Category: Events

Andrej Drožđan – HELP, WHERE’S THE EXIT FROM THE RESTAURANT in Karas Gallery

12 June 2025

ANDREJ DROŽĐAN
HELP, WHERE’S THE EXIT FROM THE RESTAURANT
17.6.-8.7.2025.
KARAS GALLERY

On Tuesday, 17.6.2025. Andrej Drožđan opens his solo exhibition entitled Help, Where’s the Exit from the Restaurant at 7 pm in Karas Gallery (Ulica kralja Zvonimira 58).

In her foreword, Iva Jurić emphasizes:
„In the work Help, Where’s the Exit from the Restaurant, Andrej Drožđan constructs a charged atmosphere of being stuck – an installation that, through an imaginary restaurant, becomes a place of the impossibility of forgetting, letting go and escaping. The starting point of the work is the scenes evoked by contemporary pop songs, those that depict inner stagnations and moments of breakups, where emotions are trapped in space and time. Inspired by the image of a person left at a restaurant table, both literally and emotionally, Drožđan explores spaces in which emotions are not processed but persistently accumulated, displaced and revived. This is a place of stagnation, an emotional crossroads, where time stops flowing, and experiences remain served like an unfinished plate. The restaurant, typically a space for shared meals and encounters, is here transformed into a metaphorical interior of inner states, a landscape of nostalgia, loss and quiet discomfort.”

PREFACE

Biography:
Andrej Drožđan (Zagreb, 1997) is a visual artist whose practice includes installation, illustration, photography, and graphic design. His work explores the concept and aesthetics of the everyday, the influence of the digital sphere on individual perception, and the presence of pop culture in contemporary life. Over the past few years, he has participated in numerous group and solo exhibitions, as well as various creative projects. In 2022, he earned his Master’s degree in Animated Film and New Media from the Academy of Fine Arts in Zagreb. His thesis project, Konekcija memorija (Connection of Memories), was awarded the Academy Council Prize and subsequently exhibited in a solo exhibition at Šira Gallery and as part of the 37th Youth Salon.

The exhibition will be open during the period from 17.6. to 8.7.2025.
Working hours of Karas Gallery
Wednesday, Thursday, Friday 4pm – 8pm
Tuesday, Saturday 10am – 1pm
On Sundays and Mondays closed.
___
http://karasarthub.eu
Organizer: HDLU
With the support of: Ministry of Culture and Media of the Republic of Croatia, City of Zagreb

 

EU Project Healing Nature: Selected Hospitals for Mural Implementation

02 June 2025

The project “Healing Nature – Animation for Health and Well-being in Children’s Hospital Environments” continues its successful development and implementation in partner hospitals across Europe. The project aims to enrich pediatric hospital environments with interactive artistic installations, including nature-inspired murals and augmented reality (AR) animations, thereby creating a visually and emotionally soothing atmosphere for children and their families.

Croatia – Sisters of Charity University Hospital Centre, Zagreb

The Sisters of Charity Hospital (KBC Sestre milosrdnice) is one of the oldest hospitals in Southern Europe, founded in 1846 through the initiative of Cardinal Juraj Haulik, the Archbishop of Zagreb. The current campus on Vinogradska Street was developed in 1894 by German architect Kuno Waidmann. The hospital was run by nuns for many decades and has since evolved into a modern clinical centre with 17 clinics, 7 specialized institutes, and over 2,300 staff members. It also serves as an educational facility for medical, dental, and nursing schools.

Murals will be installed on three walls within the Pediatric Department of the Oncology Clinic.

Bulgaria – ISUL “Queen Joanna” University Hospital, Sofia

The University Multiprofile Hospital “Queen Joanna – ISUL” has a rich history dating back to 1927, when it was established as a hospital for insured workers. Construction began in 1934, and it was named in honor of Queen Joanna, who became its symbolic patron. Since the 1950s, ISUL has grown into a key academic and medical institution, offering specialized diagnostics, treatment, and education. It is home to the only pediatric ENT department in Western Bulgaria, where cochlear implants are also performed.

