Exhibition
9 June - 1 July, 2022
Exhibition opening
Thursday, 9 June, 2022, at 8 p.m.
Filodrammatica Gallery, Korzo 28/1, Rijeka
Gallery opening hours
Mon – Fri 11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m., Mon – Sat 4:00 – 8:00 p.m.
The opening of the exhibition. Photo: Karlo Čargonja / Drugo more (Flickr gallery)
The exhibition Mirko Ilić: From the History of Human Stupidity – The Designer’s History of the World presents a panoramic view of the work of Mirko Ilić, from posters and newspaper covers to illustrations and comics, from the mid-1970s to today, remixed as a narrative about the 20th and 21st centuries and a possible reading of the moment in which we live and what has brought us here.
The exhibition confronts works that are explicitly political and those that are not political at first glance, sharp readings of social reality and interpretations of complex scientific and philosophical ideas, drama of global conflicts and intimate drama, images of hatred and evil and images of empathy and love. The chronological order of the works is relative and interchangeable, everything flows in several different directions, each exhibited visual is a possible signpost for something else.
The exhibition opens on Thursday, 9 June, 2022, at 8 p.m. at the Filodrammatica Gallery (Korzo 28/1, Rijeka), remaining on view until 1 July, every day except Sundays and public holidays from 4 to 8 p.m., as well as on working days from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
From the first exhibition at HDD Gallery in Zagreb, photo: HDD
The exhibition is a “remix” of selected fragments of Ilić’s work as a designer, illustrator and comic strip artist — that is to say in the most important areas of his work — which are intertwined through several narrative lines: a narrative about a 120 year time period, milestones of a designer’s career and reflections on the works themselves, and stories about the contexts in which they were created and their complex cultural references.
Left: The Havoc in Yugoslavia, ad: Steven Heller, The New York Times Book Review, 21 January, 1996; right: Germany Toward Unity, Time International, 25 June, 1990
Ono što riječku izložbu razlikuje od njezinih prethodnih uprizorenja u Zagrebu, Splitu, Sisku, Puli, Osijeku i Ljubljani, su pojedini originalni Ilićevi radovi koje za ovu priliku velikodušno ustupa riječki Muzej moderne i suvremene umjetnosti iz svojeg fundusa. What distinguishes the exhibition in Rijeka from its previous stagings in Zagreb, Split, Sisak, Pula, Osijek and Ljubljana are some of Ilić’s original works generously borrowed from the collection of the Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Rijeka.
The curator of the exhibition is Marko Golub, while the organizers are su Croatian Designers Association and Drugo more.
MIRKO ILIĆ
FROM THE HISTORY OF HUMAN STUPIDITY –
THE DESIGNER’S HISTORY OF THE WORLD
☛ Filodrammatica Gallery, Korzo 28/1, Rijeka
9 June – 1 July, 2022
EXHIBITION OPENING:
Thursday, 9 June, 8 p.m.
GALLERY WORKING HOURS:
MON-SAT from 4 to 8 p.m.
MON-FRI from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
(closed on Sundays and public holidays)
AUTHOR OF THE EXHIBITION, TEXTS AND SETUP:
Marko Golub
ASSOCIATE AND GRAPHIC DESIGNER:
Dejan Kršić
MIRKO ILIĆ
Mirko Ilić was born in Bosnia. In Europe, he drew comics, illustrations, and art-directed posters, books, and record covers. When he arrived in the U.S. he became the art director of Time Magazine International Edition. Later he became art director of the Op-Ed pages of the New York Times. In 1995 he established his firm Mirko Ilić Corp. His company designs for a wide range of clients, from pro bono organizations to the high luxury hospitality clients. For his work he received numerous awards and is in collections of institutions such as Smithsonian Museum and MoMA, New York. Mirko is the co-author of several books on design and visual culture. He also organizes and curates shows and lectures around the world. Mirko teaches masters degree illustration at the School of Visual Arts in New York.
