since 2002 Member of Gruppe 77 since 2003 Member of European Cultural Parliament Works in exhibition design, interactive performances, painting, drawing, graphics, installations, lectures, workshops. Author of numerous solo exhibitions in Austria and abroad. luise.kloos@iic.wifi.

Paul MangolD Born in 1944 in Graz, where he finished the Ortwein School for graphics and design. After his schooling he worked as a graphic artist in Köln and Helsinki, and then returned to Graz where he was a free-lance graphic artist for advertising agencies and publishing houses. In 1977 he opened his own publishing house Mangold, which he sold after more than 10 years of work and about fifty published titles. Today he is a graphic artist and illustrator for many publishing houses.

Klangbilder (Pictures of Sound) on the subject of synaesthesia – hearing pictures, 2006.

claus ruDolf n. reschen Born in 1946 in Voitsberg, Austria. He is a graphic artist, painter and designer, and creates unusual and impressive works. His illustrations on paper are of middle size and in style they are between l’art brut and decorative surrealism.

sybille vogel eDith teMMel Born in Graz, where she works and lives as a freelance artist. She shows Bible themes, which led to several Old Testament cycles. She has illustrated many books and also creates title pages (e.g. the Austrian School Bible). She publishes her own collections of works such as Das Hohe Lied (The High Song), 1998, and

agencies, newspapers and publishing houses. She is the winner of important prizes for her work and a scholarship of the Austrian Ministry of Education and Art.

Born in 1963 in Mainz (Germany), grew up in Berlin and Vienna. From 1997 she worked as an illustrator and free-lance artist. She participated in many illustration courses in Austria and America, and held several illustration workshops in Granada. Today she lives and works in Vienna drawing strips and illustrating books for many

linDa wolfsgruber Born in 1961 in Bruneck (Südtirol), Austria, finished the Art School in St. Ulrich. She continued her education in Munich. As a free-lance artist she works in Florence, Tehran, Bruneck and Vienna, where she today lives. Her books have been translated into 17 languages. She has won many awards for her contribution in illustrating books for children and young readers.

ivan antolcˇ ic´ zvoniMir balog

vjekoslav vojo raDoicˇic´

zDenko basˇic⁄ zlatko bourek tihoMir bregar

sanja resˇcˇek

Milivoj c⁄eran aleM c´urin arManDo Debeljuh robert DrozD MagDa Dulcˇic⁄ - toDorovski luka DuPlancˇic⁄ ivan gregov ivana guljasˇevic´ kuMan Marsela hajDinjak krecˇ Dunja jankovic⁄ Marijana jelic´ Drazˇen jerabek svjetlan junakovic⁄

toMislav torjanac vanesa turcˇ inhoDzˇic⁄ svebor viDMar Manuela vlaDic´ Masˇtruko iva visˇosˇevic´ ivan vitez Pika voncˇina josiP zanki Petra zlonoga

kresˇiMir certic⁄

ana kaDoic´ helena klakocˇar Dubravka kolanovic´ zlatko kozina ljiljana loncˇ aric⁄ PeharDa nenaD Martic⁄ MojMir Mihatov branka nikolic´ - nara Dubravka Perisˇa luka Petracˇ kristina Petrusˇa sasˇa Pocrnic⁄

