Drugi jezik na kojem je dostupan ovaj članak: Bosnian
By: Ekrem Dupanović
Photo: Adnan Dupanović, Nermin Nino Kasupović, Žare Kerin and Ekrem Dupanović
On Thursday morning I got up early as usual. I had a lot of work, and I had to get to Bihać for an exhibition which also opens the Creative Republic. At about noon, works entered to Balcannes started arriving, so I start with my jury duty. At three o’clock I got in my car and went to Bihać, where I arrived half an hour before the opening of the solo exhibition by Žare Kerin. Just enough time to have a coffee with my cousin Adnan Dupanović, director of the City Gallery where the exhibition is taking place. There aren’t many Dupanović’s left in Bihać, but we have a good “spread”. I agree with Adnan that I will come to Ripač when they start making brandy.
I’m very pleased that we, Media Marketing, have organized Žare’s first solo exhibition where he presents his entire design oeuvre. This is our third joint promotion in the last two years. Two times, Žare was on the promotion of my books (The Best of Adriatic Creative Directors and The Best of Adriatic Advertising 2017), which he designed, and now I was opening his exhibition in Bihać. I like to work with Žare. Top professional. On the day before the exhibition he came to Bihać, he set up works, returned to Ljubljana for one meeting and now came back to the opening. Žare was accompanied by his girlfriend Ana Por – his muse. Žare’s colleague from Futura DDB, Maruša Koželj, was also there, who has helped Žare a lot with the exhibition and creating a mini catalog that looks perfect. Žare’s minimalism. It’s been long since I’ve seen a nicer and smaller catalog of an exhibition that tells everything about its author. I would take this opportunity to thank Maruša once again, on behalf of the Creative Republic, for her help. The entire exhibition looked beautiful. Žare has put together everything, from logos, packaging, to books and ads. Every work better than the previous one. Superior elegance and good dynamics. The black and white works were nicely arranged besides those in color, which gave the exhibition a special dynamic. Adnan Dupanovic, Nermin Nino Kasupović and Žare spoke at the opening, and in the end I finally declared it open. After that, I stood aside to hear the comments of visitors. I could not even imagine how much they were interested in graphic design, and how they commented on certain works. I listened to them for a while. I was impressed by them. That’s Bihać for you – it’s not by chance that Creative Republic is here.
From the opening of the exhibition we went to Hotel Emporium for a formal dinner. There were Maruša, Ana and Žare, Amra Babić and Emir Jildizar (Addiko banka Sarajevo), Jelena Fiškuš and Sean Poropat (Studio Sonda), Vanja Blumenšajn (Señor), Almir Filsar, creator of DreamEthic Change concept, Imelda Ramović (Mireldy), Ivana Mlinarić (Tele2) and our host Nermin Nino Kasupović, father of the Creative Republic, a great enthusiast who has been fighting windmills for five years now.
Dinner as every other dinner with friends over a glass of wine. People dealing with the same work, and with the same passion. Great atmosphere, great talk and lots of laughter. The part that remained engraved in my mind was Kiša’s and Sean’s comment on the Media Marketing portal. It happened somewhere around mid-May. Jelena and Sean won the Golden Cube at ADC New York for the design of the packaging for the St. Piquentum wine. I can’t even count which award this was for for this project. They sent us the news and a photo from the award ceremony at the break of dawn in our time zone. Adnan and I prepared it and published it as a breaking news. While Jelena and Sean were still fast asleep, it was already morning here. Their phones started ringing. They started getting the mails one after another. The congratulations for the Golden Cube were coming. Even a schoolteacher from the school which Jelena’s daughter attends called to congratulate her. She asked her where she found out, and she replied: “Well, I read the Breaking News”. Sean says: “Portal Media Marketing is a phenomenon. We had no idea how many people read it, and who actually reads it. The fact that you publish so regularly, even in English in real time, is really a phenomenon.” That called for a toast.
As glasses got filled, and quickly emptied, it was 02.00am before we knew it. I got up at 06.00hrs, worked until 14.00hrs, then sat in my car and arrived at the opening of the show. Almost 20 hours awake. Well, it was time for me to rest.
I got up early. I was supposed to continue rating works for BalCannes. A cold shower to get refreshed, and I started judging the works full of positive energy.
