ZAGORO MOJA
Ante Tešija
HRVOJE BUBIĆ: Intervju s Ivanom Svagušom
Hrvoje Bubić
Ivan Svaguša je likovni umjetnik iz Splita, za Solin Live govori o stripu kao izvoru inspiracije, umjetničkoj sceni u Hrvatskoj, projektu Bučni Stripovi i ostalim projektima
Za početak, možete li nam se predstaviti i reći nešto o sebi?
Pa…može se reći da sam netko tko se umjetnošću trudi ne postati rob društvenih treniranja I tko umjetnost koristi kao oruđe “otvaranja” I učenja. No, evo u grubo i skicozno : ja sam likovnjak I likovni edukator širokog spektra koji je također muzički entuzijast. Po zvanju sam akademski slikar, dakle bavim se slikarstvom, stripom, graffitima, muralima, ilustracijom itd. Predajem u Školi crtanja i slikanja Split od 2009.godine. Volim povezivati likovnost s glazbom i zvukovima pa često radim soundtracke za svoje slike I stripove. Također sam nezavisni mali izdavač stripova u toj zvučnoj kombinaciji.
Što je utjecalo na Vaš stil kao likovnjaka? Primjetio sam da je temelj Vašeg stila je strip.
Hm…ne bi rekao da je strip moj temelj, ali je svakako jako bitan dio mog stvaralaštva I izričaja, sve ovisi o tome što želim izraziti ili “ispričati”, iskomunicirati itd. Svakako mislim da je strip kao specifičan I širok medijski jezik, poprilično unikatan I samostalan. Taj moment sekvencijalnosti I pričanje priče na više načina iz kadra u kadar, iz slike u sliku, omogućuje puno toga za izraziti u likovnom I narativnom smislu. Jako volim stripovske izražajne mogućnosti jer su neiscrpne pa zato volim I istraživati s njim, a iz tog razloga mi se strip albimi često razlikuju jedan od drugog. Vidjet ćemo što je iduće hehe!
U Vašim radovima je često društvena kritika, što u Vašim stripovima, što po uličnim grafitima. Molim Vas recite nam više o svojim stripovima, uličnim grafitima, te kakve su reakcije ljudi?
Da, kritika je prisutna, ali ne sama zbog sebe I često je okrenuta ka pojedincu, odnosno od strane jedne individue ka životnim normama I zajednici koja ga okružuje, tj. u kojoj se sam nalazi. Ta kritka u stripovima I graffitima proizlazi iz nekakvih svakodnevnih razmišljanja. Kako sam kroz svoje likovne interese dosta aktivan u svom gradu, tako I nailazim na dosta “zidova” , što od strane institucija, što od strane “običnog” čovjeka. Ono što mi iskustvo govori je da ljudi vole biti svojevrsne etikete, bilo da se radi o visokim pozicijama ili da se radi o alternativi, a svaka vrst etikatiranja ubija slobodu I kreativost. Da skratim ; prihvaćanje uloga je potiskivanje svega dobrog u individui. Strip kao medij je narativan pa je jako dobar da izražavanje mog osobnog mišljenja kroz nekakav scenarij, a graffiti imaju tu uličnu neposrednost, svako ih može vidjet I svakome se obraćaju bez predrasuda I elitizma. Ono što mi je posebno drago raditi su strip-graffiti, nekoliko kadrova kroz javni prostor koji imaju neku svoji priču. Tako mogu izravnije komunicirati s slučajnim prolaznicima pričajući neku priču. Zapravo je ta kritika o kojoj govoriš često dio moje intime, sam sebe preispitijem u odnosu na osobne uloge I u odnosu na okolinu pa se zato ljudi I mogu s tim identificirati. Govoreći o tome, reakcija ima većinom pozitivnih, a I nešto onih negativnih, no uglavnom su tu reakcije koje su afirmativne jer ljudi valjda ne očekuju tako nešto u javnom prostoru ili u stripu pa se izgleda ugodno iznenade s tim nekim osobnijim razmišljanjima koja im se obraćaju.
Kakva je po Vama umjetnička scena u Splitu i Hrvatskoj, kao i u inostranstvu? Da li Split ima potencijala za jaku scenu?
