The Newberry's current exhibition, Making an Impression: Immigrant Printing in Chicago, includes two works by artist Vida Sačić. Growing up in Croatia, a country that experienced war in the 1990s, Vida was impacted by images of conflict from that time and, more recently, from Ukraine.
“Home/Body/Land” is a series of letterpress prints using wood type, and “Ms. Olga” is a type specimen that pays homage to Olga Höcker, an overlooked Croatian (then Yugoslavian) lettering artist. We caught up with Vida recently for a Q&A.
NL: What does “Immigrant Printing in Chicago” mean to you?
VS: I think it’s so important that there’s this narrative of how immigrant communities functioned in the city, in print. And also there’s the importance of connecting it with today – and how [communities] are working in it today – that's part of what’s important to me.
The conversation started with [curator] Jill [Gage] and the [Newberry] collection and pieces by Curt Teich and that history. It was really surprising in a positive way, what’s available, what’s documented at the Newberry, what’s preserved, and what you can do today. As an artist, I’m really interested by archives, inspired by them, and sometimes mystified by them. Seeing these archival materials was inspiring and makes me think about a next project.
As an immigrant, it’s a tricky decision to be an artist. It's difficult because you don’t necessarily have a way of making money that is obvious. Or an infrastructure to be supported. I ended up doing commercial artwork, working as a designer. I was really happy and lucky to have that, because I could work with art but be part of a bigger world that would have me. It was an economic decision but also an emotional decision. That was what led me to get into typography and printing, which has led me to have this artistic interest in the end. How do you pursue your dreams? You have to be pragmatic. That’s no knock on design, or a bad thing. I wouldn’t say that people who do typography or printing are just trying to make money. I think of them as working-class artists, and there’s not a hierarchy of value there. It really folds into the story of printers. That’s my natural community. Being able to practice art is so much about networks and social capital. Immigrants arrive without much social or political capital. The same is true for working class folks.
NL: What brought you to Chicago?
VS: What brought me was my job. I was hired to teach here at Northeastern Illinois University in 2010. I’ve been in Chicago for about fourteen years now. I had been in the U.S. for a number of years. I had moved here as an exchange student when I was 17. I arrived to Indiana and have been in either Indiana or Illinois ever since then.
NL: Were you already into art as a teen?
VS: I was interested in art from a really young age. I grew up in a family of artists. That made it a little bit more challenging for me. I went through a long period of soul-searching as to whether to be in the arts. It is definitely something I wanted, but I felt like I had to earn it or something. That’s my path. When I came to the U.S., I decided to go to college and study psychology. But once I was in college, I took an art class and the rest is history.
NL: How has being an immigrant influenced your work?
VS: I find myself going back to themes that are connected to growing up in Croatia and being a dual citizen, and someone who goes back and forth between where I was raised and where I live. It’s an interesting connection that I’m exploring more and more in my work. A lot of immigrants maintain connections with people who are somewhere else. Every other day I call my mom in the morning. It’s in my consciousness. Both places are in my consciousness, even if I’m here most of my life. That place is still nearby, it’s a part of me to be connected to another place intimately. I’m collaborating more with folks in Croatia, and I had my first solo show in Croatia. It was a big deal for me, something I’m really proud of. I worked with renowned artists who practice in Croatia, and a lot of folks who moved out of the country. I’m working on a project currently that’s an artist book that is going to be published by an art center in Dubrovnik, Croatia. It’s a book that contains contributions from immigrants from Croatia and neighboring countries. The contributions are answers to the questions of, ‘Do you intend to return? and/or what connotation does that question evoke for you/in you?' The implications of the question are manifold depending on who asks them. I’m using the artist book to connect with others like me.
I think it’s important to make work that’s true to you, to speak about this and find my own way to tell this story. It can be challenging. My story continues to unfold, and I continue to learn how to tell it.
Making an Impression is on view in the Newberry’s Hanson Gallery through March 29, 2025. Vida will be joined by artist Amira Hegazy for a free Public Program at the Newberry, “Producing Culture with Printmaking” on February 6 at 6pm.