Category: Events
06 September 2023
WORLDS WITHIN WORLDS
Sophie Erlund, Igor Eškinja, Stephen Kent, Josep Maynou, Mark Požlep
September 14 – October 8, 2023
Prsten Gallery
Curator: Jelena Tamindžija Donnart
The international group exhibition “Worlds Within Worlds” curated by Jelena Tamindžija Donnart will open in Prsten Gallery, Croatian Association of Fine Artists on Thursday, September 14 at 7 pm.
The international exhibition “Worlds within worlds” brings together five artists Sophie Erlund (Denmark), Stephen Kent (USA), Josep Maynou (Spain), Igor Eškinja (Croatia) and Mark Požlep (Slovenia), was originally presented in February, 2023 at the Contemporary Art Center CCA Andratx in Mallorca, and then in April, 2023 at the Museum of Modern Art Dubrovnik. The exhibition was realized after a one-month artist-in-residence programme organized by the Contemporary Art Center CCA Andratx in Mallorca, founded by the famous Danish-French art collector couple Jacob and Patricia Asbæk. The organizers of the exhibition are Croatian Association of Fine Artists, CCA Andratx, Platform Nomad, Museum of Modern Art Dubrovnik, and the project is supported by the City of Zagreb, City of Dubrovnik, the Ministry of Culture and Media of the Republic of Croatia, Danish Arts Foundation (Statens Kunstfond), the Goethe Institute, Hilton Imperial Dubrovnik.
The gathered group of artists, taking a break from everyday life, questions their artistic practice during the artist-in-residence programme where they delve deeper into new and already raised questions in their work: from the question of image creation and the phenomenon of hyperproduction of the visual in today’s era in the paintings of various techniques by the author Stephen Kent; recording moments in the process of the creation of visual diaries by Josep Maynou, where the artist uses everyday objects; questioning our own perception of the space that surrounds us and in which we live in the work of Igor Eškinja; the relationship between object and man and questioning his anthropocentric view in the sculpture, drawings and sound work of Sophie Erlund; and questions of the creation of life situations in which we will bring ourselves to a new dimension of perception of reality in the video work and drawings of Mark Požlep.
The gathered group of artists were participants in the artist-in-residence programme named “Artist meets Chef” in 2017 and 2019 at the Adriatic Hotel in Rovinj, led by Vanja Žanko and Jelena Tamindžija Donnart from the Nomad Platform.
06 September 2023
GORDANA BAKIĆ
A DIFFERENT IMAGE
Bačva Gallery, Home of HDLU (Meštrović pavilion)
September 14-October 8, 2023
Opening of the exhibition A Different Image by GORDANA BAKIĆ will be on Thursday, September 14, 2023 at 7pm, at Bačva Gallery (Home of HDLU / Meštrović pavilion).
“(…) Considering the very specific, defined, and solid spatial dimensions, with a circular form in which there is a geometric centre, Gordana Bakić gives the focal point to the observer. They are in the ideal centre from which, through gentle rotation of their own body, they “unroll” the frieze applied to the spherical walls of Bačva. At the same time, there is no need for accelerated rotation: uniform, permuted details line up in sequence, without interruption, but also without dramatic accelerations. Even the “motifs” of her paintings do not reveal a sense of urgency; as soon as certain constructions begin to move, she calms them down and overcomes the mechanism of self-control. Her achromatic acrylics on canvas scrolls are filled with forms that freely combine two dominant “motifs” from her entire visual repertoire so the organic shapes of swelling, growth, and dispersed blisters harmoniously alternate with “technical,” archeomechanical details almost regularly, “controlling“ each other so that they do not dominate the whole painting. This collision creates, of course, a certain “noise”, so – considering the sound hypertrophy of Meštrović’s space – any uncontrolled movement of the observer could cause an unwanted sound cacophony. For the same reasons, the artist does not create an environment that requires physical interaction and participation of the observer in a manner dictated by ambient installation or any other form of “open” work. However, this does not suggest a passive relationship between the work and the observer but rather establishes a dynamic balance: the work does not capture the viewer, and the viewer does not usurp the appearance, position in space, status, and character of the work.