Uf, preširoko pitanje! Teško mi je dati konkretno mišljenje o umjetničkoj sceni na prostoru Hrvatske jer svaki grad ima neku svoju nit I svoju boljku. Ha vidi, svugdje ima ok stvari I ima kvalitetnih autora, ali svugdje ima I trendovskih obrazaca koje, nazovimo ih umjetnici, slijepo slijede ne bi li tako sebi osigurali karijeru I prihvaćenost. Isto je I s umjetničkim kustosima. To su stvari koje ruše srž I razlog umjetnosti. Svakako u Hrvatskoj Zagreb prednjači što se tiče scene, em jer je metropola pa se u njega najviše ulaže financija za održavanje umjetničke scene. Ponekad I neopravdano jer ostali gradovi koji su manji, često ostanu nepodržani, a da imaju dobrog umjetničkog potencijala. Teško je općenito govoriti o širokim umjetničkim scenama jer svaka država i grad imaju svoj specifičan način djelovanja I sebi svojstvenu kulturu. Vani se puno više ulaže u umjetnost pa se ona više I cijeni. Generalno vani umjetnici lakše žive jer je narod osvješćeniji o važnosti kulture I umjetnosti, što se ne može reći za naše prostore. Ovde je dijametralno suprotno. Što se tiče Splita, ovde ima jakih autora I velikih talenata, ali nerijetko oni ne mogu doći do neke normalne vidljivosti I šanse, upravo iz razoga jer se ne uklapaju u štreberske trendove, a Grad Split kao da ustrajno njeguje svoju ignoranciju I dekadenciju u odnosu na kulturu I umjetnost, bilo “visoku”, bilo “alternativnu”. Tako da ovde definitivno ima potencijala, ali ti kvalitetni I unikatni autori se umore od stalno upiranja I truda a da nisu podržani, a kako nema neke scene kao snažne kulturne platforme gdje to ima smisla raditi, nerijetko ti ljudi “izduše”, a onda uglavnom ostanu ovi koji se se zaljepili za pravilni tok struje.
Uz likovnu umjetnost, bavite se glazbom, pod imenom Bučni Stripovi, te izdali ste dva albuma u suradnji s Majom Karačić. Recite nam više o Bučnim Stripovima, kao i suradnji s Majom Karačić.
Bučni Stripovi su nastali 2010. godine kao moja dugogodišnja želja da spojim svoje dvije ljubavi, strip I muziku. U biti sam često razmišljao o sintezi fima I muzike za film, koji su kao savršeni jedno za drugo. Isto to sam htio za strip. Dosta sam bio I inspiriran sa DIY načelima kao I sa nezavisnim scenama u američkom undergroundu osamdesetih I devedesetih godina…tako je I danas ustvari. Uglavnom, nacrtao sam strip od sedam stranica, osobne tematika, otiskao ga u formi strip harmonike, napravio soundtrack u formi jako bučnog, ali I melodičnog gitarskog zida I to snimio. To prvo izdanje Bučnih Stripova sam otiskao u osamdeset primjeraka, skupa s cd-om koji sam zaljepio na strip I podijelio ljudima, poznanicima I prijateljima. The rest is the history haha! To je pokrenulo I suradnju s Majom Karačić s kojom sam napravio I izdao zapravo četiri strip albuma, dva za Bučne Stripove, a dva su nam izdali drugi izdavači, a tako je nastao I bend Bustri s kojim smo okolo haračili. Tu je bilo još nešto kraćih stripova za druge izdavače, a nešto sam I solo napravio. Kroz tih par izdanja Bučnih stripova ideja je bila da surađujemo I s drugim muzičarima, koji su nam također snimali soundtrackove za određene djelove. Maja je bila sjajna scenaristica I bio je to izrazito lijep I entuzijastičan period koji mi je ostao kao jako bitan. A posebno sam ponosan što smo potpomogli izdavanje ploče Trobecove Krušne Peći. Nakon stripova s Majom, imao sam još suradnju sa Zoranom Žmirićem na jednom strip albumu, a od zadnjih nekoliko godina ne surađujem ni s kim već radin sam.
Uz navedene aktivnosti, čime se još bavite? Primjetio sam vodite likovne radionice i emisiju na radio stanici KLFM-a.
Neke sam moje aktivnosti već I naveo, a bilo je tu svega I svačega, znao sam organizirati I neke projekcije filmova, organizirao izložbe drugih autora, promovirao sam razne strip autore ,izdavače I festivale iz Hrvatske, a najviše iz Splita I Solina kroz Strip Kružoke u Info zoni itd…Često radim kao freelance edukator, predavač I voditelj radionica, tako da sam ostvario jako puno suradnji sa udrugama, inistitucijama I individualcima entuzijastima. Da, na KLFM-u smo Maja I ja vodili emisiju Bučni Stripovi od 2013. do 2016. godine. Emisija se bavila stripovima I glazbom gdje smo pričali o raznim autorima I scenama kao I povijesti samog medija. Bilo je to na entuzijazam I volonterstvo, a kasnije je jednostavno ponestalo vremena za rad na emisiji, a da ostane kvalitetna. Zadnjih šest mjeseci sam je vodio sam I kako mi je sve manje vremena ostajalo, a da bi mogao u tom uživati, emisija je postala lošija pa sam je odlučio ukinuti prije nego što postane katastrofa. No bio je to jako zanimljiv I pionirski koncept.