After the jury tasks, I went to the AVNOJ Museum for the fifth session of the Creative Republic. I had the honor to open it. I took the microphone and asked the audience that we return the name Creative Republic of Bihać to the conference, as an association to the Bihać Republic, the first free territory in Yugoslavia during World War II. I did the same thing five years earlier, when I opened the first Creative Forum and renamed it. I said there are creative forums everywhere in the world, but that there is only one Creative Republic of Bihać. They all accepted this with acclamation. Over the past year, Nino Kasupović and his partner split, and the other one wouldn’t allow it to be called the Creative Republic of Bihać, but just Creative Republic. The copyright over this name belongs to me, so I asked that it be reinstated. And it will be so from now on, and if someone has something against that, they can get in touch or meet me in court.
First speaker was Sanda Mešanović from Banja Luka, with the topic Where did creativity hide? Great choice. After 14 years of marketing, Sanda came to her senses and decided to change her style and way of life. She turned to yoga, healthy nutrition, spirituality, she began to hold seminars and today she tours all over Europe. It was a refreshing and very inspirational lecture, and a great introduction to a new working day.
Soon as Sanda finished, I received a mail from Goran Milić, to whom I dedicated the Diary log two days earlier. Goran writes: “Eki, you praised me as if I’m your closest kin, a profitable business partner, a friend from the bar and a party colleague, all in one. Tnx.”
I smile to myself at this message, and applaud Vanja Blumenšajn who was just climbing the stage. The program says that his lecture is titled This is my last lecture. It can’t be? No, it actually can’t be Vanja! After all the great campaigns he presented to us, to leave us without such treasure in the future? No, that simply won’t go. While Vanja was presenting what they do every year for the wine brand Istinito vino (Truthful wine), I came up with the idea that will make Tilda Bogdanović very happy – the woman from Dubrovnik who organizes the Dubrovnik Festiwine. But more on that after I get in touch with Tilda.
Then came Almir Flisar with a lecture on the Sciencolosophy of Creativity. This lecture was a blend of the latest findings in the field of neuroscience, genetics, developmental psychology, and other related sciences with philosophy, and in the context of the fact that creativity is not reserved only for a small group of chosen people, but is present in every human being. It only needs to be drawn to the surface, and constantly grind it, so it could shine in its full glory. Listening to Almir, I figured creativity was the same as cancer. We all have it, it just depends in whom it will wake up.
Then lunch, and for desert two great lectures: Design from the Province, by Jelena Fiškuš and Sean Poropat (Studio Sonda) and Boli me Pipi, Damir Ciglar (Imago Ogilvy).
Jelena and Sean showed the projects created in their agency located in the small Istrian village of Vižinada, which has only 300 inhabitants. Vižinada is probably the village with the most awards for creativity in the world. There’s another curiosity of this agency. In the heart of Istria, where snow doesn’t fall so often, and certainly not in quantities that would allow even imagining ski resorts there, every year a new women’s collection of Elan skis is created, which are successfully sold all over the world. Skis designed in Istria? Yes, that happens too.
Damir Ciglar showed us the latest Imago’s campaign Boli me Pipi which has achieved great success. Part of Damir’s presentation was devoted to briefs, so I got to learn something as well.
After Damir’s lecture, I went to the hotel room, turned on my laptop and finished judging the works for BalCannes. There are great campaigns, but also lousy case studies. BalCannes’s eternal problem is that the presentations are being prepared during the summer, as entries are open until September 1. The creative teams are not full, and the cases are made mostly rushed. Something has to change here.
Nino called and said that Dubravka Jusic had arrived. She was having dinner at the hotel and I needed to bring her to the exhibition of Imelda Ramovic. Nino always has the last word. I went to the restaurant to keep Dubravka company until we finish dinner, and then we went to the gallery. It was a nice, not big exhibition titled Monument to Monuments. By the end of the year the eponymous book should come out.
Then everyone went to the party. Dubravka and I first go to Žare’s exhibition because a very kind lady at Imelda’s exhibition told us she had a key of the Gallery and that she would open it for us so Dubravka could also see Žare’s works. She didn’t do it because she knew the director of the gallery was my cousin. No, she did it because that’s what the souls of Krajina are like. Everyone here would do whatever they can to please you. That’s Krajina for you. So Dubravka had the exclusive solo tour of the whole exhibition. After that, we went for a coffee nearby, and about midnight we walked to the hotel, where we continued chatting over glasses of wine until 02.00hrs. That’s how it goes when old friends meet.
September 16, 2018.