"My talent was recognized by my teacher, Ranko Milanović, who was a sculptor. He started an art section, took us to his studio, and that was when I knew I wanted to follow that path. Later, Milanović prepared me for the entrance exam to the Secondary School of Arts, Sculpture Department. I remember he was very strict—I would spend up to five hours at a time in the studio without leaving—but I passed," says graphic artist Milijanko Miholjčić, who was a guest on the program Where (Not) Culture Happens on Standard Classic Radio.

Speaking in our studio, Miholjčić also said that his older brother was exceptionally talented but chose a different career path.

"He decided to study foreign trade, saying, 'Someone has to earn money.' At that time, art was not highly valued, although things changed later. After passing the entrance exam, I spent five years at the Secondary School of Arts because its program lasted one year longer than the Academy. I initially chose sculpture because of my teacher, but then I discovered painting, printmaking, material processing, and many other artistic disciplines. We were like a family at school, relying on one another. I commuted every day from Visoko to Sarajevo, spent the whole day there, and returned home in the evening. I did that for five years," Miholjčić recalls.

He says he enrolled in the Academy's Department of Graphic Arts because of its distinctive technical and technological approach, successfully passing the entrance exam in 1977.

"At that time, the Academy did not have good facilities in terms of buildings and classrooms, but we had outstanding professors. When I tell you that Mersad Berber taught me printmaking and Dževad Hozo taught drawing, you'll understand what world-renowned artists they were. Interestingly, during our first two years, we attended classes in a room divided by a curtain. We, the Graphic Arts students, were on one side, while Boro Aleksić taught design on the other. We took advantage of that arrangement and learned from both professors."

After graduating from the Academy of Fine Arts in Sarajevo, his first job awaited him in his hometown of Visoko, at the Likum '76 Gallery. Following the war and the signing of the Dayton Peace Agreement, Miholjčić moved to Bijeljina, where he became curator of the Milenko Atanacković Gallery.

"In Bijeljina, I first worked with the gallery director, Božidar Milijašević, later with my colleague Ifigenija, and then remained curator until retirement. The post-war period was filled with enthusiasm—people had had enough of war. We worked hard to bring masterpieces by great painters such as Paja Jovanović and Sava Šumanović to the people of Bijeljina. We even spent nights at the border to transport certain exhibitions. I am especially proud of the exhibition of paintings by Milenko Atanacković, after whom the gallery was named, because our city owns only four or five of his works, while all the others had to be brought in from elsewhere."

In 2009, Miholjčić came up with the idea of establishing an Art Salon in Bijeljina that would bring together not only painters but also sculptors and graphic artists.

"When the Milenko Atanacković Gallery was legally dissolved and we moved into the new gallery at the Semberija Cultural Centre, the Fine Arts Salon was renamed the Art Salon. There I brought together visual communication, architecture, design, and everything related to the visual arts. We opened several exhibition halls within one space and gave everyone an opportunity to exhibit their work."

Graphic artist Milijanko Miholjčić recently became part of the Encyclopedia of Distinguished Personalities of Republika Srpska, something he says is a great honor.

"People usually say that artists become famous only after they die, but fortunately I received this recognition during my lifetime," Miholjčić says with a smile.

To hear more about his views on art, printmaking, and why Visoko has produced so many artists, listen to the program Where (Not) Culture Happens by Aljoša Ljubojević at the link below.

https://standardclassic.ba/gdje-se-fura-nekultura

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