Meštrović’s Home of Fine Artists, by its main characteristics, is a synthetic expression of some of the artist’s most important artistic attitudes, an architectural demonstration of their eclectic, historicist, and monumental inclinations, but with a perfect circular form and a reduction of details, essentially a modernist work. For the central space of such a venue, Gordana Bakić deliberately creates a painting, relying on the correspondence between the highly organized eclectic space and the profiled language of her own eclectic and neo-mannerist works.
In this process, the language of her works does not submit to the trials of that space, meaning that she does not deviate from or revise her dominant discourse. The “technical” adaptation and gigantism of motifs are already established practices in her body of work: the journey from miniature diary-like visual notes from the series Pokusni radovi (EN Experimental Works) or from small drawings in the Uz prijenos (EN With Transmission) series to developed formats is not of an evolutionary nature but rather these units emerge in parallel. Viewed from a single, ideal centre, we will perceive these minimal, fragmentary records the same way as the whole that we are following in a circular sequence.”
Marijan Špoljar
ABOUT THE ARTIST:
Gordana Bakić was born on March 28, 1972 in Zagreb. She graduated from the School of Applied Art and Design in 1990. In the same year, she enrolled at the Academy of Fine Arts in Zagreb, studying Art at the Teaching Department. She graduated in the class of prof. Zlatko Keser in 2001. In 2006, she enrolled in postgraduate studies at the Academy of Fine Arts and Design in Ljubljana, majoring in Painting (mentor Prof. Bojan Gorenec), and in 2011 she received her master’s degree. Since 2012, she has been employed at the Academy of Fine Arts in Zagreb. In 2020, she was elected as an associate member of the Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts. She exhibited at more than 30 solo and 70 group exhibitions in Croatia and abroad. She lives and works in Zagreb.
Works and contact: http://www.gordanabakic.art
WORKING HOURS:
Tuesday-Sunday: 11am – 7pm
Mondays and holidays closed
The exhibition will be opened until October 8, 2023
05 September 2023
BARRY WOLFRYD
Spectacularizing the Margin: Interwoven Worlds of Barry Wolfryd
PM Gallery, Home of HDLU (Meštrović pavilion)
September 14-October 8, 2023
Opening of the exhibition Spectacularizing the Margin: Interwoven Worlds of Barry Wolfryd by BARRY WOLFRYD will be on Thursday, September 14, 2023 at 7pm, at PM Gallery (Home of HDLU / Meštrović pavilion).
“Within Barry Wolfryd’s artistic oeuvre, two constant and recurring threads are present, intertwined with the cultural constructs that have shaped him. One is linked to Wolfryd’s native country, the United States of America, and the other to Mexico and the city where he has lived and created since 1985, Mexico City. Wolfryd was born in Los Angeles and began his formal art education at Housatonic Community College in Bridgeport, Connecticut. Upon moving to Mexico in 1975, he continued his education at various esteemed higher education institutions in Mexico and the USA. During our conversation, he pointed out several times that he has been asked around the world, “How did you come to Mexico?” to which he would simply respond, “Well, in a VW bus “. This very response from Wolfryd embodies the dichotomy of his artistic poetics: the American simplicity and openness (such as living a nomadic life from the time of Jack Kerouac to the movie Nomadland)[1] and the Mexican inclination towards mystification, the supernatural, and the fateful (materialised in Mexican culture through iconic celebrations of the Day of the Dead and the works of Leonora Carrington). These two threads, American and Mexican, alternate and complement each other in Wolfryd’s artistic oeuvre, both in painting and sculpture, thus creating a unique poetics. (…)
In the Expanded Media Gallery [Galerija Proširenih medija], Barry Wolfryd presents a series of works related to his current exhibition at the Arocena Museum, Torreon, Coahuila, Mexico titled Fragility of The Absurd (2023), featuring new sculptures created in the Murano technique. According to Wolfryd’s statement, in these works, he re-examines War as a certain cliché, that is, the representation of War in the media space where it is treated as an ordinary part of everyday life, much like going grocery shopping or doing other routine activities. However, in his artistic strategy, Wolfryd takes it a step further in these works, both ironizing and simultaneously spectacularizing two traditional arts or artistic techniques. These techniques have been commodified due to the influx of tourism in Venice and Mexico, transforming them not only into kitsch but also marginalizing their cultural significance. The first technique is, of course, the Murano technique of crafting glass objects in workshops on the Venetian island of Murano (from the 13th century to the present day). The second is that of Mexican dioramas, known as Nicho art, a form of folk art found in Central and South American countries. In Nicho art, small figurines made from various materials are placed within glass boxes (miniature altars). (…)
(…) With his Fragility of The Absurd series, Barry Wolfryd employs irony and direct criticism of the current era’s superficiality and hopelessness, raising questions about the interplay of cultural layers, marginal phenomena, and liminal spaces. Simultaneously, he explores the reinterpretation of two grand cultures: the Mexican – traditional and folkloric and the American – both the invisible everyday culture and the overly visible spectacular one.”
