Bojan
Halilovic and
Dalida
Durakovic
Trio Design Sarajevo
Arguably,
one of the best series of prints to come out from war-torn Sarajevo is
a group of what were intended to be offset lithographs Greetings from
Sarajevo by Trio Design Sarajevo. All the work in this exhibit are 40,
30"x40" handmade posters, only some of which have been finished as offset
posters. Remember computers are no good without electricity. Formed in
1985 Trio is now Bojan Halilovic and Dalida Durakovic. These artists were
a part of a particular Sarajevo generation raised on the punk culture,
and heavily influenced by American Pop Art. By the end of the 1980's Trio
had become one of the most innovative design groups in the former Yugoslavia
designing covers for well known rock bands, theatre companies and numerous
art and culture based magazines.
Despite the obvious hardships of life in a city under siege, and although they had many opportunities to continue work outside Bosnia-Herzegovina, Trio opted to remain in Sarajevo throughout the entire war. Greetings from Sarajevo are based on a series of redesigns of well-known advertising and Pop art images such as Speilbergs Jurassic Park, Coca-Cola, Absolut Vodka, Warhol's Campbell Soup and satirical adaptations of famous posters such as Monroe's Some Like It Hot, Your Country Needs You, and MunchÕs Scream. Offset lithographic postcards were printed and reach every corner in Bosnia and were delivered throughout the world carrying a message about Sarajevo. Their playful, witty and critical tone is a testimony of how Sarajevans felt about the out side world looking at their suffering inside the walls of siege. Many of the images appeared in major international publications such as The Independent, The Guardian, Life Magazine and Newsweek. While this work was represented in major international Biennials they have never been exhibited in the U.S. before now.