Za kraj, što Vam je sljedeći projekt, plan? Što bi ste poručili našim čitateljima?
Strip album “ E Ka!” sam taman izdao kroz Bučne Stripove. Napravio sam dvije muzičke live promocije. Valjda će ih biti još par. A u vezi ostalog, plan mi je nastaviti s kombinacijom stripa I muzike kao I slikarstva I muzike…između svega ostalog, ali u ovom smislu u kojem me pitaš…kako radim muzičko/performerska otvaranja svojih izložbi I promocija svojih stripova, idući projekt je jako sličan, ali ići ću jedan level naprijed tako da ću u to ubaciti još jedan medij, fizički I izravan. Radi se o jednom jako intimnom I dosta mračnom projektu. No otom potom. Osim toga, planiram otiskati još jedan raniji strip album koji je izlazio na portalu Info zone “Građanski odgoj”, strip više edukativog I kulturološkog karaktera, a sve filitrirano kroz prizmu osobne mi kritike. A što bi poručio vašim čitateljima? Pa s obzirom da se radi o malom gradu, poručio bi im da podržavaju kulturu I umjetnost specifičnu za Solin jer tako se grad I ljudi u njemu razvijaju I uče. Ta komunikacija I podržavanje ljudi u svojoj vlastitoj zajednici je jako bitno. Ne treba gledati druge gradove. U tom smislu poručujem I da mi je jako žao što više ne postoji Ethnoambient, jedan od najboljih svjetskih festivala etno I world muzike koji je Solin imao, a čiji sam bio redoviti posjetitelj I veliki fan. Žao mi je što institucije to nisu prepoznale kao nešto jako dragocijeno. Za sam kraj, pozdravljam tebe kao jednog vrijednog entuzijasta, kao I Solinski strip trokut : Barić-Mehić-Ercegović!
ENGLESKI PRIJEVOD
As for the beginning, can you introduce yourself and tell us something about yourself?
Well… it can be said that I am someone who tries not to become a slave to social training through art and who uses art as a tool of “opening” and learning. But here’s the rough and sketchy: I’m a painter and a broad-spectrum art educator who’s also a music enthusiast. I am an academic painter by profession, so I deal with painting, comics, graffiti, murals, illustration, etc. I have been teaching at the School of Drawing and Painting Split since 2009. I like to connect fine art with music and sounds so I often do soundtracks for my pictures and comics. I’m also an independent small comic book publisher in that sound combination.
What influenced your style as an artist? I have noticed that the foundation of your style is comics.
Hm… I wouldn’t say that comics are my foundation, but it is certainly a very important part of my creativity and expression, it all depends on what I want to express or “tell”, communicate, etc. I definitely think that comics are a specific and broad media language , quite unique and independent. This moment of sequencing and storytelling in many ways from frame to frame, from image to image, allows a lot to be expressed in artistic and narrative terms. I really like comic expressive possibilities because they are inexhaustible, so I also like to research with him, and for that reason comic albums often differ from each other. We’ll see what’s next hehe!
There is often social criticism in your works, both in your comics and on street graffiti. Please tell us more about your comics, street graffiti, and what are people’s reactions?
Yes, criticism is present, but not for its own sake, and it is often directed towards the individual, that is, from one individual to the norms of life and the community that surrounds him, ie in which he finds himself. That criticism in comics and graffiti stems from some sort of everyday thinking. As I am quite active in my city through my artistic interests, so I come across a lot of “walls”, both by institutions and by “ordinary” people. What experience tells me is that people like to be a kind of label, whether it is high positions or an alternative, and any kind of labeling kills freedom and creativity. To shorten; role acceptance is the suppression of all that is good in the individual. Comics as a medium is narrative, so it is very good to express my personal opinion through some kind of script, and graffiti has that street immediacy, everyone can see them and address everyone without prejudice and elitism. What I am especially happy to do are comic graffiti, a few shots through public space that have some story of their own. This way I can communicate more directly with random passers-by by telling a story. In fact, this critique that you often talk about is part of my intimacy, I question myself in relation to personal roles and in relation to the environment, so people can identify with it. Speaking of which, the reaction is mostly positive, and some negative, but mostly there are reactions that are affirmative because people probably do not expect something like that in public or in comics, so it seems pleasantly surprised with some more personal thoughts that address them.
What do you think is the art scene in Split and Croatia, as well as abroad? Does Split have the potential for a strong scene?
