Adventures in Publishing:
Comics and Related Art in Ex-Yugoslavia
Cartoonist and illustrator Ivana Filipovich will guide us through the rich history of comic arts and publishing in the ex-Yugoslav region, focusing on Serbia, Bosnia, Croatia, and Slovenia. This area, known for its deep tradition of comic arts, has produced international luminaries like Zoran Janjetov, Nina Bunjevac, Igor Kordej, alternative art icons such as Zograf (Aleksandar Rakezić) and Wostok (Danilo Milošev), and award-winning artists like Helena Klakočar-Vukšić, winner of the Best Foreign Album at Angoulême 2000, and Miroslav Sekulić-Struja, who received the Young Talent Award at Angoulême 2010.
Today, the region is home to a vibrant comic scene, with numerous festivals, exhibitions, and activities where artists continue to push boundaries, blend applied and fine arts, and strongly advocate for diversity within the field.
Attendees will be able to flip through anthologies, graphic novels, collections, comic magazines, and other examples of work from the region. A portion of this talk was co-presented with artist Nina Bunjevac at the 2024 Toronto Comic Arts Festival. The speaker acknowledges the support of the Canada Council for the Arts, which funded the Toronto presentation and festival attendance.
“...(a) treasure chest, brimming with a cornucopia of gems.”
“...it can be said that Serbia is a country where, as far as comics go, there is still much to experience.”
Biography
Ivana Filipovich is a Serbian-Canadian illustrator and cartoonist with a background in educational media. She holds an MSc in Architecture from the University of Belgrade. As executive producer and art director, she has earned international acclaim for her innovative educational productions with her Simon Fraser University team, receiving awards such as the United Nations Summit Award for Best Culture & Heritage Website, the Applied Arts Magazine Award, the Advertising & Design Club of Canada Award, and a Leo Award for Best Documentary Program in British Columbia.
Since returning to cartooning in 2017, her comics have been published in Canada, Sweden, Slovenia, Belgium, Czechia, and Serbia. Her work has also been exhibited at the French Institute (L’Institut français) galleries and at numerous comic art festivals throughout the Balkans. In 2023, she became the first Western Canadian recipient of the prestigious Doug Wright Award for her self-published collection of short comics, WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN.
Her debut graphic novel, WHAT’S FEAR GOT TO DO WITH IT?, published by Conundrum Press and supported by the Canada Council for the Arts, was named one of CBC Books’ “20 Graphic Novels to Read in Fall 2023.” She is a member of StripoTetke (Comics Aunties), an association dedicated to promoting contemporary author comics and increasing diversity among comic creators in the Balkans.`
The venue
This event is free and open to the public. Please RSVP in order to receive the event reminders. We will not be checking tickets at the entrance, so please feel free to bring friends. The entrance to the venue is from the Hamilton Street. More information about the access, location, and parking can be found here.
