HUGS&KISSES

Parents of autistic children often discover that there are no support mechanisms for integration in society. Zoran Cardula, artist, graphic designer and father of Erato, 11 years old child growing up with autism, decided to raise awareness about this topic in North Macedonia in a creative way – by publishing a graphic novel depicting his daughter’s world.

The book is called Guš i Bac, which are Erato-styled abbreviations of the words gušne(hug) and baci (kiss).

To make sure the words are well understood, the dad translated Erato’s vocabulary into 19 languages. Thirty-three talented local artists joined the effort too – by creating thought-provoking illustrations for each of the 47 words.

My invaluable experience of participation in this project is an ilustration of the word Ito which means Neptun.