Ugh, too broad a question! It is difficult for me to give a concrete opinion about the art scene in Croatia because every city has its own thread and its own pain. Ha see, there are ok things everywhere and there are quality authors, but there are also trendy patterns everywhere, which, let’s call them artists, blindly follow in order to secure a career and acceptance. It’s the same with art curators. These are the things that destroy the core and reason of art. Certainly in Croatia, Zagreb is in the lead when it comes to the stage, because it is a metropolis, so the most money is invested in it for the maintenance of the art scene. Sometimes unjustifiably because other cities that are smaller often remain unsupported without having good artistic potential. It is difficult to talk about broad art scenes in general, because each country and city has its own specific way of acting and its own culture. Outside, a lot more is invested in art, so it is more appreciated. Generally, artists live easier outside because the people are more aware of the importance of culture and art, which cannot be said for our area. Here it is diametrically opposed. As for Split, there are strong authors and great talents here, but often they can not get some normal visibility and chance, precisely because they do not fit into nerdy trends, and the City of Split seems to persistently nurture its ignorance and decadence in the relationship to culture and art, either “high” or “alternative”. So there is definitely potential here, but these quality and unique authors get tired of constant resistance and effort without support, and as there is no scene as a strong cultural platform where it makes sense to do, often these people “breathe”, and then mostly there remain those that have stuck to the proper flow of current.
In addition to fine arts, you are involved in music, under the name Bučni Stripovi (Noisy Comics), and you have released two albums in collaboration with Maja Karačić. Tell us more about Bučni Stripovi, as well as the collaboration with Maja Karačić.
Bučni Stripovi were created in 2010 as my long-standing desire to combine my two loves, comics and music. In fact, I often thought about the synthesis of film and music for the film, which are as perfect for each other. The same thing I wanted for the comic. I was quite inspired with DIY principles as well as with independent scenes in the American underground of the eighties and nineties… so it is today in fact. Basically, I drew a seven-page comic, a personal theme, printed it in the form of a comic accordion, made a soundtrack in the form of a very noisy, but also melodic guitar wall, and recorded it. I printed that first edition of Bučni Stripovi in eighty copies, along with a CD that I pasted on the comic and shared with people, acquaintances and friends. The rest is the history haha! This started a collaboration with Maja Karačić, with whom I actually made and released four comic albums, two for Bučni Stripovi, and two were released by other publishers, and so the band Bustri was formed, with whom we spent time around. There were a few more shorter comics for other publishers, and I also did some solo. Through these few editions of Bučni Stripovi, the idea was to collaborate with other musicians, who also recorded soundtracks for certain parts. Maja was a great screenwriter and it was an extremely beautiful and enthusiastic period that remained very important to me. And I am especially proud that we supported the release of the Trobecove Krušne Peći. After the comics with Maja, I had another collaboration with Zoran Žmirić on one comic album, and since the last few years I haven’t collaborated with anyone but I’ve been working.
In addition to the listed activities, what else do you do? I noticed running art workshops and a show on KLFM’s radio station.
I have already mentioned some of my activities, and there was everything, I knew how to organize some film screenings, organized exhibitions of other authors, I promoted various comic book authors, publishers and festivals from Croatia, and mostly from Split and Solin through Strip Kružoke in the Info Zona, etc.… I often work as a freelance educator, lecturer and workshop leader, so I have achieved a lot of cooperation with associations, institutions and individual enthusiasts. Yes, at KLFM, Maja and I hosted the show Bučni Stripovi from 2013 to 2016. The show dealt with comics and music where we talked about various authors and scenes as well as the history of the medium itself. It was on enthusiasm and volunteering, and later it simply ran out of time to work on the show, while remaining quality. For the last six months, I’ve been running it alone, and as I had less and less time left, and in order to be able to enjoy it, the show got worse, so I decided to cancel it before it became a disaster. But it was a very interesting and pioneering concept.
As for the end, what is your next project, plan? What would you say to our readers?
Comic album “E Ka!” I just betrayed through Bučni Stripovi. I did two live music promotions. I guess there will be a couple more. And regarding the rest, my plan is to continue with the combination of comics and music as well as painting and music… among other things, but in this sense in which you ask me… how I do music / performance openings of my exhibitions and promotion of my comics, the next project is very similar, but I will go one level forward so I will insert another medium into it, physically and directly. It is a very intimate and quite dark project. But then. In addition, I plan to print another earlier comic album that was released on the portal of the Info Zona “Građanski Odgoj”(Civic Education), a comic of a more educational and cultural nature, all filtered through the prism of personal criticism. And what would you say to your readers? Since it is a small town, I would like to tell them to support the culture and art specific to Solin, because that is how the town and the people in it develop and learn. That communication and support of people in their own community is very important. No need to look at other cities. In that sense, I would like to say that I am very sorry that Ethnoambient no longer exists, one of the best ethno and world music festivals in the world that Solin had, and of which I was a regular visitor and a big fan. I am sorry that the institutions did not recognize this as something very valuable. For the very end, I greet you as a hard-working enthusiast, as well as the Solin comic triangle: Barić-Mehić-Ercegović