sanja Pribic⁄

Danijel srDarev kac⁄a sveDruzˇic⁄ toMislav toMic´

hrvatska croatia

suvremena hrvatska ilustracija djecˇje knjige ranka javor

Od Prvoga hrvatskog biennala ilustracije prošle su dvije godine. Tada je u Galeriji Klovićevi dvori izlagalo stotinjak ilustratora – 45 hrvatskih umjetnika te po deset umjetnika odabranih selekcija iz Austrije, Irana, Italije, Slovačke i Slovenije. Tim povodom pisalo se o tradiciji i povijesti hrvatske ilustracije, suvremenim dometima hrvatske i svjetske ilustratorske scene te očekivanjima pozitivnih impulsa koje će takva izložba imati na domaće stvaralaštvo dječje knjige. Sada, uoči Drugoga hrvatskog biennala ilustracije, treba se osvrnuti na proteklo razdoblje, na suvremenu hrvatsku ilustratorsku scenu u protekle dvije godine. Pri tome je dobro zapitati se o utjecaju Prvoga biennala na opuse nagrađenih umjetnika i hrvatsku scenu u cjelini te na nakladničku djelatnost koja je jedan od bitnih preduvjeta postojanja domaćeg stvaralaštva knjige. Prvo ime hrvatske ilustratorske scene u protekle dvije godine bez sumnje je pobjednik Prvoga hrvatskog biennala ilustracije, akademski kipar Svjetlan Junaković. Ilustracije prepoznate kao prvorazredne i nagrađene Grand Prixom, bile su Svjetlanu Junakoviću polazište za oblikovanje jedne izuzetne knjige, originalne jednako u ideji kao i u izvedbi. Knjiga je objavljena 2006. godine na španjolskom i portugalskom jeziku (izdavač Pontevedra, OQO Editora, Španjolska) pod naslovom Gran libro del los retratos de animales, a 2007. dobila je godišnju nagradu Ministarstva kulture Španjolske kao najbolja knjiga za mlade. Iste godine knjigu je, pod naslovom Velika knjiga portreta, objavio zagrebački nakladnik Algoritam. Knjiga je u Hrvatskoj dobila Nagradu „Grigor Vitez“, Društva „Naša djeca“, za dječju knjigu godine u kategoriji ilustracije. Na natječaju za najbolju hrvatsku slikovnicu „Ovca u kutiji“, koju dodjeljuje Umjetnička organizacija Autorska kuća, Velika knjiga portreta dobila je nagradu dječjeg žirija. U obrazloženju Nagrade „Grigor Vitez“ stoji: „Ova je knjiga slikovnica za djecu i odrasle koji tragom vremenskih i geografskih podataka mogu lako krenuti u detektivsko traganje za originalima u svjetskim muzejima ili barem u monografijama europske povijesti umjetnosti. Mogu se od srca nasmijati i istodobno nagledati slikarske vještine i sklada“ (iz teksta članice prosudbenog povjerenstva Branke Hlevnjak). Kvalitete te iznimne knjige prepoznate su i u svijetu te je Junakovićeva Gran libro del los retratos de animales godine 2008. na Sajmu dječje knjige u Bologni nagrađena s „Bologna Ragazzi Award“, nagradom za izvrsnost koja promovira najbolje domete svjetskog nakladništva za djecu i mlade. Izdavačka kuća Algoritam iz Zagreba tijekom 2007. objavila je još tri izvrsne knjige Svjetlana Junakovića: Ljubav spašava živote, Mali veliki svijet (stihove je prema Junakovićevim ilustracijama napisao Luko Paljetak, a slikovnica je 2007. dobila nagradu „Kiklop“ Sajma knjiga u Puli za dječju knjigu godine) i originalnu autobiografsku ilustriranu knjigu

