Zlatan Vehabović interview

This is a man who has many talents, unfortunately has only one life to use them all. Zagrebstreetzine crew decided to make up for this God's mistake, so we raised some money and bought him an artificial heart. This way he has a few more years to use up all of his talents. It is really intimidating to have a friend who is capable of so much, but the thing with Zlatan is that he never makes you feel less talented or less worthy. We all love him, despite the fact that he is black. He was interviewed by Đekica, who is to have her first big solo show at our gallery next week.

We all know that in the past before you started with painting you were known as the best gumi gumi player in Yugoslavia, so why gumi gumi?
If you must know, in 1997 the year I started painting I was on the verge of becoming professional car-wreck diver. I used to
spend my summers on the coastline thus I hooked up on the Sea.. (photo 1). There was an experimental S.W.A.T. team assembled by MUP RH intended to deep search these car wrecks at the bottom of Adriatic in search of anything suspicious inside these rusted shells. Of course the government, like in so many cases before & after, just wasn't sensitive enough for little indie projects as ours..they were only into blockbuster stuff, hence - they shut us down. I regret that even to this day. Sometimes I still feel my heart pumping blood slowly to my brain at the 67 meters below, checking that fish filled glove compartment for anything..anything at all.

Did you stop because vojih hraste came, and all the girls started to like him better than you?
Ah Vojin.. (photo 2) we go way back. I think I met him sometime around 2001. I think it was the moment in front of memorable coffee machine on the first floor dividing the hallways on academy in Ilica. Anyway there is a story to it, and I always blush as he never stops telling it, regardless the company we're in. But It's a true story and it goes like this: … so we were both in that hallway in front of coffee machine waiting for some class or something. He dropped his coffee, I jumped back to avoid hot pouring missile heading towards me - landed like a cat on my feet, and then…a moment of pause. A long silent moment, each of us staring at others eyes waiting for inevitable to happen. We stood like that for what it felt hours and I don't know was it me or him who then said: ,, So how about another cup of coffee?'' At that very moment both of us knew that from then on - we'd be friends till the end of our lives.

Why does your hair looks always so nice, is it because of head and shoulders , or ?
Why thank you. I wasn't aware of that.

Did you ever have sex with prostitute?
Only when my whoroscope tells me it's safe!

You are also known for your other passion,which is plaing flute, tell us little bit about that!
Don't ask me about the music! To this day it is possibly the greatest ache in my heart. Ever since I was two, I wandered the streets and into the Panasonic, Sony and Technics stores around my town, admiring those magnificent sound producing devices such as walkmans, iPods, and tape recorders awe-struck by shear power and beauty of music. As I grew up I was willing to sacrifice everything just to become a musician. The singer in a band, bass player, fiddler… hell, anything! But the good Lord's blessing shone upon me in the light of a different talent as you all know. In fact, for every ounce of painterly talent he gave me, he took that musical and gave it to Kimya Dawson I suppose. ( We're about the same age Kimya and I, so you see where I'm getting at..) So now you know why you should never ask me about the music!

Is it true that your idol is Ivan Rabuzin?
Well I do like Jana water logo he made few years ago.

Why him?
Because my other favorite designers Dora & Maja and Nikola & Iva weren't even doing business when that logo was being
made.

How does it feel to have birthday on the same day when Stjepan Šandrk is born?

Fudge and BN are really stupid girls, aren't they?
You've run out of interesting questions, haven't you?