Fellini project started as an idea in year 2018 when I was invited to participate in a group exhibition titled We All Could Be Heroes organized by Idea X Factory gallery in Springfield, Missouri. I consider Fellini one of my biggest heroes because I grew up with Fellini’s films, which, I am sure, unconsciously shaped seeds of my visual culture. For that exhibition I created a portrait of him made of 3D stickers of goggly eyes. Artwork received a lot of positive reactions and feedbacks from my colleagues and gallery visitors. When someone asked, what you plan to do next, I almost sad it loudly, “I plan to make an exhibition dedicated to Fellini” …but I did not. It just was a short lighting in my head and with time passing it has faded away…

With retirement from teaching in summer of 2019 I find myself with extra time to do more personal work. Somewhere in the fall I started to transform 3D artwork of Fellini in two-dimensional poster solution. Slow and meticulous work, but I have patience and plenty time…In search on internet for better image reference of Fellini’s portrait, and by chance, I find that in January 2020 it will be 100 years of Fellini’s birth. My thoughts where, how this is just perfect timing, and I’m sure that someone from design community will do project dedicated to 100 years of Fellini’s birth and I will have my contribution ready.

I searched for all planned events that celebrate Fellini and could not find any initiative that is close to my wishes. On top of that with year 2020 Corona virus start spreading over globe and all already scheduled festivities and cultural events dedicated to Fellini’s centennial celebration has been canceled and postponed for the foreseeable future. I start sharing idea about prospective Fellini posters project with my wife iwona (rypesc-kostovic) and a few friends, eduard (cehovin) and philippe (leduc). Idea went even beyond poster exhibition. I start dreaming about possible installation, performance…all those dreams get shared and results in a big support from all of them. Still, I had that moral question: “Is it appropriate to invite colleague’s designer to participate in the project dedicated to Fellini in the middle of Corona pandemic when are more urgent needs for designs that will help us to learn about and how to fight and survive this evil”? At one-point steven (heller) told me: “I think it’s important to get our minds off the pandemic from time to time”. Those words clear road of any dilemmas and iwona and me start verbalized idea for the international invitational posters action that will include not only two-dimensional formats. Our wishes where to give chance to designers who have expertise to explore a motion design too. We planned to invite and gather creatives of three generations. Some designers who are already legend in our fields, some already established and worldwide recognized creatives, and some emerging designers of younger generation. When the list was finalized, we formulate concept of project and established all submission rules. michael (frizell) helps us with editing our first draft, and in the beginning of April project Fellini 1920-2020 took off…

Designer response was beyond any expectations. Among our invitees we discovered so many Fellini fans and many e-mails that stated how this project helping them to make their isolation days more meaningful. No to many responses were polite rejections, but regardless of Corona and other challenges, out of 120 invited designers from all over the world, over 115 designers responded to our call and for now we have over 100 posters and 9 animations submitted by 98 designers. Steven wrote a short foreword, john (dengler) and carol (shoptaugh) made final editing of all texts and captions. iwona created beautiful website that featured all posters and submitted animations. Project was renamed to Posters for Fellini and website become live in July 2020.

In meantime we contacted some world known Film Festivals, poster Biennials, Rimini, birthplace of Fellini, with hope that all will use this opportunity and present this project during their events. As anyone else, they have more pressing matters to take care off. World get looked up in those Covid-19 challenges and design community celebration of creative life of Federico Fellini is pushed on side for some much healthier times…

Still, thanks to initiatives of our participants we were able to show Posters for Fellini project at:

29th Paraguay Film Festival
celeste prieto presented it in digital form.

ranko novak, initiated and selected limited number of posters that are presented on the streets of Ljubljana, Slovenia on digital displays. Thanks to kristina ravnikar project was organized by the Slovenian Cinematheque and supported by the Italian Cultural Institute in Ljubljana, and Europlakat.

In summer 2021 our dear friend giulia ruggiero wrote beautiful essay about her personal experience with Fellini and Giulietta.

pekka loiri initiated and coordinated exhibition that is planned for year 2023 at the Lahti Poster Museum in Finland.

cedomir kostovic
Springfield, Fall 2021