Moj put – priča o cipelama. Svjetlan Junaković je 2008. bio hrvatski kandidat za Andersenovu nagradu, najveću svjetsku nagradu za ilustraciju dječje knjige. Kandidatura je pripremljena u Hrvatskom centru za dječju knjigu – Hrvatskoj sekciji IBBY- ja u Knjižnicama grada Zagreba. Prema odluci međunarodnog žirija Junaković se našao među odabranih pet finalista Andersenove nagrade što je veliki svjetski uspjeh. Andersenovu nagradu 2008. dobio je talijanski umjetnik Roberto Innocenti. Uza Svjetlana Junakovića ostali finalisti su Isol Misenta (Argentina), Adolf Born (Češka) i David Wiesner (SAD). Finalisti su predstavljeni posebnom izložbom na štandu IBBY-ja na Sajmu dječje knjige u Bologni te će biti posebno promovirani na Kongresu IBBY-ja u Kopenhagenu ove godine kao i na velikim svjetskim sajmovima knjige u Londonu, Frankfurtu, Baselu, Parizu i Moskvi. U suvremenoj hrvatskoj ilustraciji dječje knjige ističu se dva mlada umjetnika, Zdenko Bašić i Tomislav Tomić. Na Prvom hrvatskom biennalu ilustracije podijelili su dvije jednakopravne nagrade. Zdenko Bašić se u ilustraciji koristi novim medijima, tehnikom montaže kombinira crteže, lutke i fotografije stvarajući bajkovite i nadrealne predjele i ugođaje. Suprotno tome, Tomislav Tomić potpuno je predan crtačkoj vještini: perom i tušem, na način starih majstora, tka svoje minuciozne crteže i kompozicije. Oba autora u razdoblju između dva bijenala nisu objavila niti jednu značajniju knjigu u Hrvatskoj. Iz razgovora s umjetnicima saznajemo da neke od knjiga koje su ilustrirali još nisu objavljene te da su radili za strane nakladnike kao i mnogi drugi iz mlađe generacije hrvatskih ilustratora. Stoga se treba zapitati kakav je utjecaj izložbi i nagrada u Hrvatskoj na umjetnički angažman ilustratora? Posebno priznanje za inovativne ilustracije na Prvomu hrvatskom biennalu dobio je pisac i likovni umjetnik Zvonimir Balog. Balog je poznat kao autor originalnih, duhovitih pjesama i priča i jednako takvih osebujnih ilustracija. Za Zvonimira Baloga je proteklo razdoblje bilo vrlo plodno. Objavio je 2007. godine Izabrana djela u dvanest knjiga (izdavač „Katarina Zrinski“, Varaždin) kojima je oslikao naslovnice i opremio ih s nekoliko stotina novih maštovitih crteža. Iste godine, na svoj originalan način, oslikao je vlastitu priču Zmijice, mačkobus i osmeronogi konj (izdavač Profil International, Zagreb). Priča o dvije zmijice u pubertetu koje u gradu proslavljaju svlačenje starih košuljica i pritom dožive niz uzbudljivih pustolovina, izabrana je za izložbu najljepše oblikovanih hrvatskih knjiga „Art Book International“ na Frankfurtskom sajmu, jedina iz produkcije knjiga za djecu. Te su ilustracije odabrane i za smotru ilustratora „Zlatno pero“ u Beogradu. Najnovijom ilustriranom knjigom, zbirkom priča Lidije Dujić Plagva (izdavač Golden

