From my feedback it was clear I needed to make a trip to the library and see what information I could find regarding the artistic history of Serbia, and also the countries general history to help find the focus of my publication. I was looking for specific events/movements which would influence the art/artists mindsets within the country and thus have an impact on the Graphic Design, as undeveloped as it might be.
From this initial research it did become very clear to me that there isn't actually much of a Graphic Design related history to Serbia (even now), now-a-days studios are more frequent in the big cities like Belgrade and Nis but it is proving to be an industry still in its developing stages as they are making the shift towards a more Westernised world.
Is this my gap in the market for my publication?
The first book I found useful took a broader look on art across the whole of Eastern Europe. - Contemporary art in Eastern Europe. / Adler, Phoebe & McCorquodale, Duncan (2010)
One of the opening chapters to the book discussed how the Communism from the past unite all of these culturally diverse Eastern European countries from the outer world - "The notion of Eastern Europe is a legacy of the Cold War", but now people feel like it should be forgotten and erased. So they can return to their individual cultural identities which were so "violently suppressed by the Communist rule".
This 'interruption' is proof of how the cultures and mindsets were affected by Communism, thus impacting the development of the artistic world aswell.
The chapters goes onto then stating how Eastern European countries are now starting to show development and are beginning to look at the Western world as an example of how to live and grow..
"Western culture is so vital, so stable, its roots are so deep and so alive, it is so productive that it, speaking in the language of the parable above, absorbs, recasts and dissolves in itself all destructive actions by its own 'children', and as many believe, it sees in these actions its very own development."
This helps create contextual ideas and support for my publication, highlighting how my pictures reflect an early stage of development in the graphic design sector in 2016, with only some substantial sophisticated design styles found within shop signage in the city centre.
I wanted to delve sightly deeper into other possible historical events which took an impact on the artistic community and its development. I found a book
('East art map: contemporary art and Eastern Europe. / IRWIN (ed.) (2006)') which plots all significant art events through the late 1800s to the 2000s.
I found out how the famous Armoury show established in New York came to Belgrade & Ljubljana in 1986, making it the only socialist capital to host a MoMA show during the Cold War. This opened the door even further to the concept of how the Western World lives differently also reflecting the different styles of art which influenced Serbian artists.
The book also states how music did have some influence through the developing underground club scene..
"But what made the art scene in Belgrade dynamic, and not just trendy, was the collapse of boundaries between high art and the emerging popular culture, as represented by 'new wave' rock music and underground clubs ... Events in the underground music culture were fuelled by artistic potential."
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From my research I have managed to narrow down the meaning and context to my publication, providing historical support to the direction I can take with my Type in Context: A-Z pictures.
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