Category: Events
DAVID WILHELM
PRESENCE, UNKNOWN: PHASE V
7.-28.4.2026.
KARAS GALLERY
On Tuesday, 7th of April David Wilhelm opens his solo exhibition entitled PRESENCE, UNKNOWN: PHASE V at 7 pm in Karas Gallery (Ulica kralja Zvonimira 58).
In her foreword Iva Jurić emphasizes:
In the work PRESENCE, UNKNOWN: PHASE V, artist David Wilhelm continues to explore ritual and apotropaic practices, examining their physical and digital potential within a contemporary context through a series of iterative developments. Starting from their traditional function as protection against evil and misfortune, the artist relocates these practices into a speculative space situated between archaeology, fiction, and the digital imaginary. (…)
The installation combines video with a series of phallus-shaped amulets made of red clay. The amulets appear as pseudo-historical objects without a clearly defined provenance, simultaneously archaic and timeless. Their materiality evokes tradition—specifically archaic techniques of making and archaeological remains—while the context of the installation situates them within a speculative narrative that the artist develops in parallel in the video. Their spatial arrangement suggests that they belong to a broader, yet unfinished system of belief.
Biography:
David Wilhelm (2000) studies at the Department of Animated Film and New Media at the Academy of Fine Arts, University of Zagreb. In their artistic practice they explore the relationship between the digital and the physical, queer identity, and experimentation with sound, text, and video. Most of their time is spent playing video games or working on scaffolding at building restoration sites.
They exhibited their work in group exhibitions in Vienna, Pula, Split, Zadar and Zagreb, as well as solo exhibitions in Split and Zagreb. They participated in residencies Garden of Eden in Bale (2022), What’s Masc? in Berlin (2022) and W/ri/gh/ting Archives through Artistic Research – Co_Lab #1 in Split (2023).
The exhibition will be open during the period from 7. to 28.4.2026.
Working hours of Karas Gallery
Wednesday, Thursday, Friday 4pm – 8pm
Tuesday, Saturday 10am – 1pm
On Sundays and Mondays closed.
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http://karasarthub.eu
Organizer: HDLU
With the support of: Ministry of Culture and Media of the Republic of Croatia, City of Zagreb
26 March 2026
Opening Adress by Anh-Linh Ngo, Vice-President of the Akademie der Künste
With the Croatian Association of Fine Artists (HDLU) among its partners, the European Alliance of Academies held an online kick-off meeting bringing together over 100 participants, marking the start of the four-year project The Art of Resilience and Resistance: Empowering artists and cultural professionals tackling new challenges in Europe.
The project is supported by a large-scale grant under the Creative Europe programme of the European Union and will run from 2026 to 2029.
The meeting marked the official beginning of the project. The partner consortium introduced their perspectives and outlined their visions for the upcoming four years. Under the 2026 annual theme “Transformation of Cultural Policies”, the consortium presented the conceptual framework for the first project year and introduced the planned activities within the different work packages.
In a meaningful opening address, Anh-Linh Ngo, Vice-President of the Akademie der Künste, Berlin, stated: “Artistic freedom is inseparable from democratic freedom.” (Full speech here)
Catherine Magnant, Head of Unit, Directorate General for Education, Youth, Sport, and Culture (European Commission) earned a big round of digital applause when she said: “We cannot speak of resilience without speaking of financially funding the cultural sector.”
Re:Create Europe is not only a support programme, but a clear institutional response to the growing pressures on artistic freedom and cultural autonomy across Europe. Artists and cultural professionals are increasingly working under conditions shaped by war and aggression, political instrumentalisation, economic precarity, ecological collapse, and shrinking civic space. In this context, resilience cannot be understood as adaptation alone, but as a cultural, ethical, and civic responsibility.
Through a combination of mobility programmes, blended learning formats, onsite residencies, digital mapping, and international conferences, Re:Create Europe aims to empower artists and cultural professionals across disciplines and regions. The project strengthens transnational solidarity, supports artistic practice under conditions of crisis, and fosters exchange between institutions, practitioners, and policy-oriented cultural actors.
Programme link: here
Photo: Juraj Blasko
Within the project:
Partners:
Co-funded by:
Co-funded by the European Union – CREA-CULT-2025-COOP. The views and opinions expressed are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official position 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: 101255481]
24 March 2026
Following two highly successful previous editions, the Croatian Association of Fine Artists (HDLU), in collaboration with Karas Gallery, continues the KARAS+KVART program in 2026 as part of the CreART 3.0 project. The program is focused on the development and exploration of art in public space, as well as on fostering an active relationship between art and the local community.