Mural locations at ISUL include: The entrance to the Pediatric Hematology and Oncology Clinic, The entrance to the Pediatric ENT Department, The entrance to the Pediatric Emergency Department, The corridor of the Emergency Unit. Three of these four locations will be used for murals and AR content, with active involvement of hospital staff and patients in assessing the project’s impact.

Portugal – Dona Estefânia Hospital, Lisbon

Founded in 1877 in honor of Queen Stephanie, Dona Estefânia Hospital was the first healthcare facility in Portugal dedicated exclusively to pediatric care. Its design was praised by Florence Nightingale as a model children’s hospital. Today, it is part of the Central Lisbon University Hospital Centre and offers a wide range of national pediatric specialties. By 2027, its services are expected to relocate to a new hospital complex, while the current building will continue to host child-focused care facilities.

Mural locations include: The ENT waiting room, the Immunoallergology waiting room, and the Pediatric Emergency waiting room

Next Steps

The project is currently in the mural preparation phase. This includes wall preparation, mural printing and installation, and the development of AR animations that will create a multi-layered, interactive, and engaging experience. All participating hospitals will conduct surveys to evaluate the impact of these interventions on children, parents, and staff, alongside public promotional activities and dissemination of results.

Through Healing Nature, we aim to bring art to the spaces where it is most needed – where children, families, and healthcare workers face some of life’s most difficult moments. Art, play, and technology become tools for healing, comfort, and connection.

Within the project:

Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.

[Project Number: 101173267]

Project is co-financed by the Government Office for Cooperation with NGOs.

Co-funded by the Government Office for Cooperation with NGOs of the Republic of Croatia. The views expressed in this release are the sole responsibility of the Croatian Association of Fine Artists and do not necessarily reflect the stance of the Government Office for Cooperation with NGOs of the Republic of Croatia.

CreArt 3.0 OPEN CALL: ARTIST IN RESIDENCE IN FONDAZIONE BEVILACQUA LA M ASA IN VENICE.

28 May 2025

The Istituzione Fondazione Bevilacqua La Masa announces a call for applications to assign two young artists a space in Venice (at Palazzo Carminati in San Stae) where they can study and work for a period of five weeks: from 8 September – 10 October 2025.

The artist residency programme is part of the European project CreArt 3.0 #stringing_together. Creart 3.0 is a project funded under the Creative Europe Programme. 13 European cities will be involved in the exchange of experiences and good practices to promote contemporary art in all its forms: visual, performing and musical.

ELIGIBILITY
To participate, applicants must:
– be between 18 and 40 years of age on the deadline date of this call
– be born, resident or domiciled in one of the cities in the project network: Kaunas (Lithuania), Liepaja (Latvia), Skopje (North Macedonia), Aveiro (Portugal), Valladolid (Spain), Lublin (Poland), Venice (Italy), Clermont-Ferrand (France), České Budějovice (Czech Republic) and Oulu (Finland), Regensburg (Germany) or be
– Artists-members of HDLU (Croatian Association of Fine Artists);
– Ukrainian artists through our collaboration with Public Organization Lviv Artistic Council «Dialogue».

Applications must be strictly individual. Submissions from artist collectives will not be accepted.

DOCUMENTS
Registration is carried out on the CreArt website to this link: https://creart2-eu.org/open-calls/

  • The following documents must be uploaded to the applications:
  • Photocopy of a valid identity document;
  • Any kind of document proving your connection with the city of the Creart 3.0 network and/or self-certification proving your domicile or residence in one of the 13 cities listed above;
  • A short CV and a portfolio of a maximum of ten pages, not exceeding 10 MB in size and digital, highlighting in particular the work carried out over the last year, accompanied by a detailed CV, texts, publications and videos. The application must be accompanied by a motivational letter explaining the project to be developed in the city in relation also to the use of the prize money.
  • The concept of the project the applicant will realise if selected for the CreArt 3.0 residency.

