Jugoslav Vlahovic

The Tenth Anniversary of the International Biennial of Caricature The Golden Smile 2016 is held on the 80th anniversary of the Belgrade Zoological Garden. Before it became international, The Golden Smile was, under the title The Caricature, an annual sectional exhibition of caricaturist’s members of the Association of Applied Arts Artists and Designers of Serbia (ULUPUDS). Numerous important successes of the ULUPUDS members at caricature contests all over the world, led by Zoran Jovanovic, Aleksandar Klas, Dusan Petricic, Dusan Ludvig, Stabor, Nikola Rudic from magazine „Hedgehog" and others, have given an impetus to the new generation of caricaturists to expand it to an international level. Along with a logistic support of the newly-established Association of Cartoonists of Serbia FECO, the mass participation of caricaturists from all over the world was ensured, while catalogues have become the real books, greatly surpassing the UNESCO standard of minimum 50 pages. The high level of exhibitions and catalogues has been maintained in cooperation with other institutions and sponsors even in these difficult times for culture. And, thanks to The Golden Smile the accompanying exhibitions have been a revelation for the professional and general public, first of all the exhibitions on Branislav Nu-sic from the collection of the Museum of the City of Belgrade and, for the first time, exhibition of caricatures of Nikola Tesla from the Nikola Tesla Museum in Belgrade. This year's Golden Smile is at the same time the first international exhibiti-on of animal cartoons, Animal Cartoon, on the theme of Zoological Garden. It is organized in cooperation with the Belgrade Zoological Garden that

Wolfang-Theiler-Germany

Was founded in 1936 by Vlada Ilic, an intellectual and the then Mayor, at the Kalemegdan, the medieval fortress at the mouth of the Sava river into the Danube. An interesting coincidence is that 50 years later, in 1986, Vuk Bojovie became a Director of the Zoological Garden. He was a sculptor who significantly improved and popularized the Garden and worked in it until his death in 2014. Young Srboljub Aleksie has become a new Managing Director who recognizes and supports the purpose and usefulness of such events and their holding in the Garden, in an excellent and unusual place, the Monkey House! Thus, we have a unique and original exhibition, for the first time in the world on this theme, which was the initial idea of a group of caricaturists - enthusiasts (Spiro Radulovic, Toso Borkovic, Jovo Skomac, Jugoslav Vlahovic), the founders of the web site Animal Cartoon, which will be, we are convinced, successfully held in the coming. Until the next jubi-lee! The exhibition that will be hopefully also seen by the visitors of other zoological gardens in Serbia and the world.

David Vela-Spain

Dragutin Mink Karlo

„I dedicate Sunday to ancestors. I'm going to the zoo"
Savo Martinovie

The famous Serbian aphorist has paid his tribute to Darwin in this way, but I'm not sure that man-like apes are happy about this. From the other side of bars they are watched by their ancestors, of whom they cannot be proud of. Particularly because of the bars. Nevertheless, going to the zoo is a real feast everywhere in the world. Especially for kids, who have not heard for Uncle Charles' theory on the origin of species? This is a live feast about everything we read about, we saw the pictures of, or we were told. When I visited this Belgrade "Garden of Good Hope. For the first time when I was ten years old, it was a little older than me. Only six years older. Today, it is eighty years old. It is not the most respected

Oleg-Loktyev-Ukraine

King at that time. Actually, he was the tsar of African savannahs, called „leo fells", who was lying lazily, blinking his eyes and looking, completely uninterested, at these weak creatures on the other side of the bars. What arrogance of an ordinary prisoner? - One would say. And then, an uncle with an appropriate name Vuk (wolf) has come and the Belgrade Zoological Garden has become increasingly important on the map of the world's zoological gardens. Today, it has rare, white lions, which is not a racial connotation. The exotic creatures from all over the world have settled on the Kalemegdan Fortress and presented the fauna of the planet Earth. These ambassadors of someone's other will don't serve only for entertainment, but also for the education of visitors. To see the difference between the African and Indian lions, between Bactrian camels and dromedaries, between Siberian and Bengal tigers...between the cultured visitors, who only watch and admire them, and the visitor who throw cigarette butts at these innocent creatures, and only tease more dangerous animals from a safe distance from their teeth and paws. And, who can describe the atmosphere in the zoological garden better than a caricaturist!? These masters who can draw the best out of the ran, but the worst as well. Especially when it comes to politicians. Although each animal has its own character, it does not have evil intentions. If not hungry, of course. These “wonderful creatures. Are in captivity, but they have their pride unlike some visitors and some people in general. That is why the critical spirit that caricaturists have is not directed towards the animals, but mostly to the man. The zoological gardens, these animal planets in small scale, are inspiration of these artists, who bring back the hope that we are, after all, gens una sumus - one genus in a joint home - planet Earth. The home that cries out for one boss, like it was one Lord Greystoke, called Tarzan, who protected animals that respected and loved him. Unlike many people. And, as things stand now on the Earth, we shall soon have animals only in the zoological gardens, because the species are disappearing one by one, either because of hunting or pollution, or due to climate change. Don't we see that, when we are in the zoo, the animals beg us with their silent eyes to chan-ge the world. The cartoonists from all over the world also try the same.

Emil Strnita HRVATSKA

We will show the artwork's gallery in irancartoon.com website as soon as possible 
Thanks a lot dear Master Spiro Radulovic
Best wishes for Serbian Cartoonists