PROMOTION AT BOSNIAK INSTITUTE, SARAJEVO Fine art monograph ‘Salim Obralic’

Fine art monography 'Salim Obralic' is written by two prominent art historians, Prof Dr Ibrahim Krzovic and Prof Dr Aida Abadzic Hodzic, and published by the Bosniak Institute - Adil Zulfikarpasic Foundation. It is the first extensive and comprehensive study of one of the most distinctive and impressive Bosnian graphic artists Salim Obralic.

Salim Obralic (1945-2018) is one of the most prominent contemporary BiH artists whose artistic creativity marked the modern art scene in Bosnia and Herzegovina. He stamped his authentic expression on the art of Bosnia and Herzegovina of the second half of the 20th and the beginning of the 21st century. His artistic oeuvre, inspired by the visual and aesthetic phenomena of Bosnia and Herzegovina, reflects contemporary artistic tendencies.

Salim Obralic, exhibition installation at the Hanikah, Sarajevo, 2004 / Courtesy of Bosniak Institute

The scientific research and publishing project took less than three years and resulted in a representative monograph which contains: the introductory text by Prof Dr Ibrahim Krzovic; the authored texts by Prof Dr Ibrahim Krzovic and Prof Dr Aida Abadzic Hodzic; a selection of around 200 colour reproductions (paintings, graphics, drawings, sculptures); author's texts translated into English; a selection of adapted previously published reviews by ten authors - art historians; a documentary section that includes a biography; a list of exhibitions; a bibliography; awards and recognitions; and finally a catalogue section. Prof Dr Aida Abadzic Hodzic edited the publication, Asim Delilovic designed it, and Dragana Antonic and Enis Logo photographed reproductions. The painter's wife, Mrs Nermina Obralic, and permanent collaborators and employees of the Bosniak Institute also contributed to the publication.

The monograph is a continuation of the direction of the Bosniak Institute to publish, that is, to be the initiator and implementer of research and publishing projects essential for the cultural and artistic history of BiH.

Salim Obralic, Motif from Maglaj, 1978-79, oil on canvas / Photo by Dragana Antonic. Courtesy of Bosniak Institute

Salim Obralic, Landscape near Pocitelj, 1984, oil on canvas / Photo by Dragana Antonic. Courtesy of Bosniak Institute

Salim Obralic, Neretva pravi adu, 1984, oil on canvas / Photo by Dragana Antonic. Courtesy of Bosniak Institute

Salim Obralic, copper engraving print, 1999 / Photo by Dragana Antonic. Courtesy of Bosniak Institute

Salim Obralic, Savat, 1999, engraving on tinned copper / Photo by Dragana Antonic. Courtesy of Bosniak Institute

Salim Obralic, Father's tools, 1987, cooper etching and aquatinta / Photo by Dragana Antonic. Courtesy of Bosniak Institute

Salim Obralic, War map of Sarajevo, 1992 / Photo by Dragana Antonic. Courtesy of Bosniak Institute

Salim Obralic, War map of Sarajevo, 1994 / Photo by Dragana Antonic. Courtesy of Bosniak Institute

The promotion was attended by Prof Dr Sulejman Bosto and Prof Dr Dubravka Pozderac – Lejlic; authors Prof Dr Aida Abadzic Hodzic and Prof Dr Ibrahim Krzovic; Prof Dr Faris Gavrankapetanovic, Director of the Institute, and Ermin Lagumdzija, Curator of the Art Collection of the Bosniak Institute.