Josip Zanki
[1] The fascination with the American road and travel is present in Kerouac’s novel On the Road published in 1957, as well as in Chloé Zao’s movie Nomadland from 2021.
ABOUT THE ARTIST:
Barry Wolfryd was born in Los Angeles, California, but he has carried out most of his artistic career in Mexico, where he has lived for more than 45 years. Wolfryd began his artistic studies in 1972 at Housatonic Community College in Bridgeport, Connecticut. At age 22, he moved to Cholula, Puebla, Mexico, where he continued his studies at the University of the Americas, and from 1975 to 1979, at the Allende Institute in San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato. In 1982, he studied at the Chicago Art Institute (student-at-large) and in 1984, at the National Institute of the Arts in San Luis Potosí, Mexico. In 1985, he settled in Mexico City, where he lives and maintains his studio.
Wolfryd’s work encompasses painting, mixed media, sculpture in ceramics, bronze and glass, object art, and graphics. He focuses on the use of iconography and popular imagery as a vehicle for criticism. Since 1985, he has held more than 40 individual exhibitions and participated in more than 120 group presentations. Among them, are exhibitions in relevant museums, institutions, and galleries in various countries.
WORKING HOURS:
Tuesday-Sunday: 11am – 7pm
Mondays and holidays closed
The exhibition will be opened until October 8, 2023
24 August 2023
Opening: Prsten Gallery (Home of HDLU), Friday, September 1, 2023 at 8pm
The ALU Perspective is a project conceived as an additional format and expansion of the Final Exhibition at the ALU Zagreb. It is held at the Academy of Fine Arts of the University of Zagreb every year in the context of celebrating the Academy Day (June 8), with the desire to reminiscence the day of the founding of the first art academy in Croatia back in 1907, but also to present the final artworks of students of all 6 departments of the Academy and, in all years of undergraduate and graduate studies.
The goal of the September edition of the project entitled ALU Perspective 2023/The best of is to present the best student works from the production of works created during the academic year 2022/2023, while raising awareness of the importance of artistic creativity and the presence of works in different forms and approaches to artistic creativity.
With regard to the relocation and renovation of ALU Zagreb, which we hope will contribute to the creation of a new format of higher art education in the Republic of Croatia, we believe that maintaining and presenting a project such as ALU Perspective creates a good accumulation of energy for strengthening artistic creativity, encouraging top production and changing society through artistic creativity.
The future development of the project and its subsequent editions will thus open up a new space for constant creative change in all generations of artists with encouragement and special promotion of the emerging generation.
The working hours of the exhibition at HDLU:
Tuesday-Sunday: 11am – 7pm
Mondays and holidays closed
The Croatian Association of Fine Artists thanks all participants for a large number of high-quality applications and participation in the Open call for exhibition programs in 2024.
