A TRAVELLING EXHIBITION OF POSTERS, CREATED BY DESIGNERS WORLDWIDE AND COLLECTED BY MIRKO ILIĆ, STRESSES THE NECESSITY OF TOLERANCE.
Tolerance – the international exhibition conceptualized by Mirko Ilić – has been touring the world for over a year, and during that time the number of authors who have designed posters on Ilić’s incentive has grown. The exhibition, which is soon to arrive in Zagreb, will be displayed in front of the School of Applied Arts and Design in Zagreb (ŠPUD) and the Museum of Contemporary Art (MCA), which is another hallmark of this exhibition – it is displayed exclusively outdoors.
The author’s intention was to expose those people who don’t often frequent exhibitions to the content of the project, allowing regular passers-by to, perhaps, pause and reflect on the topic or even engage the person observing the same content into a conversation. The fund grew from the initial 21 posters to the current 70, all of which will be displayed in Zagreb. The project is coordinated by Mirko Ilić himself, UBU – the Association of Former ŠPUD Students, and the School of Applied Arts and Design, in collaboration with the Museum of Contemporary Art and the Academy of Fine Arts, within the scope of the Runaway Art partner project.
Ilić has summarized his thoughts on the topic of tolerance and the initial drive behind this ever-expanding exhibition, i.e. project:
“The most common causes of intolerance fall into the categories of belonging to the “wrong” tribe, the “wrong” skin colour, the “wrong” sexual orientation, and the “wrong” religious affiliation. Three of these four “wrongs” are predetermined by one’s birth, making them something beyond one’s control; something an individual cannot be held responsible for. In other words, one is not tolerated for the things he or she is born with. In other words, it would be better if you hadn’t been born at all. In other words, it would be better if you didn’t exist, if you were dead. Isn’t the message imparted by this simply horrific? Besides, these three “wrongs” add up to no more than 10% of our differences, while the similarities between us amount to 90%. We want to love. We want to be loved. We want safety. We want jobs, food, water, roof over our heads. We want a long life, for us and for our children. Doesn’t that equate to more reasons in favour of tolerance, rather than intolerance? This exhibition should serve as an unobtrusive reminder to that fact.”
Boris Bućan and Dejan Kršić are the Croatian designers who contributed to the exhibition with their posters, and their works will be displayed in front of ŠPUD and MCU. The opening of the MCU section of the exhibition will take place in front of the Museum of Contemporary Art on the 16th of April, at 11,30 a.m., following a lecture by Mirko Ilić. The lecture, based on the book Design of Dissent, is intended for the students of ŠPUD and the students of Design at the Faculty of Architecture (the Gorgona Hall). The formal opening will take place on the same day, at 6 p.m., in the square in front of ŠPUD, and the occasion will also be used to unveil the exhibition of works created by the students of ŠPUD, which will be displayed in the Izidor Kršnjavi Gallery.
The exhibition will be preceded by a public lecture organized by the Association for the Promotion of Culture, UBU and ŠPUD, entitled ŠPUD in Time and Space. The public discussion will take place on the 15th of April, at 6.30 p.m., and the guests (Zrinka Tatomir, Mirko Ilić, Filip Pintarić, OKO and Mia Biondić) will discuss the significance and the role of the School of Applied Arts and Design as seen from the perspective of several generations of its students and teachers, the legacy of the school and its importance in the artistic education of the new generations.
Milton Glaser, one of the authors, voiced his opinion on the eve of the opening of this exhibition:
“Tolerance” is essential for human’s to embrace. It is the only antidote for the competitive drive that characterizes our species. At this moment in history, there’s a slightly reluctant quality to the word. What we really want it to mean is acceptance and generosity.”
The authors of the exhibited posters are:
Milton Glaser (USA), Felipe Taborda (Brazil), Sue Coe (USA/United Kingdom), Saki Mafundikwa (Zimbabwe), Jianping He (China), New Collectivism (Slovenia, NSK state), David Tartakover (Israel), Fons Hickmann (Germany), Chaz Maviyane-Davies (Zimbabwe), Istvan Orosz (Hungary), Michel Bouvet (France), Yuko Shimizu (Japan), Paula Scher (USA), Sarp Sozdinler (Turkey), Hamzah Abdelal (Jordan), Anette Lenz (France), Tarek Atrissi (Lebanon), Alejandro Magallanes (Mexico), Manuel Estrada (Spain), Reza Abedini (Iran/Netherlands), Peter Bankov (Russia/Czech Republic), Srđa Dragović (Montenegro), Slavimir Stojanović (Serbia), Xiao Yong (China), Anur Hadžiomerspahić (Sarajevo, B&H), Niklaus Troxler (Switzerland), Katarzyna Zapart (Poland), Hoon-Dong Chung (Korea), Aleksandar Maćašev (Yugoslavia), Seymour Chwast (USA), Rodrigo Sánchez (Spain), Steff Geissbuhler (USA/Switzerland), Un Mundo Feliz (Spain), Drew Hodges (USA), Dan Reisinger (Israel), Marian Bantjes, Pekka Loiri (Finland), Ovidiu Hrin (Romania), Uwe Loesch (Germany), Alex Jordan (France), Garth Walker (South Africa), Pepijn Zurburg/Gorilla (Netherlands), Jessica Hische (USA), Tom Geismar (USA), Boris Bućan (Croatia), Kit Hinrichs (USA), Fares Cachoux (Syria), Alain Le Quernec (France), Eric Belousov (Russia),Nancy Stahl (USA), Chago Garcia (Dominican Republic), Grafprom Studio (Ukraine), Armando Milani (Italy), Yue Chen (China/USA), Elizabeth Resnick (USA), Edel Rodriguez (Cuba/USA), Bob Gill (USA), Viktor Koen (Greece), Brandt Botes (South Africa), Tomato Košir (Slovenia), Parisa Tashakori (Iran/USA), George Tscherny (USA), Mehmet Ali Türkmen (Turkey), Shino Suefusa (Japan), Gyula Molnár (Hungary), Srdja Dragović (Montenegro), Ed Fella (USA), Jose Munoz (Argentina), Yuri Gulitov (Russia), Marshall Arisman (USA), Dejan Kršić (Croatia, EU)
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translation: Marin Popović
