Kumar’s Dream

The exhibition Kumar’s Dream by Vanda Čižmek shows illustrations from the book of the same title by Robert Mlinarac, which follows the life of the boy Kumar through his dreams and real life. Although defined as a children’s book, the book captures themes and reflections that we can by no means enclose in a narrow definition of the children’s world. Namely, Kumar always wakes up in a different place and so, “moving” through a dream like a nomad, he can’t find grounding and stability anywhere. Also, the dreams that Kumar travels through and that define his life raise the question of rigid categories of materiality as a possible illusion, a kind of dream that we collectively dream, because, can anyone really say what is a dream and what is reality, and what, on the other hand, is an illusion realized by some strange consensus?

The illustrations by Vanda Čižmek that complement this interesting work bring an additional dimension to this world of reality and dreams. Linearity and purity do not in any way classify this strange world in strict lines and strong rules, but on the contrary, the illustrator allows us, together with Kumar, to sail even further through pure and clear form. It is as if form transcends itself and serves as a counterbalance to a phantasmagoric, surreal, philosophical story that leans on Eastern reflections on the nature and the illusion of reality. The linearity of the illustration and the phantasmagoric nature of the situation form the exact balance in which the contrasts feed and complement each other. The subtlety of color and detail, as well as their occasional strong symbolism, seem playful, contemporary and timeless at the same time. Just as the story is not exclusively children’s, the illustrations by Vanda Čižmek will not only impress the younger population – they are playful enough to move us too, who have sailed, not into dreams, but into a much rougher and more boring world, into a dreamy environment of imagination and loosening of conditioning that we rarely question.

Josipa Bubaš

KUMAR’S DREAM – World Read Aloud Day in Knap

Centar kulture na Peščenici – Knap, Zagreb, 1 February 2019

As part of the exhibition “Kumar’s Dream” by illustrator Vanda Čižmek, a public reading of the illustrated book of the same name will be held on February the 1^st at 7 pm in the Gallery of Events of the Knap Center. For younger visitors, we will read a few more children’s books illustrated by Vanda. The story is read by actors from the Gaudeamus Theater.

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