"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.

 

&TD Exhibition Video

I am pleased to share with you this video about an exhibition that I am apart of: "Design TV / Design for Teatar &TD 1964-1983: Arsovski, Bućan, Borčić, Ilić."

In this video from Dizajn TV, Marko Golub takes us through the story of graphic design for Teatar &TD and the synergy of an innovative theater and the exceptional design approaches of Mihajlo Arsovski, Boris Bućan, Željko Borčić and myself, who, one after the other, over 19 intense years, questioned what design means in the context of theater, but also what visual communications are and where their boundaries lie.

'The exhibition provides an overview of one of the most exciting creative series in the history of Croatian graphic design, the dynamic continuity of graphic design for the Chamber Stage and the &TD Theatre, which were created, one after the other, by Mihajlo Arsovski, Boris Bućan, Željko Borčić and I from the mid-1960s to the mid-1980s.’ – Marko Golub and Dejan Kršić, Exhibition Curators

TD Theatre is a theatre in Zagreb, Croatia. It is regarded as one of the most important experimental Croatian theatres of the 20th century.

"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. 

 

 

Opening of &TD Theatre Poster Exhibition

I am pleased to let you know that on Friday, October 24th, at 7 pm, the HDD - Hrvatsko dizajnersko društvo / Croatian Designers Association Gallery opened the exhibition "DESIGN FOR THE &TD THEATRE 1964 – 1983: MIHAJLO ARSOVSKI, BORIS BUĆAN, ŽELJKO BORČIĆ & MIRKO ILIĆ". 9 of my &TD posters are included in the show. I am pleased that at this exhibition I am “hanging” with my idols Mihajlo Arsovski and Boris Bućan.

The curators of the exhibition, based on private collections and the collection of the Museum of Arts and Crafts, are Marko Golub and Dejan Krsic. 

'The exhibition provides an overview of one of the most exciting creative series in the history of Croatian graphic design, the dynamic continuity of graphic design for the Chamber Stage and the &TD Theatre, which were created, one after the other, by Mihajlo Arsovski, Boris Bućan, Željko Borčić and I from the mid-1960s to the mid-1980s.' – Marko Golub and Dejan Kršić

&TD Theatre is a theatre in Zagreb, Croatia. It is regarded as one of the most important experimental Croatian theatres of the 20th century.

Photos by Buga Cvetanović.

 

&TD Theatre Poster Exhibition

I am pleased to let you know that on Friday, October 24th at 7 pm, the HDD Gallery will open the exhibition DESIGN FOR THE &TD THEATRE 1964 – 1983: MIHAJLO ARSOVSKI, BORIS BUĆAN, ŽELJKO BORČIĆ & MIRKO ILIĆ, which provides an overview of one of the most exciting creative series in the history of Croatian graphic design, the dynamic continuity of graphic design for the Chamber Stage and the &TD Theatre, which were created, one after the other, by Mihajlo Arsovski, Boris Bućan, Željko Borčić and I from the mid-1960s to the mid-1980s.

 

The curators of the exhibition, based on private collections and the collection of the Museum of Arts and Crafts, are Marko Golub and Dejan Kršić.

 

&TD Theatre is a theatre in Zagreb, Croatia. It is regarded as one of the most important experimental Croatian theatres of the 20th century.

 

'The exhibition focuses on four authors who, one after the other, shaped the visual communication of the theatre within the Student Center within a little less than 20 years, constantly redefining what it means to make theatre posters, and along the way created some of the most important works in their careers. More than half of that period belongs, of course, to Mihajlo Arsovski, who not only shaped the most recognizable aspects of the identity of the &TD Theatre that will continue to resonate literally to this day, but in this engagement, he gradually defined his own authorial language in the sharpest terms, mostly in relation to the use of typography. His immediate successor, Boris Bućan, would find himself on the same task for an extremely short time, only about five months, but nothing he would do there was like anything else, and he would design some of his most radical posters there. And because of this radical approach, he would leave. The vacant position was then filled for two years by Željko Borčić, whose engagement at the &TD Theatre was roughly midway between his earlier conceptualist aspirations and his later institutionalization and transformation into one of the most successful designers for large companies. Directly after Borčić, the design of the same theatre was taken over by the then 22-year-old Mirko Ilić, for whom &TD was his first serious, continuous design engagement, a training ground for everything that can and should be done in a poster, and a prelude to a great international career.’ – Marko Golub and Dejan Kršić

I am pleased that at this exhibition I will be “rubbing shoulders” with my idols Mihajlo Arsovski and Boris Bućan

 

Below you can see some of my &TD Theatre posters from the exhibition.

 

 

 

"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

 

 

 

Photos from "Mirko Ilić: Poster is Drama" Exhibition

I am pleased to present to you the installation photos of my exhibition Mirko Ilić: Poster is Drama. The exhibition will open at Taylor Hall Gallery, University of Delaware, this coming Monday, September 1st, 2025, and will include 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 by Blažo Kovačević.