KARAS+KVART was initiated with the aim of redefining the cultural identity of the neighbourhood surrounding Karas Gallery through a collaborative and co-creative model that brings together one local and one international artist. During their joint residency and research of the neighbourhood, the artists develop a work that is ultimately realized in the public space.
In previous editions of the program, artists such as Danyil Merkulov and Petar Vranjković, along with Luana Lojić and Karl Iaro from earlier iterations, explored the relationship between space, community, and contemporary social issues through diverse artistic approaches, emphasizing the importance of long-term and research-based work in public space.
The 2026 edition features Vana Gaćina (HR) and Alyona Futsur (SK).
The project FluctuHood is based on the exploration of sustainable biorefineries within an urban context, viewing the neighbourhood around Karas Gallery as a micro-ecological system. The research focuses on overlooked material flows such as bio-waste, ambient heat, solar energy, water, and sound, which can be transformed into usable forms of energy. Through the mapping of micro-locations and the collection of biodegradable and secondary raw materials, the project develops experimental bioelectrochemical batteries that serve as the energy source for an interactive, self-sustaining installation.
The program will be carried out through a three-week on-site research period, while the final works will be presented in the public and/or gallery space of Karas Gallery in May 2026.
Vana Gaćina graduated in Painting from the Academy of Fine Arts in Zagreb in 2005, and in 2012 obtained a Master’s degree in Video Art from the Academy of Fine Arts in Ljubljana. She is currently pursuing a PhD in Visual Arts at the Academy of Fine Arts and Design in Ljubljana, focusing on the aesthetics of artificial intelligence. In her work, she develops multimedia and interactive installations that connect classical artistic forms with contemporary technologies. Her practice explores the relationship between the analog and digital, as well as the transformation of the image through movement, sound, and spatial interventions. She is a member of HDLU and the Croatian Freelance Artists’ Association, and has exhibited widely in Croatia and internationally.
Alyona Futsur is a video and digital artist, performer, and author working at the intersection of visual art, sound, and performance. She was educated in the fields of psychology, art therapy, and curatorial practices, which strongly shape her interdisciplinary approach. Her work explores the relationship between perception, emotion, and social issues, often using sound, video, and immersive formats to create deeper audience engagement. She is particularly interested in environmental questions, human consciousness, and the ways in which art can mediate between personal experience and collective responsibility. She has participated in numerous exhibitions, festivals, and artist residencies across Europe and beyond, and continuously develops projects that incorporate experimental and participatory methods.
Within the project:
Partners:
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.
23 March 2026
DORIAN PACAK
“CTRL + clay”
POGON JEDINSTVO – SMALL HALL
1.4. – 16.4. 2026.
Dorian Pacak‘s solo exhibition “CTRL + clay” opens at Pogon Jedinstvo as part of the “Meštrović Pavilion in Visit” program.
We invite you to the opening on April 1st at 8 pm, and you can visit the exhibition until April 16th, 2026 at Trnjanska struga 34 (Zagreb)
Dorian will present himself with a series of sculptures in the medium of ceramics, through which he thematizes characters from popular culture from his own perspective – such as dinosaurs, kaiju monsters, Cuphead and Mike Tyson. The works depict digital heroes and antiheroes in a static, materialized form, devoid of movement and the narrative that otherwise defines them.
The exhibition deals with the relationship between the digital and physical worlds, the stopping of change and the idea of the “frozen” moment, through which memory and the influence of popular culture on identity today are questioned.
Working hours of the “Jedinstvo”: Mon – Sun: 16:00 – 20:00
(except Easter 5.4.2026. and Easter Monday 6.4.2026.)
Exhibition preface – Karla Somek_ENG
Organization:
Partner:
With support of:
The city of Valladolid (Spain) opens a new call addressed to artists from ‘CreArt Network of Cities for Artistic Creation’, and will select 3 artists of younger generation from other cities who wish to work on their artistic projects for 5 weeks in Galerías VA in Valladolid, between 18th May to 21th June 2026.
WHO CAN PARTICIPATE?