 

The documentation must be received no later than 12 pm on 27 June 2025.
The applications will be assessed by an internal jury of the Fondazione Bevilacqua La Masa Institution.
 

PRIZE
Each artist will receive a prize of 5000 € gross. The prize awarded for the residency is to be considered all-inclusive of any expenses incurred, including the production of a work.
The guest houses are located in Palazzo Carminati, top floor, Santa Croce 1882, not accessible to the disabled. (Download information on the guest quarters https://bit.ly/guesthousesBLM)
At the end of the residency there will be a presentation of the work produced, the costs of which are to be considered entirely included in the 5000 € gross fee.
The list of beneficiaries will be available on the Institution’s website on 31 July 2025.
The data provided will be processed in compliance with the provisions of Legislative Decree no. 196 of 30 June 2003, “Personal Data Protection Code” and subsequent decrees.
The documentation accompanying the requests will not be returned.

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.

CreArt 3.0 OPEN CALL: PARTICIPATION IN EPEHEMERA FESTIVAL IN VALLADOLID SEPTEMBER – OCTOBER 2025

27 May 2025

CALL FOR EPMERAL INTERVENTIONS UNDER EPHEMERA PHESTIVAL

EPHEMERA PHESTIVAL is the initiative of CreArt Valladolid and Cultura Valladolid to present Contemporary Art in the public space, and it will be developed this edition between 15 September – 5 October.

Ephemeral site-specifical interventions are understood to include performing arts, visual arts, or plastic arts, including theater, dance, performance, installations, video creation, music, graphic arts, muralism, as well as the intersection of any of these languages ​​within a single installation that interacts with the space or the audience.

One project will be selected and will receive a honorarium of €800 + up to €700 in production fees (including taxes). Travel expenses (up to €600) and accommodation for a maximum of 7 days will also be covered.

The final location of the selected proposals will be the decision of the organizers. The proposed project intervention must be appropriate to the spatial characteristics of each location and may not, under any circumstances, harm the buildings, facilities, or the architectural and urban context of the area. Proposals that include discriminatory attitudes toward groups will be excluded. The materials, stability, and durability must be durable at least for the duration of the event (the actions and interventions must take place between September 15 and October 5). The work must guarantee its self-sustainability, longevity, and weather resistance, as well as respect the environment.

WHO CAN APPLY?
This Open Call is open to professional artists of younger generation within the Creart 3.0:
– Artists born, resident or domiciled in one of the cities in the project network: Kaunas (Lithuania), Liepaja (Latvia), Skopje (North Macedonia), Aveiro (Portugal), Valladolid (Spain), Lublin (Poland), Venice (Italy), Clermont-Ferrand (France), České Budějovice (Czech Republic) and Oulu (Finland), Regensburg (Germany)
– Artists-members of HDLU (Croatian Association of Fine Artists);
– Ukrainian artists through our collaboration with Public Organization Lviv Artistic Council «Dialogue».

APPLICATION AND DOCUMENTATION 

Applications must be submitted before Sunday, June 22nd (23:59h), using the online form in the call section of the website https://creart2-eu.org/open-calls/

Interested artists must attach a portfolio (PDF document only) with the following documentation and a description of their proposal: Scanned photocopy of ID or registration certificate CV Project concept and development (maximum 5 pages), detailing the technique, materials and equipment required, execution and proposed location, and estimated budget Graphic material about the proposal and other previous work If you have any problems completing your application, you can send the portfolio directly to creart@fmcva.org

JURY AND SELECTION CRITERIA

Once the registration period has closed, the CreArt Valladolid artistic committee will evaluate the submitted proposals based on the following criteria: creative and innovative proposal, technical feasibility of the project for its production, execution, and sustainability, adaptation of the proposal to surfaces and spaces with different characteristics, integration of the artistic project into the space, and community participation.

