MOSTAR SUMMER Exhibition 'Unpublished Cartoons by Zuko Džumhur' Presented

SARAJEVO, (Patria) - The exhibition "Unpublished Cartoons by Zuko Džumhur" by authors Benjamin Mušinović and Muhamed Krnjić was opened last night at the Mostar Cultural Center.

The exhibition showcased 30 published and 30 unpublished cartoons by Zulfikar Zuko Džumhur. In addition, 500 more published cartoons were displayed, organized into five albums.

"We have an interesting display, the exhibition 'Unpublished Cartoons by Zuko Džumhur'. Zuko has returned to Mostar in his own way. He loved this city, just as he loved other cities where he lived longer, but Mostar is not far from Konjic, the Neretva River is a connection, and I think the bohemian spirit, he had very good company, everyone knows that. Zuko Džumhur was known as a travel writer, a television personality, but I must say that he was primarily a painter. He graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts in Belgrade. He created several thousand cartoons, many were lost over time, and some were preserved. Safet Hebibović, his friend from Konjic, managed to copy some of Zuko's unpublished cartoons back in the 80s," stated Dario Terzić, editor of cultural programs at the Mostar Cultural Center.

He added that "we live in a slightly different time context, but, it seems to me, we can understand at first glance, decipher what and about what Zuko drew. Most cartoons have no text. We can draw a parallel with the time we live in because he liked to 'poke' the authorities, and these motifs can be recognized in the cartoons. Džumhur was a rebel at that time, much has changed now, but the principle is the same, and everything else is nuances," said Terzić.

The creation and realization of the exhibition itself came about thanks to Zuko's friend and collector Safet Hebibović, who donated over 500 copied and 30 unpublished cartoons to the National University in Konjic, its branch the Homeland Museum, which includes Zuko's birthplace.

"Zuko often stayed in Konjic. On one occasion, when he was visiting, at a motel in Konjic, the journalist Abaza from 'Oslobođenje' and I found him on the terrace drawing something, and he took some cartoons from our text. We asked him what was with them, and he said they were prepared for someone, but that person didn't show up on time, and they didn't arrive in time to be published in 'Politika', so they remained in the archive and God knows they will never be seen again.

Then I took those cartoons, went and copied them, returned the originals to him, and that's how the collection started later. From 'Politika', 'Ošišani jež', 'Oslobođenje', and others, I constantly cut them out and collected them.

Later, when the museum in Konjic opened, I donated over 500 cartoons to Zuko Džumhur's birthplace, which could be seen here," stated Safet Hebibović, a friend of Zuko Džumhur.

Incidentally, the exhibition "Zuko's Cartoons" is the first exhibition of cartoons created in this region after the death of Zulfikar Zuko Džumhur in 1989.

It premiered in Konjic in 2013. Last night's exhibition was organized by the Mostar Cultural Center, as part of the "Mostar Summer 2020" event.

Tonight, the event continues in the same vein, and interested parties can expect an exhibition from the archaeological collection of the Museum of Herzegovina Mostar titled "Traces of the Past" by Edin Mulović, curator of the Museum of Herzegovina Mostar.

The exhibition will be held at the Džemal Bijedić Memorial House starting at 7:30 PM.