The Art Council of the HDLU approved the following exhibitions for inclusion in the program proposal of the Home of HDLU – Meštrović Pavilion for 2024:
BAČVA GALLERY
DAMIR SOBOTA – LINIJE U PROSTORU (OBJEKTI I RELJEFI)
RENATA POLJAK – SPLIT
MATIJA ČOP – IN THE MEANTIME (RADNI NASLOV)
NIKOLA UKIĆ – KOLO
IVAN FIJOLIĆ – ARMY OF NO GOOD
GALLERY PM
LUKA KUŠEVIĆ, JURICA PUŠENJAK, JOSIP RONČEVIĆ – ILUZIJE ILUZIJA
MANOLO COCHO – URBAN SURFACE
PRSTEN GALLERY
IVA KORENČIĆ – A ROGUE PHI
ANA VIVODA AND MONIKA CVITKOVIĆ – VRIJEME KRPANJA
ANA RATKOVIĆ SOBOTA – KOZMIČKI VRT
ZVONIMIR BALOG – CRITICAL RETROSPECTIVE OF ZVONIMIR BALOG
MEŠTROVIĆ PAVILION
REMEMBER PICELJ – PICELJ AND FRIENDS
The Board of Directors of the HDLU approved the following exhibitions for inclusion in the program proposal of the Home of HDLU – Meštrović Pavilion for 2024:
GALLERY PM
GROUP EXHIBITION TEKST KAO OBJEKT
PRSTEN GALLERY
ARISTS FOR ARTIST RESIDENCY (AFAR)
ANNUAL EXHIBITION OF HDLU MEMBERS
MEŠTROVIĆ PAVILION
37TH YOUTH SALON
7TH BIENNIAL OF PAINTING
*As stated in the conditions of the Open call, the proposal for inclusion in the program does not imply that the exhibition will be realized. The realization of the project depends on the secured financial resources and on the availability of the Meštrović Pavilion, i.e. individual galleries, due to the long-awaited and anticipated complete renovation of the Pavilion. All selected proponents will receive a letter with more detailed information about the preparation of the exhibition.
20 June 2023
Vito Trbuljak
Free Coin
Galerija Karas
27.6-8.7.2023.
On Tuesday, 27.6.2023. Vito Trbuljak opens his solo exhibition entitled Free Coin, at 7 pm in Karas Gallery (Ulica kralja Zvonimira 58).
In his foreword, Vito Trbuljak emphasizes:
The installation occupies the first room of the gallery, inviting visitors to explore the „charms” of commerce and human interaction. Moving into the middle section of the gallery reveals a monitor displaying the first video, showing the transformations of various items into spiral vortices. In the adjacent, dimly lit room, visitors are introduced to the second video projected onto the wall, bringing the animated spiral vortices to life. These works encourage visitors to get lost in the exploration of the swirling nature of consumer culture, engaging in the boundless fusion of the "art" of items and the art of movement, while simultaneously questioning the functioning of the gallery system. By combining these two videos and incorporating the installation and the participatory involvement of the audience, the exhibition explores the symbiosis of commerce and art, emphasizing cyclical patterns and infinite vortices that shape our world driven by consumer desires.
Biography:
Vito Trbuljak (b. 1997), Zagreb.
Vito graduated from the Classical Gymnasium in Zagreb, and in 2021 he completed his graduate studies in New Media at the Department of Animation and New Media, Academy of Fine Arts in Zagreb. In his work, he focuses on art installations, video art and photography.
The exhibition will be open during the period from 27.6. to 8.7.2023.
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The Karas Art Hub platform was designed for the purpose of developing different approaches to the presentation, experience and processing of works of art displayed to the public in Zagreb’s Karas Gallery, which are presented to the public with digital content on the gallery’s web platform, including 360° shots of installations and video miniatures.
Organizer: HDLU
With the support of: Ministry of Culture and Media of the Republic of Croatia, City of Zagreb
Internationally recognized Olaf Nicolai (DE) and Dubrovnik artist Mariana Pende (HR) exhibit a collaborative space-specific installation – built especially and only for the Meštrović Pavilion in Zagreb.
The ground plan topography on the black floor of the Bačva Gallery by the German artist Olaf Nicolai and the experimental vertical objects of vivid colors by the Dubrovnik sculptor Mariana Pende evoke one of the last refuges of the local Dubrovnik population – Danče beach – a meeting place of generations and summer life outdoors. The Bačva Gallery thus becomes a “beach” – a place of escape and relaxation throughout the Zagreb summer, offering program for all ages.
For all the details about the exhibition and accompanying programs, visit the website: dancedeluxe.hdlu.hr
SUMMER WORKING HOURS PRSTEN GALLERY, BAČVA GALLERY AND PM GALLERY (Home of HDLU)
Tuesday – Sunday: 9am – 12pm / 4pm – 8pm
Mondays and holidays closed.
WORKING HOURS GALLERY KARAS
Wednesday - Friday: 3pm - 8pm h Saturday and Sunday: 10am - 1pm h Mondays, Tuesdays and holidays closedHome of HDLU
Trg žrtava fašizma 16, Zagreb, Map...
T + 385 (0) 1 46 11 818, 46 11 819 F + 385 (0) 1 45 76 831 E-mail: info@hdlu.hr
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