Artist Residencies are offered for 3 visual artists of younger generation from different disciplines who are:
- born or currently living in any of the cities that participate in ‘CreArt. Network of Cities for Artistic Creation’: Kaunas (Lithuania), Liepaja (Lithuania), Skopje (Northern Macedonia), Aveiro (Portugal), Lublin (Poland), Venice (Italy), Rouen and Clermont-Ferrand (France), Ceske Budejovice (Czech Republic), Oulu (Finland), Regensburg (Germany).
- Members of Croatian Asociation of Fine Artists (HDLU).
- Ukrainian artists thanks to cooperation with the Lviv Art Council ‘Dialog’.
The selection criteria will seek to represent the quality and diversity of the different visual arts. It is necessary to have a degree in an artistic field at the university level (or, alternatively, prove an equivalent ability through their artistic career).
CONDITIONS OF PARTICIPATION AND GRANT
- Travel expenses to Valladolid for artists from other cities in the Network (round-trip plane ticket from their CreArt city -or from the closest one that communicates with Madrid- and train ticket between Madrid and Valladolid).
- Artist fee of 1.500 € (NET amount) in two payments: first part at the beginning of the residence and second part after the submission of the final memory.
- Production costs (if needed) up to 600 €.
Artists must have a European health card or equivalent.
ACCOMMODATION
Artists from other CreArt cities will stay in an apartment reserved by the organization close to the studios at Galerías VA.
STUDIO
The selected artists will have a working studio (25m2) in the Creation Center Galerías VA (López Gómez, 28), a former municipal market, renovated 2 years ago as an incubator for creative projects, and they will be able to work between 08:00 and 22:00. They must commit to work 8 hours during opening hours from Monday to Friday.
More info about Galerías VA:
https://creart2-eu.org/galerias-va-centro-de-creacion/
https://www.instagram.com/galeriasvalladolid/
PROGRAM OF RESIDENCE IN VALLADOLID
* Artists-in-residence will have a mentor to help them to establish in the city (information on cultural institutions, events, useful places…), for their presentation to the artistic community in the city and support in the development and presentation of the project.
* During the residency, an Open Studio will be organized for the local press besides an ephemeral exhibition (around 5 days-long) in Galerías VA for the general public with the final works (selected by the mentor and the organization).
* A documentary video of the residency and the presentation of the projects will be edited the week before the exhibition
* The artists commit to their daily attendance and work from Monday to Friday in the studios at Galerías VA
* By the end of the residency, the artists should submit a final memory that will include: title, description of the project, objectives and graphic dossier (minimum 10 pages).
¿ARE YOU INTERESTED? HOW TO APPLY
The online application form is available here https://creart2-eu.org/open-calls/ (artists should register first and then upload portfolio in this link)
The following attached documentation is required in a single PDF document:
• ID or passport (scanned copy)
• A short version of the curriculum vitae (maximum A4)
• Recent documentation related to the project (maximum 5 pages and 5 images, complementary links can be included)
• A brief written project proposal (maximum A4)
Only applications with complete information will be accepted. It must be submitted by April 5th, 2026. Valladolid AiR will inform all participants by email around 10th April, and the list of selected candidates will be published on the project website.
Participation in this call implies the acceptance of these rules and the commitment on the part of the selected artists to include in their CV and in all future communications (press, digital media, social networks…) an explicit mention of both the program ‘Valladolid Artist in Residence – Galerías VA’, as well as ‘CreArt. Network of Cities for Artistic Creation’.
VALLADOLID AND CreArt
Valladolid, located in the center-north of Spain, is the capital of the autonomous community of Castilla y León. It is a welcoming city, socially cohesive and well integrated. It has a population of about 300,000 inhabitants. It is an economic engine in the region, with an important automobile industry. At the same time, Valladolid is a city full of history, and in its old town it still preserves a heritage of aristocratic houses and administrative, military and religious buildings. Residence of famous writers such as Cervantes and Zorrilla, it was one of the pioneering cities in the Spanish cultural avant-garde of the 19th and 20th centuries, with creators of important influence (such as Jorge Guillén in poetry, Delibes and Chacel in prose, Eduardo García Benito in graphic modernism, it was one of the headquarters of the Institución Libre de Enseñanza…).
