How many times have you encountered a wall of limitations in your creative work?
How many times were you just one step away from realizing a major—or at least significant—idea, only to be held back by technical limitations?

If you work in any field where print is part of your artistic expression—or even better, if you create in areas where you’ve never explored the possibilities of modern digital printing—this contest may be the challenge you’ve been waiting for.

Where most contests are designed with limitations in mind, we invite you to do the opposite: explore both your limits and ours.
Beauty lies in the imagination of the artist, and when that imagination can be realized, then beauty lies also in the absence of limits.

To celebrate our 30th anniversary, Grafix is looking ahead—toward new artistic visions—and joining forces with creators to push the boundaries of what’s possible. We are searching for creative challenges. That’s why we’re inviting artists from across a wide range of visual and applied arts to think about how they could create in ways that go beyond known limits.

The beauty of possibility and scale will, this time, walk hand in hand with the beauty of creative ambition.

Join the world of Grafix art!

Grafix Large Format Art Contest

IN CELEBRATION OF 30 YEARS IN BUSINESS

For three decades, we’ve been printing on a wide range of materials using the latest large-format digital printing techniques. To mark this major anniversary, we want to help bring your ideas to life.

– We’ve been in digital printing for 30 years.

– Our technology includes large-format digital printers and cutters.

– Our materials include a wide spectrum of roll-based and rigid substrates.

– Our capabilities combine materials, design, printing techniques, and graphic effects.

Presenting the aesthetic of new technologies to the public is not just a call to operate machines and software—it’s an invitation to artists to show how 21st-century innovation has redefined beauty.

What was once only possible in the imagination—such as achieving a 3D or woodcut-like effect through printing—is now within reach. It’s up to us to give these possibilities their best functional and creative expression.

Brands have brought their communication with the user through commercial graphics to perfection, and in some cases to art. Many campaigns are remembered for their creative reach and the impact they had on the general public and consumers. Many brands have looked to art and artists as spokespeople for their product. For more than three decades, graphics have been an indispensable part of every campaign, launch and activation.

In countless ways, the product was promoted through this technique. With this project, we wish to put the commercial product in the background and, above all, materialize the work of art through the aesthetics of digital printing and large format. Our goal is to point out the beauty we know, next to which we live and on which we based our work.

We invite you to use our materials, technologies, and design possibilities in unexpected ways—through experimentation that creates new forms and layers. Challenge us with your vision—we love a good challenge!

Throughout the process, we’ll be fully available to collaborate with you to bring artistic works to life that truly push creative boundaries.

We’re placing the full breadth of our capabilities in service of creativity and art.

The contest is open from December 8, 2022 to January 20, 2023.

We invite all artists, as well as doctoral students of art faculties, who perform their activities in the field of fine and applied arts to apply for the competition.

If you are interested in participating in the competition, send us your artistic biography and up to two of your works to the e-mail address: grafix.jubilej@grafix.rs

On February 3, the selected candidates will join a guided tour through the Grafix printing house, where we will present to you what our possibilities are and what materials and techniques we have at our disposal.

After the guided tour, you will receive a work kit with examples and print options that will hopefully serve as inspiration for your work.

CONDITIONS OF PARTICIPATION IN THE COMPETITION OF SELECTED CANDIDATES

– The conceptual solution with a short written explanation is attached to the competition.

– Papers should be submitted in PDF format.

– Along with the visual solution of the work, it is possible to submit accompanying documentation that would help in more detail in understanding the way of implementation.

– Conceptual solutions should be sent no later than March 3, 2023

All works selected for exhibition will be produced by the Grafix printing house.

The competition is of the purchase type. Awarded works will be printed in two copies, one of which goes to the artist and one of which is kept by Grafix to form the collection.

The maximum suggested size of the realized printed work is 3×3 m.

Preparation of works selected by the commission can be realized in CorelDraw, Adobe Paket, Affinity Suite or Procreate programs.

PRIZE FUND

Grafix and the expert jury will award the following cash/buyout prizes:

I prize of 300,000 dinars

II prize 180,000 dinars

III prize 120,000 dinars

IV prize 80,000 dinars

V prize 50,000 dinars

The final results of the competition will be published no later than March 12, 2023.

The exhibition of selected works, lasting two weeks, will be held during September 2023 in an adequate gallery space.

During that period, the exhibition activity will be accompanied by a catalog, as well as an accompanying media campaign

Belgrade, December 8, 2022

Dear artists and distinguished guests, I would like to greet you and introduce today’s hosts, who will give the opening speech, familiarize you with our technologies, and at the end of the presentation, answer your questions: meet Darko, Velibor, Jadranka, Miodrag, Ljuba, and Dušan. I will introduce our collective entity, Grafix, as briefly as possible, because we have worked together, have experience, and know each other well.

