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.

Optically Suspicious is the first volume in the ‘tehnika’ series, which focuses on the technical aspects of radical publishing practices. The volumes in the series will discuss the ways in which radical and independent publishing practices introduce entirely new forms of printing, typography, design, distribution and content. Edited by Rab-Rab Press, Matrijaršija and Baraba, the aim of the series is to deal with the actuality of the fluid form of revolutionary printing “techniques” and to develop and connect them with contemporary publishing practices.

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.

Founded in 2014 in Belgrade, the autonomous cultural centre Matrijaršija is a collective focused on printmaking and independent publishing. With over a decade of experience in screen printing and five years in risograph printing, it promotes experimental techniques and practices, as well as alternative forms of artistic organisation.