DECISION AND EXECUTION OF THE ARTISTIC INTERVENTION

The decision will be announced before Friday, July 4th, on the CreArt website, and all participants will be notified by email. Participants will have one month to develop and produce the final project at the location selected by the organization. The selected artists and/or collectives will execute their projects between September 15th and October 5th, once the final proposal has been approved and all necessary permits have been obtained.

ACCEPTANCE OF THE RULES

Registration for the call implies acceptance of these rules, as well as the organization’s recognition of the right to resolve any issues not covered herein. Failure to comply with any of the requirements listed in the rules will automatically exclude the artist from the selection process.

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.

CreArt 3.0 OPEN CALL: AiR PROGRAM IN ROUEN (FR) FROM 6-31 OCTOBER 2025.

22 May 2025

As part of its participation in the European CreArt program, the City of Rouen is launching a joint residency for two artists, one artist living and working in Rouen and one artist of younger generation from the network, at «Centre Culturel André-Malraux», from October, 06 to October, 31 2025.

The Centre André-Malraux
The André-Malraux Centre is a municipal structure, located on the place “de la Grand- Mare”, whose aim is to welcome all residents of the districts without distinction of
age, social or cultural origin, and to offer spaces for meetings and activities allowing the participation of residents. Its missions are:
– The organization of municipal artistic and cultural activities,
– Welcoming and supporting artists and cultural associations,
– The organization and running of cultural projects involving the neighborhood’s residents,
– Hosting cultural or artistic events.

AiR Rouen /CreArt program
Within the framework of CreArt 3.0, the City of Rouen is launching a cross residency for 2 artists, one from Rouen and one from the Creart network, and will take place as part of “Automne Curieux”, a cultural event dedicated to the visual arts, and supported by the City of Rouen. The artists will be guided and shown around by members of the André-Malraux Cultural Center. They will make them discover cultural places and organize events to introduce them in the local artist’s community and the neighborhood (workshops, openings).
The residency will have the theme of “happy futures”. It will switch between periods of individual research and creation and period of collaborative works, involving teenagers,
through workshops during the school holidays. The workshops will have to be carried out with the Rouen artist also selected for this joint residency.
Provisional schedule:
– The first two weeks of the residency will be dedicated to individual research and creation and getting to know one another.
– During the last two weeks of the residency, which will take place during the school holidays, five two-hours workshops will be held to create the collective work(s).
– During the residency, an open studio event and a final presentation of the work will be organized.
The collective work(s) will remain at Malraux. The artists may take back the pieces resulting from their individual research.
The CreArt artist will have a studio to share with the artist from Rouen, and will be able to stay in an apartment during the residency. Accommodation will be in a private
room in a shared apartment.

Conditions and Stipend
The organization will cover, for both artists, the material costs (up to 400€), subsistence costs (500€) and will provide 1000€ as artist’s fee.
The city of Rouen also covers travel costs to Rouen [up to €500] and accommodation (Anatole France apartment in Rouen).

Who can apply?
The residence is open to professional artists (art and design degree) of younger generation within the Creart 3.0:
– Artists born, resident or domiciled in one of the cities in the project network: Kaunas (Lithuania), Liepaja (Latvia), Skopje (North Macedonia), Aveiro (Portugal), Valladolid (Spain), Lublin (Poland), Venice (Italy), Clermont-Ferrand (France), České Budějovice (Czech Republic) and Oulu (Finland), Regensburg (Germany)
– Artists-members of HDLU (Croatian Association of Fine Artists);
– Ukrainian artists through our collaboration with Public Organization Lviv Artistic Council «Dialogue».

This call is intended to professional visual artists with a wild range of medium: drawing, engraving, illustration, video, installation, collage, new media, painting,
performance, photography, sculpture, design, textile, graphics, micro-editing. For logistical and security reasons, monumental creation cannot be offered and spray paint is not permitted. A particular attention will be paid to artists who interrogate the environmental impact of artistic production in their work.