Emina

Aside from the longevity that our anniversary reflects, we can describe ourselves as pioneers of digital graphics and large-format printing in Serbia. The company was founded amidst the transitional changes of 1993.
What we have experienced from that distant 1993 to 2023 is: When nothing in the surrounding environment is encouraging, dive into your work—it will keep you afloat. In our case, once we dived in, we never had the chance to resurface. Whether that was due to various social and ecological pollution, or because our world was much better, it’s hard to say.
There were, however, brief and occasional moments of resurfacing, like today.
Thirty years later, graphics remain our passion—applications and technologies may change, but the need for communication remains:

Our Thinking Behind the Project, What Did We Want? Our “Peace of Mind”

The idea of creating an exhibition has its roots in the phenomenon that is part of the process of our work. That process basically has product thinking. Which material will best convey the idea, which technology will give the best detail and connection, what kind of presentation will it be, what kind of communication with the customer will be…

That daily consideration of what, how, parts, whole, details and connections, layers, created a side effect that grew.

That side effect is experience and wealth of details gained and problems solved. Experience as the mentioned phenomenon is what we approach each subsequent work with. However, there are some very valuable solutions that are used only once and never again. Awareness of this became the root of the idea of an exhibition for which we would open the content of our records and recipes to the most creative ones and guide them through technologies to create something valuable and timeless.

First, we divided ourselves into teams, each artist was assigned a specialist for preparation, a production specialist, a coordinator, and an artistic collaborator.
We assessed the works both based on personal preferences and the technical characteristics, as well as our experience working with certain techniques.
We spent a lot of time discussing among ourselves how each of us perceived the work and preparing for meetings with the artists.

Jovanka Mladenović – Emina, Siniša, Ljuba, Darko

Vladimir Kovač – Emina, Siniša, Matrak, Milan

Jelena Jelača – Emina, Siniša, Velja, Sanja

Nikola Radosavljević – Emina, Siniša, Ljuba, Milan

Lidija Živković – Emina, Siniša, Matrak, Sanja

Leonora Vekić – Emina, Siniša, Velja, Darko

Miša Obradović – Emina, Siniša, Ljuba, Sanja

Zdravko Joksimović – Emina, Siniša, Matrak, Milan

Ivana Živić – Emina, Siniša, Velja, Sanja

Vladimir Lalić (online) – Emina, Siniša, Matrak, Darko

Anita Milić – Emina, Siniša, Ljuba, Milan

Miško Pavlović – Emina, Siniša, Velja, Sanja

Mića Stajčić – Emina, Siniša, Ljuba, Darko

Martin Erdeš – Emina, Siniša, Matrak, Milan

Dragana B Stevanović – Emina, Siniša, Matrak, Milan

Marina Marković – Emina, Siniša, Ljuba, Darko

Miško Pavlović – Emina, Siniša, Matrak, Milan

Lea Embeli – Emina, Siniša, Velja, Darko

Mira Odić – Emina, Siniša, Velja, Sanja

Eleonora’s team: Miodrag, Darko, Ana, and Emina. We had our first meeting. The work was displayed on the screen. We listened to the artist’s philosophy behind the work. The artist spoke, and we listened. Then, the roles reversed – we spoke, and the artist listened. If, after the first two steps, we recognized a mutual understanding, we would move on to the third step. Sometimes we would get stuck, or misunderstand each other. But we kept moving forward…

Vladimir’s team: Darko, Matrak, Siniša, and Emina. Vladimir had been in London for a long time, and he only came to see the prototype of the work just before the exhibition. At that point, we had to consider how many changes he had in mind and how much time we had left to implement everything he wanted.

In order to ensure that we would achieve the desired results, we created samples for all the artists’ works. These were scaled-down versions of the pieces, most often at a 1:10 ratio, but using the actual materials and printing techniques that would be used for the final works.This allowed us to thoroughly examine the characteristics of the materials, the printing parameters, and the finishing techniques. It also enabled us to collaborate closely with the artists to determine the best way to present their work in its full glory.Some of the pieces required multiple iterations before we arrived at the optimal solution.

The 20 recipes of selected works for the exhibition involved almost every technology at our disposal in the production, roll to roll, flatbed.
What lifted us all up was the complexity of the artworks. Using the maximum potential of people and technical capabilities of equipment. The process of technological review of the recipe, planning, coordination and execution were, in the first place, mental tension individually and as a team. The bigger the challenge, the more she stepped up, asked us for a higher level and brought some new experiences:
How the used materials behave in printing, combining several types of materials, challenges in joining different materials, new technologies for gluing, new technologies for printing white color and varnish on non-standard materials…

For this project, we used 32 different materials, which, although familiar, were approached and applied in entirely new ways.
For the first time, we performed double-sided, multi-layer printing on large and heavy acrylic pieces. We used a new method to print metallic materials with white ink and lacquer, laser-cut wood, printed and combined it on multiple layers, combined acrylic and transparent film with printing, and bent aluminum composite materials in multiple directions…
The experiences gained with these materials are invaluable for future projects!