marketing-Tehnička knjiga, Zagreb, 2007.), u suvremenoj se produkciji istaknuo doajen hrvatske ilustracije Ivica Antolčić. Antolčić je jedan od najplodnijih i najnagrađivanijih hrvatskih ilustratora. Moderne, vrckave i duhovite basne Lidije Dujić bile su umjetniku poticajno nadahnuće za virtuozno izvedene akvarele. Dobitnik je Pohvale Nagrade „Grigor Vitez“ „za svježinu i duhovitost te očuvanje klasične tehnike u ilustraciji za djecu“. Pohvalu Nagrade „Grigor Vitez“ godine 2007. primila je i mlada umjetnica Ivana Guljašević za multimedijalni projekt Čarapojedac . U razdoblju između dva bijenala Nagradu „Grigor Vitez“ su 2006. za ilustracije jednakopravno podijelila dva umjetnika: Tomislav Zlatić za knjigu priča Sanje Lovrenčić Esperel – grad malih čuda i Dražen Jerabek za slikovnicu Gorski duh s tekstom Želimira Hercigonje. Na Biennalu ilustracija u Bratislavi 2007. godine, po izboru prosudbenog povjerenstva u sastavu: Koraljka Jurčec Kos (Galerija Klovićevi dvori), Irena Bekić i Ranka Javor (Knjižnice grada Zagreba), izlagalo je 16 hrvatskih umjetnika, najveći broj u povijesti samostalnih hrvatskih nastupa na BIB-u od 1995. godine. Izlagali su: Ivica Antolčić, Zvonimir Balog, Zdenko Bašić, Dražen Jerabek, Svjetlan Junaković, Ana Kadoić, Dubravka Kolanović, Luka Petrač, Andrea Petrlik Huseinović, Željko Prstec, Vjekoslav Vojo Radoičić, Sanja Rešček, Ivan Vitez, Pika Vončina, Manuela Vladić-Maštruko i Tomislav Zlatić. Na BIB-u se izlažu isključivo objavljene ilustracije. Ana Kadoić se u oblikovanju ilustracija istakla osebujnom tehnikom kolaža u kojemu kombinira papir i tkaninu s akvarelom, pastelom i olovkom. Dubravka Kolanović predstavila se kao autorica vlastitih priča koje najčešće namjenjuje najmlađima. Njezin opus odlikuje visoka umjetnička razina i rafinirana tehnika korištenja pastela i akvarela te izraziti interes za životinje i ekologiju. Među hrvatskim ilustratorima srednje generacije nizom objavljenih ilustriranih knjiga kao i ujednačenom visokom kvalitetom u proteklom se razdoblju istakla Ljubinka Pika Vončina. Na temelju ilustracija s Prvoga hrvatskog biennala, nastala je 2006. godine u umjetničkoj radionici Andree Petrlik Huseinović slikovnica Maleni izložena na BIB-u i nagrađena priznanjem „Ovca u kutiji“ za najbolju hrvatsku slikovnicu. Sanja Rešček pripada mlađoj generaciji hrvatskih ilustratorica i u posljednje je dvije godine, kao i mnogi drugi, uglavnom ilustrirala za strane nakladnike. Stoga u potrazi za dometima hrvatskih ilustratora treba prošetati štandovima stranih nakladnika na međunarodnim sajmovima knjiga i češće pogledati njihove web stranice. Sve se veći broj mladih umjetnika u radu koristi prednostima nove kompjutorske tehnologije. Uz već spomenutu Sanju Rešček takvim se ostvarenjima ističu Tomislav Zlatić i Tomislav Torjanac. Tomislav Torjanac u Hrvatskoj nema objavljene knjige ali je zato postigao veliki