Documents to be submitted in English in https://creart2-eu.org/open-calls/:
– A CV
– A portfolio [with technical specifications, representative artworks and pictures. Links can be included];
– A short written project proposal. This document should also contain a list of technical needs and other relevant technical details, which can help the organization
to understand the project.
– ID or passport (scanned copy)

The applications must be submitted before Sunday, June 15, 2025
Only applications with complete information will be accepted. The City of Rouen will inform of the results by the end of June.

More informations:
· Creart : https://creart2-eu.org
· Ville de Rouen: https://rouen.fr/creart

Dorothée Paroielle, Cultural Projects and Audience Development : dorothée.paroielle@rouen.fr 02 35 08 88 99
& Fanny Laurent, Responsable du Centre André-Malraux : fanny.laurent@rouen.fr

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.

Josip Kresović – THE SHIFT in Karas Gallery

20 May 2025

JOSIP KRESOVIĆ
THE SHIFT
27.5.-14.6.2025.
KARAS GALLERY

On Tuesday, 27.5.2025. Josip Kresović opens his solo exhibition entitled The Shift, at 7 pm in Karas Gallery (Ulica kralja Zvonimira 58).

In her foreword, Antonela Solenički emphasizes:
“In the exhibition The Shift, Josip Kresović exposes the complex interplay between two seemingly distinct domains – his psychological practice and his artistic work. As a psychologist who spent years working at the Centre for Sexual Health, Kresović witnessed firsthand the emotional tensions, the silence of shame, and gestures of caution that permeate everyday medical practice. The idea that professional sterility remains confined to the workplace is an illusion, and in this series, the artist reveals that the boundaries between work and art are not only fluid but also substantive. What is experienced in the Centre – the colours of tests, the texture of cotton wool, the smell of disinfectant, eye contact – translates into a visual language in which the material and the emotional, the personal and the systemic, become inseparable.”

PREFACE

Biography:
Josip Kresović (Zadar, 1992) is an interdisciplinary artist and psychologist. He graduated in Psychology from the University of Zadar in 2018, focusing on the psychology of art, with a particular interest in visual-aesthetic sensitivity and the relationship between art and mood. Alongside his studies, he developed his own artistic practice, in which he explores the relationship between the individual and their environment and how this relationship shapes identity, through a personal iconography. His work spans a range of media, including sculpture, collage, installation, and performance. Since 2017, he has had solo and group exhibitions and performances in Croatia and, on two occasions, he has received support from the Ministry of Culture and Media of the Republic of Croatia for visual artists (Roller, 2021 and Plivati kao ti ne može svatko / Not Everyone Can Swim Like You, 2023). In 2023, in collaboration with the Croatian Museum of Naïve Art, he won the ICOM Award for his work Sun Worker. In 2024, following his participation in the Situation exhibition at the Youth Salon, he was awarded a special recognition from the Croatian Association of Fine Artists for his work 11. In 2025, he was selected for the Takeover 2025 (CreArt 3.0) project, through which he exhibited at the Brigada studio in Zagreb, and in parallel, he also began an artistic collaboration with the Forum för levande historia in Stockholm (Sweden), where he exhibited a site-specific installation as part of the museum’s educational programme. Kresović is also active in the fields of stage and graphic design.

The exhibition will be open during the period from 27.5. to 14.6.2025.
Working hours of Karas Gallery
Wednesday, Thursday, Friday 4pm – 8pm
Tuesday, Saturday 10am – 1pm
On Sundays and Mondays closed.
___
http://karasarthub.eu
Organizer: HDLU
With the support of: Ministry of Culture and Media of the Republic of Croatia, City of Zagreb

CreArt 3.0: TAKEOVER

29 April 2025

TAKEOVER
European Month of Creativity
Curator: Antonela Solenički
Artists: Marlen Ban, Sanda Črnelč, Josip Kresović, Stela Mikulin, Branimir Štivić

For this year’s European Month of Creativity, the Croatian Association of Fine Artists, within the EU project CreART 3.0, has organized a small festival of contemporary art in business premises—TAKEOVER.

