Commemoration of Anti-Fascist Struggle Day

On June 21st, to announce the 14th Festival of Miroslav Krleža, my poster and billboard designs were displayed throughout Zagreb, Croatia.

 

Miroslav Krleža (1893-1981) was a Croatian writer who is widely considered to be the greatest Croatian writer of the 20th century. I created his portrait with his very characteristic hat, and because one of his most famous novels is titled Zastave (The Flags), I made his profile out of all incarnations of Croatian flags during his lifetime. 

 

The appearance of posters and billboards coincided with Anti-Fascist Struggle Day (Croatian: Dan antifašističke borbe), which is a public holiday in Croatia. It is observed on June 22nd to commemorate the formation of the First Sisak Partisan Detachment, a Communist-led guerrilla unit during World War II in Yugoslavia on June 22nd, 1941, and in general the uprising of the anti-fascist Croatian wing of the Yugoslav Partisans against the forces of Nazi Germany, Fascist Italy and their puppet state―Independent State of Croatia.

 

Unfortunately, to "commemorate" that day, someone vandalized one of the billboards—ripping it, scratching off Krleža's name and the red stars, and carving a swastika next to one of them. Thanks to the swift response of the organizers from Teatar poezije Zagreb, the billboard was replaced the following day.

 

A similar incident with the billboard occurred during last year's festival, though without the swastika.