međunarodni uspjeh 2006. godine pobjedom na natječaju britanskoga dnevnika “The Times” i nakladnika Canongate Books za ilustriranje romana Life of Pi kanadskog autora Yanna Martela, koji je nagrađen Man Bookerovom nagradom 2002. godine. Objavljena je knjiga (Edinburg, New York, Melbourne, 2007.) po ilustracijama, grafičkom dizajnu i ukupnoj opremi vrhunski proizvod knjižne umjetnosti. Nastup 16 umjetnika na BIB-u 2007. činio se kao dobar znak oživljavanja nakladništva slikovnice u Hrvatskoj. Međutim, tijekom 2006. i 2007. situacija se bitno promijenila. Uvidom u dvogodišnju produkciju za djecu i mladež vidi se osjetan pad produkcije slikovnice i ilustrirane knjige u Hrvatskoj. U te se dvije godine čak u nedostatku umjetničkih slikovnica uočava trend kandidatura edukativnih i znanstveno-popularnih slikovnica koje najčešće ni sadržajem ni ilustracijom ne dosežu standarde hrvatske knjižne produkcije. Istodobno je u porastu trend uvoza strane kič slikovnice loše kvalitete. Također se vidi da mnogi autori koji su predstavljali Hrvatsku u Bratislavi nisu dobili priliku ilustrirati knjige ili su je dobili u vrlo malom opsegu. U nakladnika se, nažalost, uočava trend angažmana manje poznatih i neafirmiranih autora koji je, pretpostavljam, uzrokovan tržišnim razlozima. U mnogim se nakladničkim kućama još nije shvatilo da će vrhunsku umjetničku knjigu oblikovati samo vrhunski umjetnik, iako mnogi tvrde da im je do takvih knjiga stalo. Stoga se na pragu Drugoga hrvatskog biennala ilustracije nameće niz pitanja. Kako privući hrvatske nakladnike dječje knjige da u što većem broju posjete Drugi hrvatski biennale ilustracije i prepoznaju najbolje? Što učiniti kako bi hrvatski umjetnici ilustracije dobili priliku realizirati značajne projekte u vlastitoj zemlji? Mogu li se neki veliki hrvatski nakladnici ozbiljnije okrenuti nakladništvu domaće slikovnice? Može li razvoju i afirmaciji hrvatske ilustracije pomoći Ministarstvo kulture dodjelom posebnih potpora ilustriranoj dječjoj knjizi i umjetničkoj slikovnici? Usprkos svim ovim pitanjima, vjerujem kako će ovogodišnja smotra ilustracije u Galeriji Klovićevi dvori opet istaknuti najbolje hrvatske autore knjižne umjetnosti. Također će našoj publici, kritici i umjetnicima prezentirati bogatstvo i raznovrsnost svjetske ilustratorske scene. Možda i potaknuti odgovore na neka od postavljenih pitanja.

U Zagrebu, mjeseca travnja 2008.

contemporary croatian illustrations for children’s books ranka javor

Two years have passed since the First Croatian Biennial of Illustration in 2006 when the Klovićevi Dvori Gallery exhibited the works of about a hundred illustrators, forty-five of them Croatian and about ten each selected from Austria, Iran, Italy, Slovakia and Slovenia. The foremost concern of this first biennial was to present the tradition and history of Croatian illustration on a wider international background and the expectation of the positive effect this would have on Croatian illustrators of books for children. Now, with the second Croatian biennial close, we have to consider the period just past and the work of Croatian illustrators over the last two years. It is also good to ask ourselves how the first biennial affected the work of the prize-winning artists and the Croatian scene in general, and the work of publishers, which is one of the essential elements in the existence of Croatian book creation. There is no doubt about the fact that the leading name in the last two years has been that of academy sculptor Svjetlan Junaković, the winner of the first biennial. The high qualities of his illustrations were recognised and he was awarded the Grand Prix. This provided Junaković with the impetus for a highly unusual book, original in both conception and execution. Its title was Gran libro del los retratos de animales (Great Book of Animal Portraits, published in 2006 in Spanish and Portuguese by Pontevedra, OQO Editora, Spain) and in 2007 it won the annual prize of the Spanish Ministry of Culture as best children’s book of the year. In the same year the Zagreb publishing house Algoritam published that book under the title Velika knjiga portreta (Great Book of Portraits) and it won the Grigor Vitez Prize of the Our Children Society for illustration. At the competition Ovca u kutiji (Sheep in a Box) for the best Croatian picture book, awarded by the Author’s House art organisation, the Great Book of Portraits won the prize of the children’s panel. Among the reasons given in the assessment for receiving the Grigor Vitez Prize was, “This is a picture book for both children and adults who by closely following the timeframe and geographical details can easily set out on a detective search for the originals in world museums and galleries, or at least in some monographs on the history of European art. They can laugh out loud and yet at the same time be aware of artistic skill and harmony.” (From the report of Branka Hlevnjak, member of the judgment committee.) The quality of this exceptional book received world recognition and Junaković’s Gran libro del los retratos de animales in 2008 won the Bologna Ragazzi Award at the Bologna Children’s Bookfair, a prize for excellence that promotes the best in world publication for children and young people. During 2007 the Croatian publisher Algoritam published three more excellent books by Junaković, Ljubav spašava živote (Love Saves Lives), Mali veliki svijet (Little Big World, in which the Croatian poet Luko Paljetak wrote the poems to Junaković’s illustrations; the

