As part of its continuing commitment to the support of art and artists from Central and Eastern Europe and Russia, Aksenov Family Foundation created a guide to Zagreb contemporary art scene “Newer Tendencies”, which highlights some of the leading institutions and key figures (including Sanja Ivecović and David Maljković), but also artists to watch (like Dora Budor, Helena Janečić and Igor Grubić) and often overlooked points of interest that help contribute to the city’s character.
The guide is co-authored by by Kate Sutton, a writer and curator based in Zagreb, and a regular contributor to Artforum, Bidoun, Freize, and Leap; and Maja Marković, an art historian and curator, and CEEPUS grant recipient for research in contemporary art in Croatia in 2015.
Understanding Zagreb and its art history is the critical first step to grasping the Croatian contemporary art world as a whole
"It was in Zagreb where Julije Knifer, a member of good-time Conceptualists, the Gorgona Group, would literally give shape to the Museum of Cotemporary Art. It was in Zagreb, where Sanja Iveković staged her seminal piece “Triangle” (1979), a symbol of resistance and defiance to cultural authority.
The limitations of the city’s existing cultural infrastructure inspired self-organised artist’s spaces, like Galerija Nova. This spirit of self-organisation was not limited only to the art world proper: the design collective NUMEN/For Use evolved out of the need to rebuild the country’s industrial aesthetic, while initiatives like the Croatian Design Superstore seek to showcase the creative energies of young designers and innovators”. Kate Sutton
