Aleksandar Zograf

The work of the Serbian comics artist Sasha Rakezic, who goes by the name Aleksandar Zograf, cuts right into the heart of life in former Yugoslavia. He portrays the region's emotional twisting and impossible conditions in a dark yet amusing manner. In his comic 'Dream Watcher' (a nickname given to him by Chief Piercing Eyes of the Pan-American Indian Association), Zograf describes "hypnagogic visions" - the haunting imagery that occurs in a state between sleeping and waking.

In 1999 his 'Bulletins from Serbia' appeared, containing e-mails and cartoon strips written during the NATO bombings. This impressive book has been translated into several languages.

In the US, the following titles have been published: 'Life Under Sanctions' (Fantagraphics Books, 1994), 'Psychonaut 1-2' (Fantagraphics Books, 1996), 'Psychonaut 3' (Monster Pants Comics/ Freight Films, 1999), 'Flock of Dreamers' (Kitchen Sink Press, 1997). In 2002, Zograf produced 'Jamming with Zograf', in which he collaborated with a number of comic artists, such as Jim Woodring and Robert Crumb.