Joining Parts

The more complex works had many or large parts to be joined. Joining parts is a non-digital process and therefore requires significant experience and knowledge of material properties. In addition to our colleagues from the workshop who provided lightboxes, frames, and supports, laser cutting of wood, our colleagues from printing and finishing gained new experiences in choosing adhesives, gluing, laminating materials, cutting, bending, drilling, stapling, and assembling. I believe we all advanced in new skills, precision, and the quality of the final product.

Quality Control

In commercial work, we often talk about “production quality,” which is a compromise between speed and print quality.
For this project, only the highest quality was acceptable, so quality control was a “nightmare” in production. If any anomaly was detected on the material, it was replaced. If there were printing errors, scratches, or defects, the print would be redone. Naturally, such things happen in live production, but thanks to our experience, the design and printing teams managed to keep these issues to a minimum! Finally, we are satisfied with the results.

How Many Meetings Did We Have?

83? 183? In order to get to the final work, it was necessary to go through: selection of works, defining, making samples, correcting samples, preparing for printing, printing, cutting, assembly and control!
The project is conceived as more monthly, specifically 6 months for development and production. Although there was enough time, it is still about twenty unique complex recipes.
We had meetings daily, weekly, and if necessary several times a day in various formations.
Keyword management. The project asked us to apply all the experience from the commercial organization to the project in full. We reduce the thinking of 2000 pieces to 20.
I think it is important to point out that the whole project ran in a natural rhythm without crises and that problems were solved quickly and efficiently. Of course, we will quickly forget those problems, remain richer for valuable experience and remember only successful and efficient realizations!

We began the first trial on paper. In our own space, we laid out all the works at their planned dimensions.
The gallery installation started with a test of the overall sizing—each piece needed to be considered in relation to the others.
That test confirmed that the works conceived at maximum size appeared monumental even on paper, which validated their readiness for execution in final materials.However, some works that were initially conceived as smaller “gallery format” pieces stood out during the trial and called for rethinking their scale.The second level of testing focused on color. After months of viewing the works on screens, we had to determine whether their printed, 1:1 versions held up in terms of color fidelity, sharpness, and detail?

The third level dealt with positioning—how each work related to the next. Every piece carried its own unique tone, atmosphere, and palette. Many had distinct textures, with specific reliefs and material layering. Each precious element needed to be placed thoughtfully within the space.

For some artists, the work on the work continued in the gallery after the installation.
Nicole’s work had 74 special elements. While we were thinking about transportation, it became clear that there is no sufficiently safe packaging and transport vehicle that would transport such fragile work to the location without the risk of breakage. Nikola had to apply the final layer on site in the gallery. He was one of us that day. That dedication to work made an impression on the people at Grafix.

Mića Stajčić, Simonida, Miša Pavlović, combined illuminated-illuminated, only illuminated and only illuminated. While we were thinking about the works, we did not take into account the exhibition and its important factor lighting, however, the space allowed us to freely combine lighting and lighting for each work as needed.

The Beauty of Large Format — an exhibition marking the 30th anniversary of Grafix.

The exhibition presented 20 works by contemporary artists, each having their special moment to sign their piece — the final act completing the artwork.

A shortlist of five pieces was selected as those that best reflected the spirit of the competition:

First place Jovanka Mladenović, Second place Nikola Radisavljević, Third place Lidija Živković, Fourth place Zdravko Joksimović, Fifth place Vladimir Lalić

Together with friends, collaborators, and lovers of contemporary art, we spent an unforgettable evening.

A night to remember, filled with the energy of a sparkling and radiant world brought together by art, excellence, and — above all — the desire to help shape the kind of world we want to live in.

Behind it all stood a serious and precise team, one that carried everything out with lightness and simplicity. Each person fulfilled their role with full dedication and gave the very best of themselves — earning the name “Dream Team.”

THANK YOU, in Large Format!

“At the beginning of the project, we weren’t sure whether the techniques we use in commercial graphics could generate value in artistic creation. But then we met the artists. With them, there was no doubt. Over six months, there was a process of thinking, research, and testing, and as you can see, in most cases, we managed to create something that compels you to love the work. To lose yourself in it, and most importantly, not want to part with it. With this project, Grafiks has started its endowment, a collection of modern Serbian art in large digital formats. Our mission is to empower and support artists who want to create in this format.”

Siniša Radnović

The exhibition “The Beauty of Large Format” took place at the Salon of the Museum of the City of Belgrade and was an extraordinary opportunity to showcase the artistic and technical diversity of the works. The artistic diversity captivated the audience, giving them a chance to explore different styles and techniques. The media didn’t remain indifferent to the event, with well-known television stations and newspapers, including RTS, Novosti, and Nova.rs, highlighting this exhibition as one of the significant cultural events in the city. All the visitors to the exhibition, as well as those who followed it through the media, would agree that it was a spectacular event that enriched the cultural scene of Belgrade. The exhibition “The Beauty of Large Format” attracted attention from both television and the press, and its success promises a bright future for the arts and culture in our city.