KARAS+KVART: ART IN PUBLIC SPACE 2025
Following a highly successful edition in 2024, the Croatian Association of Fine Artists (HDLU) continues with its program KARAS + KVART as part of the EU project CreART 3.0. This innovative artist-in-residence initiative connects a local and an international artist, acknowledging the need to redefine and co-create a new cultural identity for the neighborhood surrounding Karas Gallery – HDLU’s long-standing exhibition space for contemporary art, which has operated from Kralja Zvonimira 58 since 2018, following many years at Praška 4.
In 2024, the program brought together Luana Lojić (HR) and Karl Iaro (DE), who, during a three-week residency in Zagreb, explored the broader context of Karas Gallery with a focus on the nearby Kvatrić market and the multifunctional building above it. There, on the second floor, they established an experimental platform called Transparency Agency, through which they examined the potential of public space, the coexistence of diverse building users, and the role of art in shaping a shared future.
Through a series of workshops, guided tours, performances, and exhibitions – including participation in the Reli po galerijama gallery crawl – the project became a convergence point for art, urbanism, community, and speculative spatial thinking. Karas Gallery served as both the starting point and an expanded platform for reflection and documentation of neighborhood life.
For KARAS+KVART 2025, the program will feature Petar Vranjković (HR) and Daniel Merkulov (UA), the latter selected via an international open call.
This year, the program takes a step further, spotlighting Petar Vranjković, a transmedia artist exploring narratives of personal and collective memory, and Daniel Merkulov, a music producer and multi-instrumentalist developing a unique fusion of contemporary music and artistic expression. The two will spend two weeks investigating the gallery’s neighborhood, resulting in a new public artwork or intervention, open to the public in October 2025.
Petar Vranjković (b. 1997) is a transmedia artist and researcher whose work incorporates archival materials, photography, video, print, and design. He holds a master’s degree in Animation and New Media from the Academy of Fine Arts in Zagreb. His work focuses on memory-making and narrative building through artistic means, often centering on the intimate history of individuals as a way of interpreting a community’s heritage, traditions, and cultural identity. His solo exhibitions include shows at Kamba, Zagreb (2024); the Vjenceslav Richter and Nada Kareš Richter Collection, Zagreb (2023); and Miroslav Kraljević Gallery, Zagreb (2022). His work has been featured at the 42nd Split Salon and the 36th Youth Salon in Zagreb.
Daniel Merkulov (b. 1989) is an experienced multi-instrumentalist and music producer with extensive experience in composing, producing, and arranging music for films, commercials, and international music platforms. He is the founder of the independent label Digital Downshifting, through which he has released multiple albums, and is active as a DJ and producer in various projects. He runs his own music studio where he collaborates with local musicians to develop a distinctive sound blending electronic music with classical elements. He holds a degree in Physics from the Kyiv Polytechnic Institute and completed classical guitar studies at Kyiv Music School No. 6.
Within the project:
Co-funded by:
Co-funded by the European Union – CREA-CULT-2023-COOP. The views and opinions expressed are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official views of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor the European Commission can be held responsible for them. [Project number: 101128499]
Project is co-financed by the Government Office for Cooperation with NGOs.
The views expressed in this announcement are the sole responsibility of HDLU and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the Government Office for Cooperation with NGOs.