picture book won the Kiklop Prize in Pula for the Best Children’s Book of the Year), and an original autobiographical illustrated book called Moj put – priča o cipelama (My Way – A Book About Shoes). In 2008 Junaković was the Croatian candidate for the Andersen Award, the highest award for children’s book illustration. The candidature was organised by the Croatian Children’s Book Centre – the Croatian Section of IBBY – through the Zagreb City Libraries. The international jury chose Junaković as one of the five finalists which is in itself a great honour for this important award. The Italian artist Roberto Innocenti won the 2008 award and the other finalists besides Junaković were Isol Misenta (Argentina), Adolf Born ( Czech Republic) and David Wiesner ( USA). A special exhibition of the works of the finalists was made on the IBBY stand at the Bologna Children’s Bookfair and they will be specially promoted at the IBBY Congress in Copenhagen this year and at other important book fairs in London, Frankfurt, Basel, Paris and Moscow Outstanding among today’s illustrators of children’s books are two young artists, Zdenko Bašić and Tomislav Tomić. At the first Croatian Biennial they shared two equal prizes.Zdenko Bašić uses new media in illustration, he combines drawings, puppets and photographs in the montage technique, creating fairytale and surrealist landscapes and atmosphere. Tomislav Tomić is quite the opposite and works entirely by drawing in pen and indian ink using the method of old masters to weave his detailed drawings and illustrations Neither of them has in the period since the first biennial published any remarkable book in Croatia. Talking to them, we understand that some of the books they have illustrated have not yet come out and that they worked for foreign publishers, something that many of the younger generation of Croatian illustrators do. This leads us to ask, what effect do exhibitions and awards in Croatia have on illustrators? At the first Zagreb Biennial a special commendation for innovative illustration was given to the writer and artist Zvonimir Balog. He is well known as the author of original, witty poems and tales and singular illustrations. In the past two years he has been very productive. In 2007 his collected works came out in twelve books (publisher Katarina Zrinski, Varaždin) for which he provided newly illustrated title pages and several hundred new imaginative drawings. In the same year, in his own imaginative style, he illustrated his own story Zmijice, mačkobus i osmeronogi konj (Little Snakes, Cat-bus and the Eight-Legged Horse, published by Profil International, Zagreb). It is a tale of two small “teenage” snakes who go to town to celebrate the shedding of their old skins which leads them into a number of exciting adventures. It was selected for the exhibition of the best-produced Croatian books at Art Book International at the Frankfurt Fair, the only one among them that was a children’s book.