Currently, the most vibrant cultural sectors in the city are the visual and performing arts, cultural heritage and the audiovisual sector. Thanks to the work of the Municipal Culture Foundation (FMC, created by the City Council in 1982) and the Department of Museums and Exhibitions, in the last 20 years Valladolid has become a reference on the national cultural scene. Since 2012, the FMC acts as coordinator of the CreArt Network, through which the city has managed to internationalize its cultural offer. Since 2019 it is also a member of UNESCO Creative Cities, in the cinema category.
https://cultura.valladolid.es/
CONTACT
CreArt Coordinator María Mozo
creart@fmcva.org
Within the project:
Partners:
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.
In March 2026, the implementation of the new European project Re:Create Europe began.
The project coordinator is Akademie der Künste (Germany), and it is implemented in partnership with organizations from several European countries: Arts Council Malta (Malta), Vysoká škola výtvarných umení v Bratislave (Slovakia), Asociația Română de Artă Contemporană (Romania), Círculo de Bellas Artes (Spain), Croatian Association of Fine Artists – HDLU (Croatia), National Academy of Arts of Ukraine (Ukraine), Natsionalna hudozhestvena akademia (Bulgaria), Szépirok Társasága Egyesülete (Hungary), and Stowarzyszenie Willa Decjusza (Poland).
The project strengthens transnational solidarity, supports artistic practice in times of crisis, and fosters exchange between institutions, practitioners, and cultural actors focused on public policy. Through a combination of mobility programmes, hybrid educational formats, in-person residencies, digital mapping, and international conferences, Re:Create Europe aims to empower artists and cultural professionals from various disciplines and regions.
The total value of the project amounts to EUR 1,456,291.40, while the value of the activities implemented by HDLU amounts to EUR 184,157.70, of which EUR 110,494.62 is co-financed by the European Union.
By participating in this international partnership, HDLU continues to actively contribute to the development of European cultural cooperation, artist mobility, and the strengthening of capacities within the cultural sector in Croatia and across Europe.
We invite you to join us for the Project Kick-off Meeting:
DATE: Wednesday, 25 March 2026
TIME: 2pm – 4pm (CET)
REGISTRATION: registration link
During the meeting, partner institutions will briefly present their perspectives and outline their visions for the upcoming four-year period.
We will also present the annual theme for 2026, “Transformation of Cultural Policies”, as well as the first project activities.
We warmly encourage you to join us and take part in shaping this new phase of collaboration. Please feel free to forward the invitation to interested audiences.
We look forward to your participation on 25 March.
Within the project:
Partners:
Co-funded by:
Co-funded by the European Union – CREA-CULT-2025-COOP. The views and opinions expressed are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official position 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: 101255481]
02 March 2026
Project Description
This residency in České Budějovice is a collaboration between the festival Umění ve městě (Art in the City) 2026 and the European Capital of Culture České Budějovice 2028.
Umění ve městě is a well-established festival of contemporary art in public space. In 2026, it takes place for the 19th time, bringing artworks into streets, parks, landscapes and other everyday places.
“Fragility” is this year’s theme of Umění ve městě.
We live in a time of pressure, acceleration and polarisation. Things that need care – ecosystems, social bonds, trust, relationships – are becoming unstable or invisible. Fragility often appears quietly, before we notice what is being lost.
But fragility is not only about weakness. It can also be about sensitivity, attention and value – about what cannot be replaced and therefore asks for care.
We are interested in works that ask questions like:
- How can art make fragile or invisible bonds tangible?
- How can a work speak to someone just passing by – and also to people who stay longer?
- What happens when a work really responds to a place: a street, a park, a river, an edge of the city?
You don’t need to answer all of this. These are starting points, not rules.
Umění ve městě: https://www.umenivemeste.cz
European Capital of Culture České Budějovice 2028: https://www.budejovice2028.eu
Who Are We Looking For?
We are seeking an artist of younger generation, a collective or an interdisciplinary team from one of the cities of the CreArt 3.0 network: Kaunas (Lithuania), Liepaja (Latvia), Skopje (Northern Macedonia), Aveiro (Portugal), Valladolid (Spain), Venice (Italy), Clermont-Ferrand and Rouen (France), České Budějovice (Czech Republic), Oulu (Finland), Regensburg (Germany), members of HDLU (Croatian Association of Fine Artists), Ukrainian artists through collaboration with Dialog from Lviv.
