"Hedda Gabler" at the 2026 PRINT Awards

I’m pleased to let you know that my poster for “Hedda Gabler” for the JDP-Yugoslav Drama Theatre in Belgrade, Serbia, just received PRINT Magazine’s Second Place Award in the Poster category.

Here is where you can see more of my theater posters.

 

"MaMa" Play Poster and Illustrations Design

My poster design and illustrations for the play MaMa, at the JDP-Yugoslav Drama Theatre in Belgrade, Serbia. MaMa is a stage project based on the autobiographical book My Life, Maga Magazinović, and historical material from her life. Jelena Zablaćanski is the author and performer of the play.

Maga Magazinović is the originator of modern dance in Serbia, a pioneer of feminism who really lived it at the beginning of the 20th century. The central theme is motherhood. Through the life story of Maga Magazinović, the theatrical and life postulates that this exceptional woman set even in the time in which she lived, the play MaMa raises the question of what has actually changed in the life of a woman and mother in these hundred and more years. 

 

Hedda Gabler Selected for the International Poster Biennial in Mexico

I am pleased to let you know that my poster Hedda Gabler for the JDP-Yugoslav Drama Theater in Belgrade, Serbia was selected for the Official Selection of the 19th International Poster Biennial in Mexico.

"Your work was selected from thousands of submissions received from around the world through an evaluation process conducted by our International Selection Committee. It is an honor to include your poster as part of this edition of the Biennial.

We sincerely thank you for your participation and for the trust you have placed in this project. Thanks to the commitment and talent of designers, artists, and students from dozens of countries, this edition has reached a record number of participants, strengthening the international dialogue around poster design and enriching the graphic archive that the Biennial has built over more than three decades."

 

Graphis Poster Awards 2027

I'm proud to announce that my posters have been awarded by the prestigious Graphis Poster Awards 2027, the Platinum Award for the poster Hedda Gabler, Gold Award for the poster Richard II, Silver Award for the poster Eldorado, and Honorable Mention for the poster The People's Deputy, placing them among the most distinguished achievements in this year's poster competition. All four posters were created for JDP-Yugoslav Drama Theater in Belgrade, Serbia.

"After a rigorous review by our distinguished panel of world-renowned design leaders, your submission stood out for its clarity of concept, strength of visual language, and excellence in poster design execution. This recognition reflects the highest standards of contemporary graphic communication and affirms your place within Graphis's global community of leading designers.

As an award winner, your work will be prominently featured in the prestigious Graphis Poster Annual 2027 Digital Book and showcased across our official platforms, including the Graphis website and social media channels, helping strengthen your portfolio's international presence.” – Graphis

You can see more of my posters here.

FLUID, Prologue–Theatre Posters Show

I am pleased to inform you that on April 24th,  FLUID Design Forum was opening “Mirko Ilić: Prologue,” an exhibition at the FLUID Expo featuring my theater posters from the JDP-Yugoslav Drama Theatre. The show is located at Cetinje, FLU Cetinje, Galerija A0, and will run from, April 24th, to May 24th, 2026.

'If a theater performance represents a director’s explication of a given theme and dramatic text, then the theater poster can be seen as an interpretation of that same theme, the dramatic text, and the director’s and actors’ interpretation itself. Therefore, we have chosen a theatrical term for the title of the exhibition, which guides us into the plot and introduces us to the theme and characters. As with a prologue, through the design of these posters, Mirko Ilić acts as a storyteller, providing a unique visual introduction that prepares us for the story that follows.

 
For nine seasons, he has been designing posters for performances at the Yugoslav Drama Theatre. Each season is stylistically distinct, and each poster is a “prologue” in its own right; and yet, they all form a cohesive whole that showcases a diversity of expression, clear, consistent authorial vision, skillfully blending illustration and typography. This exhibition is an opportunity to see most of them in one place.’

 

 

American Illustration 45 Annual

 I am excited to let you know that two of my illustrations were selected to appear in the prestigious American Illustration 45 annual. From 6,387 entries, the jury selected just 432 images.

Many thanks to Mark Helfin and the American Illustration 45 jury.

One pictured above, is my poster illustration for the play Hedda Gabler by Henrik Ibsen, created for JDP-Yugoslav Drama Theater in Belgrade, Serbia.

The other pictured below, is my poster illustration for the play Eldorado by Marius von Mayenburg, also created for JDP-Yugoslav Drama Theater.

"Richard II" Poster

I am pleased to share with you my poster design for the play by William Shakespeare, "Richard II", at the JDP-Yugoslav Drama Theater in Belgrade, Serbia. The play is directed by Boris Lijesevic.