The illustrations were also selected for the Golden Pen exhibition of illustrators in Belgrade. The newest illustrated book by the doyen of Croatian illustration Ivica Antolčić is Plagva, a collection of stories by Lidija Dujić (published by Golden Marketing, Zagreb 2007). Antolčić is one of the most prolific and most frequently awarded Croatian illustrators. Lidija Dujić’s modern, spirited and witty fables were a challenge for him to produce beautiful watercolours. He won the Grigor Vitez Commendation Prize for “fresh and witty work and for nurturing classical techniques in illustrations for children”. The young artist Ivana Guljašević also received the Grigor Vitez Commendation Prize for 2007 for the multimedia project Čarapojedac (Stocking-Eater). In the period between the two biennials the Grigor Vitez Prize for illustration for 2006 was won equally by two young artists: Tomislav Zlatić for the book of stories Esperel – grad malih čuda (Esperel – The Town of Little Miracles) by Sanja Lovrenčić and Dražen Jerabek for the picture book Gorski duh (Mountain Spirit) written by Želimir Hercigonja. Sixteen artists showed their work at the 2007 Biennial of Illustration Bratislava, selected by a judgment committee composed of Koraljka Jurčec Kos (Klovićevi dvori Gallery), Irena Bekić and Ranka Javor (Zagreb City Libraries). This was the largest number of participants in the history of independent Croatian appearances at BIB, which started in 1995. The artists were: Ivica Antolčić, Zvonimir Balog, Zdenko Bašić, Dražen Jerabek, Svjetlan Junaković, Ana Kadoić, Dubravka Kolanović, Luka Petrač, Andrea Petrlik Huseinović, Željko Prstec, Vjekoslav Vojo Radoičić, Sanja Rešček, Ivan Vitez, Pika Vončina, Manuela Vladić – Maštruko and Tomislav Zlatić. Only published illustrations are shown at BIB. Ana Kadoić makes illustrations using a special collage technique in which she combines paper and fabric with watercolour, pastel and pencil. Dubravka Kolanović writes stories and illustrates them, usually for the youngest readers. Her work is on a high artistic level and she uses a sophisticated technique of pastel and watercolour, showing great interest in animals and ecology. In the recent period the middle-generation Croatian illustrator Ljubinka Pika Vončina published a series of illustrated books of uniform high quality. Andrea Petrlik Huseinović’s art studio used illustrations from the first Croatian biennial in 2006 to make the picture book Maleni (Little Ones); it was exhibited at BIB and won the Sheep in a Box Commendation for the best Croatian picture book. Sanja Rešček belongs to the young generation of Croatian illustrators and in the last two years, like many others, she mostly did illustrations for foreign publishers. Therefore, when searching for the achievements of Croatian illustrators one must examine the stands of foreign publishers at international book fairs and open their web pages more often. An increasing number of young artists uses new computer technology in their work. Besides Sanja Rešček, who we have already mentioned, these are especially Tomislav

Zlatić and Tomislav Torjanac. Tomislav Torjanac has no published books in Croatia but he had great international success in 2006 when he won the competition of the British daily The Times and the publisher Canongate Books for illustrating the novel Life of Pi by the Canadian writer Yann Martel, which won the Man Booker Prize in 2002. In illustrations, graphic design and complete layout the published book (Edinburgh, New York, Melbourne, 2007) is a peak product of book art. The appearance of sixteen artists at BIB in 2007 seemed like a good sign for reviving picturebook publication in Croatia. However, in 2006 and 2007 the situation changed for the worse. The two-year production of picture books and illustrated books for children and young people shows a considerable decrease in Croatia. In the last two years the lack of art picture books has even led to the offer of educational and poplar-science picture books that are under the standards of Croatian book production both in contents and in illustration. At the same time, there is a growing trend of importing inferior, foreign, kitsch picture books. Many artists who presented Croatia in Bratislava did not get the opportunity of illustrating books at all, or were offered a very small opportunity. Unfortunately publishers prefer to engage unrecognised and unaffirmed artists, probably for market reasons. Many publishing houses are not yet aware that a quality art book can only be designed by a quality artist, although many of them say that this is the kind of book they are interested in. Thus, on the threshold of the Second Croatian Biennial of Illustration, we stand before many questions. How to attract a large number of Croatian publishers for children to visit the Second Croatian Biennial of Illustration and to recognise work of the highest standards? What to do so that Croatian illustrators get the chance to realise major projects in their own country? Can the big Croatian publishers focus more seriously on the publication of Croatian picture books? Can the Ministry of Culture help the development and affirmation of Croatian illustration by giving special grants to illustrated children’s books and art picture books? Notwithstanding all these questions, I believe that this year’s fair of illustrations at the Klovićevi dvori Gallery will again show the best Croatian book artists. It will also show our public, critics and artists the richness and variety of illustration in the world. And perhaps encourage answers to some of the questions we asked. In Zagreb, April 2008.

ivan antolcˇ ic´ ilustracija za zbirku Plagva Lidije Dujić, akvarel, 26x19cm Illustration for collection of stories Plagva by Lidija Dujić, watercolour, 26x19cm