Optically Suspicious (English edition) – Matrijaršija

Optically Suspicious is a publication by Matrijaršija on the life, work, and cultural and artistic activities of the Union of Graphic and Typographic Workers of Yugoslavia.

The book is the result of research in the Union’s archives in the Printed Material Collection of the Museum of Yugoslavia in Belgrade. Matrijaršija reconstructs the forgotten history of the leftist graphic and typographic workers by studying the Union’s posters and leaflets, which bear witness to their rich artistic and cultural programme realised between 1920 and 1941. The book offers engaging theoretical discussions on the importance of cultural and artistic (self-)organisation and the significance of solidarity among workers in the printing industry. The members of the Matrijaršija collective bring this history to life in a series of collages, visual poems, plays, and short stories.

Conceived, designed and printed by Matrijaršija, Optically Suspicious is entirely manufactured with risporint and is the expanded edition and translation of the first Serbo-Croatian version published in 2022 in collaboration with the Museum of Yugoslavia.

Co-published by Matrijaršija, Rab Rab Press and Baraba, 2025.