CREART 3.O. / KARAS+KVART
VANA GAĆINA & ALYONA FUTSUR
21.-24.5.2026.
KARAS GALLERY

We invite you to join the exhibition of Vana Gaćina and Alyona Fustur, which is the result of three weeks of intensive research and work as part of the residency program Karas+kvart, on Thursday, 21st of May at 7pm in Karas Gallery (Ulica kralja Zvonimira 58).

The exhibition brings the new works of Croatian multimedia artist Vana Gaćina “FluctuHood” and Ukrainian artist, videographer and performer Alyona Futsur “Unwanted Voices”, which are based on revealing the hidden potential of urban and natural remains of Karas’ and nearby neighborhoods.

Installation “FluctuHood” (Vana Gaćina) is a research project based on the consideration of energy availability in a contemporary urban context, viewed through the prism of interdisciplinary artistic practice. The focus of the research is the Karas Gallery neighbourhood viewed as a microecological system within which neglected material flows – such as biowaste, soil, sediments, and wastewater – can be identified and which have the potential for transformation into useful energy forms.
Locally available materials from the environment of the aforementioned city district are used for the experimental production of bioelectrochemical batteries. The energy obtained from these batteries serves as the main source for the installation and is translated into a sound structure through algorithmic processes, forming an interactive sound installation.
The sound structure is designed as an interactive system adapted to visitors, which allows them to actively participate and ‘play’ using the energy of their own environment, with each of its segments generating a recognizable sound expression.

Audiovisual project “Unwanted Voices” (Alyona Futsur) explors the hidden sounds of environmental and social pollution in Zagreb. Using hydrophone (underwater microphone) and geophone (analog sensor that converts ground vibrations into electrical signals), Alyona Futsur recorded underwater sounds of city fountains and lakes, as well as low-frequency vibrations from urban and natural locations marked by garbage and noise pollution. The project investigated whether polluted environments have a “voice” that cannot be heard without specialized equipment, and it found… they do.
Alongside the recordings, Alyona interviewed residents about these places. Their emotions and associations influenced the color palette, scene titles, and editing process, making the public co-authors of the final film. Through both technology and human testimony, the project gives voice to overlooked spaces, invisible tensions, and collective emotional landscapes of Zagreb that remain silent and overseen.

Artists’ biographies:
Vana Gaćina is a Croatian visual artist whose practice bridges painting, video, and multimedia installation. After graduating in painting from the Academy of Fine Arts in Zagreb, she continued her education in video art at the Academy of Fine Arts in Ljubljana. Her work explores the evolving relationship between contemporary art and technology, with a particular focus on how artistic expression transforms within new media environments. Through multimedia installations, Vana integrates traditional visual practices with digital tools, investigating expanded models of perception, representation, and interaction. Currently a PhD candidate in visual arts at the Academy of Fine Arts and Design in Ljubljana, her research focuses on the aesthetics of artificial intelligence. Her doctoral work critically examines the role of algorithmic systems in contemporary artistic production. Vana has exhibited in numerous solo and group exhibitions both in Croatia and internationally. She is a member of the Croatian Association of Artists (HDLU) and the Croatian Freelance Artists’ Association (HZSU).

Alyona Futsur is a multidisciplinary artist from Ukraine, based in Slovakia, working across performance, photography, video, and music.
With a foundation in psychology, transformational coaching, and somatic practices, her work explores the intersection of art and healing through raw, improvised, and emotionally charged expression. Alyona’s methodology centers on mind-free experimentation, intuition, and embodied experience—favoring imperfection, spontaneity, and unconventional aesthetics such as distorted imagery, non-linear video, experimental sound, and expressive embodiment.
Performance and film serve as key mediums for translating inner processes into shared, real-time experiences, while sound and music deepen emotional connection beyond language. This approach has been shaped by Alyona’s projects, including experimental films, live performances, and the music album Garage Renaissance, in which she embraced improvisation as a core creative force.
Drawing from personal experiences, including trauma and neurodivergence, her work challenges perception and invites reflection on identity, emotion, and societal conditioning. Her art has been exhibited and screened internationally across Europe and the Americas. In 2025, Alyona published the self-coaching memoir 365 Days of Love: How to Self-love Without Money, Mission, and Myself, which she wrote during one of the most difficult periods of her depression, further expanding her practice into writing as a tool for transformation.

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Associates: Miodrag Gladović and Ur Institu (FluctuHood project)
Thanks: Tin Dožić, Margita Grubiša, Museum of Contemporary Art Zagreb

Gallery working hours:
Friday-Sunday: 10am-6pm

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Within the project: 

Partners:

Supported 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]
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