Emerging artists (Marlen Ban, Sanda Črnelč, Josip Kresović, Stela Mikulin, Branimir Štivić), selected by the curator Antonela Solenički, will “take over” spaces within recognized companies operating in or related to the fields of cultural and creative industries, like Brigada, Google Croatia, Grupa, Intera or architectural studio Randić and Associates.

During the artwork selection process, the curator considered both the typologies of the spaces encountered in the project and the production of content within those spaces, aiming to establish a content-related interaction between the artistic projects presented and the employees who will encounter these projects on a daily basis.

The artists will exhibit their work in the companies and present it to the employees. Each intervention will also be presented to the public through open-door events and conversations with the artist.

 

ARTISTIC INTERVENTIONS:

 

MARLEN BAN, No Time for a Revolution, 2025

No Time for a Revolution questions the current state of society through the statement Nobody is going to start a revolution. This seemingly passive message opens space for a critique of the status quo, in which systemic control, censorship, and the normalization of authoritarian practices erode faith in the possibility of change.

The work oscillates between personal reflection and collective uncertainty, questioning why – despite access to information and technology – we remain passive in the face of injustice and dehumanization. It does not call for revolution, but for contemplation: why does revolution feel so distant?

Without taking a direct political stance, the aim is to prompt the viewer to reconsider power, identity, and everyday passivity, and to open a space for critical dialogue about social norms we often take for granted.

Artwork detail No Time for a Revolution, by Marlen Ban

 

SANDA ČRNELČ, I Discovered Something Between Two Bricks, 2025

Space and object—motifs that conceptually link the artist’s previous works—have initiated the development of a new idea that visually leans toward the abstraction of form, while conceptually driven by a desire for self-reflection. By moving away from the brick as a material, she explores the visual potential of color and volume, aiming to question her own fear of occupying space.

Artwork detail I Discovered Something Between Two Bricks, by Sanda Črnelč

 

JOSIP KRESOVIĆ, Ti si bija baš sritno dite (You Really Were a Happy Kid), 2025

The spatial installation You Really Were a Happy Kid is a collection of materialized sensory memories from a moment in childhood. At the same time, it is a record of nervous gestures, of the ritual of cleaning, scratching, peeling. A channel for anxious energy that is released pathologically, because no one ever showed it where to go.

It is also about music you can’t hear—perhaps best evoked through the visceral reaction of the body and mind when you catch the scent of a long-forgotten perfume and shivers rush over you.

The starting point of the work is an event, chronologically blurred, yet so vividly etched. There is singing. It’s hot. You are being watched. Fingers in your pockets try to reach your thigh bone. The skin resists. It burns. You don’t feel it. You’re fine.

 

Artwork detail Ti si bija baš sritno dite (You Really Were a Happy Kid), by Josip Kresović

 

STELA MIKULIN, Intimate Dialogue, 2025

In the absence of real dialogue, where a meeting has not yet been possible, the need arose to nonetheless create a space — to shape it as an open possibility, as a preparation, as a silence that anticipates speech. This phase of the project Intimate Dialogue does not arise from the certainty of a finished form, but from the process of an uncertain search for an approach, for a language that would not harm, for a space that could truly be shared.

The work consists of two levels:

On a tactile platform, placed in the space as a physical object, questions are inscribed that deliberately remain open and undefined. They are not posed to steer the conversation in a specific direction, but are shaped to invite future participants — migrants — to define the themes, needs, and ways of communication themselves. This platform does not function as a representation of an existing dialogue, but as its announcement, its quiet anticipation. In this way, a position of power is avoided, and instead, a framework is created that can, in future live encounters, be transformed according to what the community wishes to share.

Jean-Luc Nancy speaks of being-in-encounter (être-en-rencontre) — a state in which the subject is not yet complete, but is shaped in anticipation of a relationship. It is precisely this phase of pre-encounter, where the “other” is not yet present, but whose presence is felt as necessity and hope, that forms the core of this platform. It materializes anticipation, but does not dare to speak on behalf of the other. It does not question, does not offer answers, does not interpret — it waits.

