Tomislav Torjanac Returns to Orahovica

BRUSSELS / VIROVITICA / ORAHOVICA – World-renowned illustrator and Pluartis featured artist Tomislav Torjanac recently returned to his birthplace of Orahovica to inaugurate a retrospective exhibition within the halls of his former high school. Marking a deeply personal homecoming, the event bridges the artist’s quiet, formative years with a globally celebrated career.

The venue itself holds a profound, almost cinematic resonance for Torjanac. Decades ago, while sitting in a physics class in this very building, he sketched what would eventually become his first published work. Confiscated by a teacher who quietly submitted the drawing to a magazine, the piece marked the unintended catalyst for his professional trajectory.

Reflecting on his expansive portfolio – which includes international award-winning illustrations for Yann Martel’s Life of Pi and James Joyce’s The Cat and the Devil – Torjanac spoke to the deeply personal philosophy guiding his craft. He noted that his beloved visual interpretation of Grigor Vitez’s classic character Antuntun operates as a quiet self-portrait. Coining the term “antuntunism,” Torjanac described it as a dedication to uncompromising individuality, noting, “I am my own person, and that is how I create.”

Surrounded by former mentors and classmates after thirty-five years, the exhibition served as both a reflection on past work and an introduction to his next chapter. Torjanac revealed he is currently writing an autobiographical book, charting the deliberate evolution of his creative life.

Editorial Note: Details of this homecoming exhibition were originally reported by local Croatian news publisher ICV (Informativni centar Virovitica).