Karel Čapek’s The Mailman’s Tale, picture book pages 8-9, Croatian edition, 2024. Oil on panel and digital medium. Courtesy of the artist.
Celebrating Tomislav Torjanac and Glimpsing August in Pula
BRUSSELS / PULA – As July has come to a close, our month-long focus on Tomislav Torjanac’s narrative-driven universe reaches its conclusion. Throughout these past weeks, his evocative imagery and profound reflection on the universality of the personal have enriched the Pluartis platform, offering our audience a masterclass in how visual storytelling expands the literary imagination. To round out our celebration of his work, we share a glimpse into what lies on the immediate horizon for Torjanac – both within his studio and across his multifaceted creative pursuits:
In the intervals between commissioned work, Tomislav Torjanac has for many years been devoting himself to an ambitious personal project that brings together text and illustrations, and which he hopes will finally see the light of day before long. In the meantime, he is at work on a new picture book inspired by an old German fairy tale, a few book covers, some interior illustrations, and a variety of other commissions. There is every chance that each of these projects will be realised in an entirely different artistic style.
Although Torjanac’s interests and creative pursuits encompass literature, music, theatre, voice acting, retro computing, and much else besides – including the coining of the term antuntunizam (antontonism), a playful philosophy celebrating authenticity, non-violence, and cheerful independence, inspired by Grigor Vitez’s poem, which he himself illustrated – he has never wavered from the belief that he is, quite simply, an illustrator.
We extend our sincere gratitude to Tomislav Torjanac for an extraordinary residency, and we look forward to witnessing his upcoming literary and visual projects take shape.
Tomorrow morning, on 1 August, the creative journey at Pluartis seamlessly moves forward as we unveil our Artist of the Month for August. While we are keeping her name secret until sunrise, we can offer a subtle preview: our next featured artist originates from Pula – the very coastal town where we will gather later this August for the annual Pluartis Philosophy Symposium. For those in our community who are captivated by the magic of the stage, dramatic atmosphere, and the immersive spatial worlds of theatre and opera, her artistic vision will resonate deeply.
Check back tomorrow morning to discover our August visual storyteller.