We are looking for an artist who:
- work from lived experience of disability, or engage with disability through artistic practice as allies or from support environments;
- have a visual or spatial artistic practice connected to public space, site-specific work, or urban context;
- are interested in working with the theme Fragility – understood as care, sensitivity, balance or vulnerability in social, bodily, environmental or material contexts;
- are open to developing a new work or bringing an existing work into dialogue with the public space of České Budějovice;
- are interested in exploring ways of engaging audiences – through interpretation, shared experience, mediation or other approaches shaped by their practice;
- are available for a residency of up to three weeks in České Budějovice in 2026 (preferably between mid-May and the beginning of June).
Expected artistic outcome
Possible formats include:
1. Creating a new work during the residency
- developing a new spatial or site-specific work in response to the theme Fragility and the public space of České Budějovice;
- working with forms such as sculpture, installation, mural, street art or other spatial interventions;
- shaping the final form of presentation together with the organizers, depending on the character of the work.
2. Bringing an existing work and developing an accompanying element
- presenting an existing artwork as part of the Umění ve městě festival;
- creating an accompanying action or programme during the residency that engages audiences and offers ways of experiencing, interpreting or sharing the work in its specific context;
- developing this accompanying element in dialogue with the organizers during the residency.
Works installed in public space may remain on view 24/7 throughout the festival period (June–September). Projects intended for long-term outdoor installation should therefore be materially resistant to weather conditions and physical contact with the public. The final location will be selected together with the organizers according to the character of the work.
Both approaches are considered equally in the selection process.
What We Offer
This residency is organized through a collaboration between Umění ve městě and the European Capital of Culture České Budějovice 2028. During your stay, you will work in dialogue with the festival context and the public space of České Budějovice, with organizational and production support from both partners. A local buddy will help with orientation and practical matters during the residency.
Practical support includes:
- artist fee: up to 2,000 EUR (artists are expected to cover meals during the residency from this amount)
- production and realization budget: agreed individually depending on the residency format (new work or existing work).
For newly created works, material and production costs are typically around 2,000 EUR.
For projects involving an existing artwork, support may include transportation related to bringing the work to České Budějovice, as well as the development of an accompanying element during the residency. - accommodation
- travel costs
- workspace arranged according to your practice, including:
- studios in the cultural centre Rabštejnská,
- a larger production space at Výměník Studio (Máj)
- technical, production and organizational support
- installation support
- local buddy during the stay
- promotion as part of the Umění ve městě festival
Accessibility-related support and adjustments are addressed individually as part of the residency planning and are not limited to a single budget line.
Collectives and teams are very welcome. Just note that the listed budgets apply to the project as a whole, not per person.
Schedule & Selection Process
- Application period: 17 February – 10 April 2026.
- Selection by: 30 April 2026
- Residency duration: The exact duration (up to 3 weeks) and working schedule will be agreed individually with the selected artist or team. The residency is ideally planned for May–June 2026, leading up to the opening of Umění ve městě 2026 on 4 June 2026.
The selection will be carried out by a committee of curators and artists representing the Umění ve městě Festival, the European Capital of Culture České Budějovice 2028 team, and the Accessibility Alliance.
Shortlisted applicants will be invited to a short online conversation as part of the selection process (mid–late April 2026).
After selection, residency logistics (including travel, accommodation and timeline) will be discussed and confirmed together with the selected artist or team.
How to Apply
Applications must be submitted via the CreArt platform:
https://creart2-eu.org/open-calls/
Your application should include:
- a short bio or CV
- examples of previous work (portfolio, links, or other documentation)
- a description of your proposal (up to approx. 2,000 characters), including:
- your artistic idea for the residency,
- the materials or media you plan to work with,
- how your project relates to the theme Fragility and the public space context
- visual materials, if relevant (sketches, visualisations, photographs, references)
- technical and budget needs
- accessibility or support requirements related to the residency
You can apply:
- in writing,
- in audio or video (including International Sign),
- or in another format by prior agreement.
If you need support with preparing or submitting your application, please get in touch. We’re happy to help.
Accessibility and support
Accessibility is not a checklist. It’s a conversation.
If relevant, please share any access needs or support requirements connected to:
- your working process,
- workspace or environment,
- communication,
- accommodation,
- presentation of the work.
This information helps us create appropriate conditions for the residency and does not influence how applications are evaluated.
Contact
If you have any questions about the residency, the application, or accessibility, feel free to get in touch.
You’re welcome to contact us in the way that works best for you: by email, voice message, video message (including International Sign), or another format.
Project manager: Tereza Milota Mitošinková
e-mail: tereza.milota.mitosinkova@budejovice2028.cz
Within the project:
Partners:
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.
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