In "Richard II", anger at a king’s arbitrary rule leads to his downfall—and sets in motion a decades-long struggle for the crown. Richard II is the first of Shakespeare's four plays about the House of Lancaster.

Richard II begins as Richard’s cousin, Henry Bolingbroke, charges Thomas Mowbray with serious crimes, including the murder of the Duke of Gloucester. Bolingbroke’s father, John of Gaunt, privately blames the king for Gloucester’s death. The king banishes both men from England.

When John of Gaunt dies, Richard seizes his possessions to help finance a war in Ireland, thus dispossessing Bolingbroke. Bolingbroke returns to England, quickly gathering support. By the time Richard returns from Ireland, many of his former allies have joined Bolingbroke. Richard abdicates, yielding the crown to Bolingbroke.

Richard is held at Pomfret Castle, and Bolingbroke becomes King Henry IV. A murder plot against him is uncovered and stopped. Richard is murdered by a follower of Henry, crowning his descent from the throne.

You can see more of my theater posters here.

Lecture at the 11th International Triennial of Stage Poster

The four international judges of the 11th International Triennial of Stage Poster – Sofia 2025, Wiesław Grzegorczyk of Poland, Finn Nygaard of Denmark, Radoslava Boor of Bulgaria and Czechia, and I were invited to give a lecture to students and design professionals about our work. The lectures were held on the morning of Monday, December 15th, alongside the opening of the Triennial’s poster show. Unfortunately, Finn Nygaard, for personal reasons, wasn’t able to make it to the lectures.

The lecture is held in one of the exhibition rooms. This one was showing the work of the judges. Each judge had a wall to show their theater posters. In my case, I was represented by ten posters that I created for the JDP-Yugoslav Drama Theatre. I had the opportunity to explain the importance of using design work to promote activism and supporting causes you believe in through one’s artwork.

 

"The People's Deputy" Poster

 

 

My Cyrillic and Latin poster designs for the play by Branislav Nušić, "The People's Deputy” (The Member of Parliament) at the JDP-Yugoslav Drama Theater in Belgrade, Serbia. The play is directed by Vito Taufer.

The comedy "The People's Deputy" can be classified as a social comedy, i.e. a comedy of character, with an interweaving of situational and verbal comedy. The play takes place in a Serbian town at the end of the 19th century. The main theme is the elections for a member of parliament, manifested through political passions in society, corrupt characters, and the struggle for political influence and personal enrichment. Nušić supplements the theme of the comedy with everyday topics from the everyday life of the town and characters of different moral profiles. As in many other works, he set the action in a family environment. Nušić defines three parts in a comedy, and they can often be seen in his other comedies. The normal line of life is depicted through the everyday relationships in the family of a village merchant, a life he is content with, based on petty fraud and mischief. The departure from that line occurs when he wishes to become a member of parliament, which leads to a series of events. However, the political and love entanglements are ultimately resolved happily, and the merchant returns to his simple life.

Branislav Nušić (1864 - 1938) was a Serbian writer, comedian, journalist, founder of rhetoric in Serbia, diplomat, and photographer.

The "People's Deputy" is the first comedy by writer Branislav Nušić, which he wrote in 1883, when he was nineteen years old.

The building depicted on the poster is the House of the National Assembly (Parliament) in Belgrade. 

 

 

"Hedda Gabler" Poster Wins Bronze

I am pleased to let you know that my poster design for the play Hedda Gabler by Henrik Ibsen for the JDP-Yugoslav Drama Theatre in Belgrade, Serbia got the Bronze Award at the Biennial Uruguay Cartel International Festival.

You can read more about my Hedda Gabler posters here.

 

University of Delaware Lecture and Reception

I am pleased to let you know that this past Monday, September 29, I visited the University of Delaware to share my creative process in a lecture titled Artist Talk: “Poster is Drama.” The talk at Willard Hall was followed by a closing reception in the Taylor Hall Gallery. Students, designers, theater-goers, and the wider community were invited to experience how a single image can connect people, open conversations, and transform the way we see performance.

You can see more photos of the show here.

 

"Mirko Ilić: Poster is Drama" Exhibition

 Here are the installation photos and video I just received from my exhibition Mirko Ilić: Poster is Drama. The exhibition is at Taylor Hall Gallery, University of Delaware, and it includes 45 of my theater posters. The exhibition will be on display until November 21st, 2025.

"On Monday, September 29, Ilić will visit campus to share his creative process—from the spark of an idea to a poster that can stop you in your tracks. The Artist Talk at 5:30 PM (Willard Hall, Room 007) will be followed by a Closing Reception at 6:30 PM in Taylor Hall Gallery. Students, designers, theater-goers, and the wider community are invited to experience how a single image can connect people, open conversations, and transform the way we see performance."

Photos and video by Blažo Kovačević