The analogue segment of the work, extending through space as a series of handcrafted fragments — poetic questions, illustrations, and photocollages — reflects the internal process of the author: her thoughts, doubts, fears, and questions that arise in the attempt to shape a work that does not speak in place of others. These questions are not posed to be answered; they are traces of a personal process, self-inquiry, a confrontation with one’s own gaze and position. In them, one recognizes the awareness of the boundary between one’s own perception and the experience of others.

The platform, in its silence, remains a functional structure, creating the conditions for an encounter that is yet to come.

 

Artwork detail Intimate Dialogue, by Stela Mikulin

 

BRANIMIR ŠTIVIĆ, DOTWORK [256x320px], 2025

The work DOTWORK [256x320px] is a generative video installation composed of low-resolution LED screen modules. By integrating video displays into material, three-dimensional objects made from aluminum structures and 3D-printed plastic—onto which the LED modules and electronics are mounted—I explore the physicality of the pixel and its “invisibility” within the framework of consumer electronics.

By layering multiple monochromatic visuals and employing dithering and dot-based algorithms, the piece generates a low-resolution image that examines the graphic potential of point-based raster patterns. The 3mm spacing between individual pixels, commonly used in advertising panels, is significantly larger than that of modern smartphone, computer, or smartwatch screens. This allows for the original medium of light to be perceived as a constructive element of the display, functioning simultaneously as ambient lighting within the surrounding space.

 

Artwork detail DOTWORK [256x320px], by Branimir Štivić

 

About the curator:

Antonela Solenički is an independent curator and researcher. She holds a degree in Visual Arts and Curatorial Studies from NABA in Milan, and a bachelor’s degree in Art History and Spanish Language and Literature, which she studied in Zagreb. As part of the NOVAci project, developed in collaboration between WHW and Pogon, she curated the exhibition At the Tip of the Tongue (2022) at Gallery Nova in Zagreb. She is currently working as a curator at the Miroslav Kraljević Gallery in Zagreb.

About the artists:

Marlen Ban (b. 1999) earned her undergraduate degree at the Department of Animation and New Media at the Academy of Fine Arts in Zagreb. She is currently completing her studies in Public Administration at the Faculty of Law in Zagreb. As of May 2025, she is undertaking a professional internship at the Office of the Ombudsperson for Gender Equality. She works as a production assistant at the Miroslav Kraljević Gallery and leads art workshops at the Association and Club Zajedno, within the Sveti Ivan Psychiatric Hospital. Through her artistic practice, she explores social and personal relationships, as well as her own emotional states and fears. Using site-specific installations, she examines the ideas of space and the people within it. She has participated in group and solo exhibitions in Croatia and abroad, including No More ‘I’m Sorry’ (Miroslav Kraljević Gallery, 2023), the 37th Youth Salon, Situation (AMZ Gallery, 2024), and Amore ist gone (Karas Gallery, 2025). She is a recipient of the 19th Erste Fragments scholarship and received a special mention from the jury at the 37th Youth Salon.

Sanda Črnelč (b. 1997, Zagreb) graduated in 2023 from the Academy of Fine Arts in Zagreb, Croatia, Department of Art Education, painting program, in the class of Assistant Professor Marko Tadić, Art.D. She is an active member of the artistic community in Croatia and abroad, with several solo exhibitions and participation in numerous group projects. She is the recipient of the Rector’s Award for a group artistic project during the 2017/2018 academic year at the Academy of Fine Arts, University of Zagreb, and the Chinese Government Scholarship for the 2019/2020 academic year, through which she spent a year at the China Academy of Art as part of the IMFA program. In 2024, she was part of the sixth generation of participants in the WHW Academy. Through a procedural artistic practice, she seeks to delve into the complex relationship between matter and concept, exploring the states and spaces that exist between the initial idea and its realization.

