ARES AWAITS ON YOU

          We rejoice in welcoming you on the 30th foundation anniversary of the International Antiwar Cartoon Salon «Kragujevac» with yet another 16th successful exhibition, again in the spirit of strong antiwar message sent by hundreds of cartoonists from all over the world, and joined by our friends who reward some of the chosen artists thus paying respect to their peace activism...

          We rejoice in knowing that the 15th Salon exhibition was presented to several thousands of visitors in eleven cities across Europe, North and South America, including Kragujevac, New York, Poltava, Ingolstadt, Bielsko-Biala, Bydgoszcz, Belgrade, Pitesti, Temisoara, Limasol and Mexico City. In all these places people admired cartoonists’ lucid ideas warning on destructiveness of the war and condemning it, making its parties a laughingstock and an object of ridicule. And, they agreed with cartoonists.

          But, we do not rejoice that Ares, that Hellenic simbol of war and suffering, does not get tired. Always hitting harder the innocent ones, war and suffering grow instead of dieing out.

So, Ares awaits you!

           You to join, or resist him. To follow his seductive words, or to raise the voice of reason and civic disagreement. Artists participating at the 16th International Antiwar Cartoon Salon, as they did in every contest in past thirty years, encourage you to choose the second.

             That is our Salon’s mission. Therefore, unfortunately, our Salon is a necessity. Still is...

Miodrag Stojilović
Director of the Salon

 

OUR 30 – YEARS OLD PATH

First important gatherings of the Kragujevac’s cartoonists were induced by the student’s newspaper “FAKK” in the late sixties and at the beginning of the seventies. Dozen young associates of the later newspapers came to the idea to comment and react on current political situation in a free, comic way by drawing cartoons. Such thing was quite often more efficient than any other report or comment. In due course cartoon had its reputation and become inevitable in papers of Kragujevac. Before that happened it used to be just a joke, more illustration, to fill the void.

Studies do not last for ever and student’s days pass by quickly. Those young associates that brought cartoon to life ended their mission. Some graduated, some did not. Some of them even decided on cartoon as vocation. They turned out to become the most eminent names in Yugoslav cartoon as – Ljubomir Milojević – Ljubac, Mileta Miloradović, Aleksandar Dimitrijević, Branislav Obradović… Some of them decided to be journalists like Milivoje Radenković – Raki and Zoran Glišović – Žig ( both of them are employees of Radio Belgrade today ). Some became engineers, economists, lawyers and cartoon remained as part of their youth.

“FAKK” and the generation of young cartoonists together with editor could be also remembered as founders of our Salon of Anti – war Cartoon. When Dimitrijević, Glišović and myself moved to Kragujevac’ s week newspapers “Svetlost” we decided to found, in 1981, an International Salon of Anti – war Cartoon, that has remained ever since.

Again, the Salon was supported by the most eminent people. A new generation was born and Kragujevac become a center of Serbian cartoon. The home of more than fifteen authors of cartoon and satire.

That new generation of cartoonists (Goran Milenković, Srđan Stamenković, Ivan Radulović, Milan Jovanović, Zoran Zlatičanin…) showed great interest to make Salon of Anti – war Cartoon better and much more modern as much as they could. This site is only one of things which proves that.

Best regards
Miodrag Stojilović director of the Salon