Josip Kresović (b. 1992, Zadar) is an interdisciplinary artist and psychologist. In 2018, he earned his master’s degree in psychology from the University of Zadar, specializing in the psychology of art, with a focus on visual-aesthetic sensitivity and the relationship between art and mood. Alongside his studies, he developed his own artistic practice, exploring personal iconography as a means to investigate the relationship between the environment and the individual, and how that relationship can influence personality formation. His work spans various media, including sculpture, collage, installation, and performance. Since 2017, he has exhibited and performed both independently and in group shows across Croatia. On two occasions, he received support from the Ministry of Culture and Media of the Republic of Croatia for visual artists (Roller, 2021, and To Swim Like You No One Can, 2023). In 2023, in collaboration with the Croatian Museum of Naïve Art, he was awarded the ICOM Prize for his work Sun Worker. In 2024, following his participation in the Youth Salon’s Situation exhibition, he received a special recognition from the Croatian Association of Visual Artists for his piece titled 11. He is also actively engaged in stage and graphic design.

Stela Mikulin (b. 1996) is a visual artist and holds a Master’s degree in Art Education. She graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts in Zagreb, and her work focuses on themes of identity, memory, and space. She has exhibited in numerous solo and group exhibitions in Croatia and abroad, including projects such as Poetics of Place and Archive of the Absent, as well as festivals like Trienal Tres Pesos in Mexico. She has participated in international projects such as ECO CURVE and Soundgate Zagreb, and was a member of the fourth generation of the WHW Academy. She is a recipient of the Izidor Kršnjavi Plaque awarded by the Department of Art History at the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences in Zagreb.

Branimir Štivić (b. 1991, Cerić) graduated in New Media from the Academy of Fine Arts in Zagreb (2021) and in Information and Software Engineering from the Faculty of Organization and Informatics in Varaždin (2015). His artistic work focuses on sound and light installations, audiovisual performances, live cinema, expanded cinema performances, programmed art, industrial technologies, and sound for contemporary dance. He has exhibited in numerous solo and group exhibitions and has received the professional award from the Museum of Contemporary Art at the 37th Youth Salon, as well as the Golden Watermelon 7.0 award.

His works stem from a deep interest in the physicality of media and materials, as well as their interrelations within the contemporary technosphere and the Anthropocene. Through the development of various methods of industrial production, human labor, technology, programming code, video, and sound, he opens up new spaces for multidisciplinary research. He places particular emphasis on the physicality of pixels and contemporary LED technology, as well as the transcription of digital works into natural and synthetic materials such as wood, metal, and plastic.

 

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The Takeover program provides art with the opportunity to “coexist” with the bustling everyday life of workspaces. In doing so, artistic works become active participants in the non-artistic world, blurring the sharp boundaries between the corporate and artistic sectors, while retaining their ever-present power to reshape our reality.

 

For locations and dates for public art talks follow HDLU social media pages and official Takeover program website: www.takeover.hdlu.hr

 

 

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CreArt is a network of 13 medium-sized European cities aimed at exchanging experiences and best practices to promote contemporary art through a continuous transnational mobility program for emerging artists, curators, and cultural workers, in order to maximize the economic, social, and cultural contributions that creativity can bring to local communities. At the same time, CreArt 3.0 pushes boundaries beyond visual arts, empowering other artistic practices such as performing arts or music, and has also initiated a new collaboration with a non-governmental organization based in Lviv to support Ukrainian artists. The participating cities are: Kaunas, Liepaja, Skopje, Aveiro, Valladolid, Lublin, Venice, Clermont-Ferrand, Rouen, České Budějovice, Oulu, and Regensburg. The project includes 45 residency programs in 15 European cities, over 39 public events to celebrate the European Month of Creativity in 13 network cities, 13 educational programs to strengthen creativity and knowledge of contemporary art, 18 Street Art festivals, 10 annual festivals in galleries in 9 cities, and 6 European conferences and study visits.

 

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.

 

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