Iza linije: Ivana Armanini, Miron Milić, Igor Hofbauer

Miron Milić

Pučko otvoreno učilište Poreč Decumanus 34 trajanje izložbe: 24. 5. – 24. 6.2018. radno vrijeme galerije: svakim danom 10.00 – 13.00 i 17.00 – 22.00 osim nedjelje i praznika.

CIP zapis dostupan u računalnome katalogu Sveučilišne knjižnice u Puli pod brojem 141202071

Poreč, 2018.

Igor Hofbauer

Ivana Armanini, Igor Hofbauer, Miron Milić Iza linije Izložbom Iza linije predstavljeni su radovi (plakati, crteži, stripovi, ilustracije) tri po mnogočemu srodnih, ali i vrlo različitih autorskih rukopisa i koncepcija Ivane Armanini, Igora Hofbauera i Mirona Milića. Umjetnici su se školovali, razvijali i predstavljali svoje radove prvenstveno u javnom prostoru grada Zagreba, da bi se njihovo djelovanje proširilo u javnost (urbanu i virtualnu) cijele Hrvatske i šire. Javnost je, u slučaju radova ovih umjetnika, dvostruko određena – Armanini, Hofbauer i Milić vrlo često stvaraju za javne, virtualne i urbane platforme, a veliki broj ovih radova (jednim dijelom i novopredstavljeni Milićevi crteži) čine plakati koji su povijesno i aktualno sredstvo javne komunikacije.

Koristeći javnost, koja je mjesto oporbe i antagonizama (O. Marchart), u osobnim komentarima svakodnevice na plakatima Ivane Armanini, vizualno provokativnim plakatima za događanja Igora Hofbauera ili crteža i brojnih djela ostvarenih za javni prostor grada Mirona Milića, umjetnici provociraju javno mišljenje, izazivaju reakciju promatrača izvan galerijskih institucija.

Cilj ovih djela jest zaokupiti pozornost promatrača u suvremenom diktatu vremena i pružiti intenzivno iskustvo. Plakat i crtež u takvim okolnostima moraju izazvati reakciju – bila ona smijeh, čuđenje ili užasavanje; vizualni kod mora biti jezgrovit, izvedbeno jasan, lišen svakog balasta, a vizualno-verbalni scenarij bliži svakodnevnom govoru bez visokoumjetničkog elitizma. Radovi izloženi unutar galerijskog prostora djelomično su izuzeti od kritičke reakcije slučajnih prolaznika, ali posjetiteljima pružaju dublji uvid u proces nastanka djela i drugačije angažiranu suvremenu umjetnost. Radove povezuje i specifičan odnos slike i riječi, obilježje specifično plakatu, a nerijetko i crtežu. U radovima ovih umjetnika slika i riječ prenose sadržaj verbalnim i vizualnim kodom, a riječ time postaje važna vizualna komponenta djela. Crtež je u sva tri slučaja temelj djela i predstavlja izravnu vezu uma i tijela (ruke). Radove povezuju i humor i ironija, bizarne, mračne ili apsurdne situacije ili izokrenute društvene dosjetke. Humorom se ostvaruje zajedništvo umjetnika i publike koji zauzimaju stav prema nekoj (osobnoj ili društvenoj) nelagodi koju transformiraju u smijeh, dok ironijom na različite načine ruše pretpostavljene vizualne obrasce i elitističke ideje o umjetnosti. Razlikuje ih pritom, osim drugačijeg vizualnog rukopisa, i produkcija djela – od samih tehnika do funkcije njihova nastanka.

Armanini na izložbi predstavlja plakate u osobnoj dnevničkoj formi, objavljene na javnoj internetskoj platformi, Hofbauer predstavlja kompilaciju njemu

najdražih plakata u kojima je, imajući na umu umnožavanje umjetničkog djela, mogao stvoriti prepoznatljive vizuale s minimumom kompromisa namijenjene širokoj publici, a Milić se posvećuje daljnjem istraživanju crteža udaljavajući se od poznatih detaljističkih prikaza.

Ivana Armanini premijerno predstavlja plakate iz ciklusa Instantne objave.

Autorica je povodom izložbe izabrala pedesetak stripova i ilustracija nastalih u razdoblju 2017./2018. godine, a objavljivanih, kako autorica navodi, „instantno“ na Instagramu (https://www.instagram.com/ivana_armanini/).

Izlaže plakate koji često sadrže tekstualni dio, a nisu promidžbene i uporabne namijenjene. Riječ je o ilustracijama, kratkim strip formama koje bilježe određene asocijacije i emocije, zadržavajući svježinu instantno zabilježenog stanja. Iako se radi o osobnoj dokumentaciji različitih dnevnih interakcija iz svih segmenata stvarnosti, promatrač prepoznaje i komentare vlastite svakodnevice – ponekad medijske, aktualne društveno-političke ili prepoznaje neki ambijent. Tako plakat stiliziranog prikaza pod nazivom Her Majesty podsjeća na nedavni događaj cenzure umjetnosti u Osijeku, a na drugima pak prepoznajemo političke protagoniste poput Trumpa, ali i likove umjetnika koji su obilježili našu neoavangardnu i konceptualnu povijest. No, promatrač se može poistovjetiti zasigurno s nekim od osobnijih svakodnevnih kratkih stripovskih formi, prepoznati interpretaciju tradicionalne forme gradnje poput suhozida ili uživati u čistoj estetskoj kvaliteti prikazanog. Neke, gotovo apstraktne ilustracije ili stripovi na humorističan, satiričan način bilježe svakodnevicu praznoga grada, zvuke glazbe i tada se posjetitelj ponovo putem humora poistovjećuje prikazanim. Humor i ironija također nadilaze pripovjednu razinu. Armanini montiranjem sekvenci i kadriranjem slike ujedno ironizira klasičnu strip formu koju, kako ističe, dovodi do krajnjih granica spajajući „strip i apstrakciju, akciju, eksperiment, street art i grafizam“. No, ironiziranje klasične forme stripa istodobno se provodi i na razini konteksta i stereotipnog poimanja stripa kao muškog medija. Tu ideju već dugi niz godina provodi na internetskoj platformi za proizvodnju, promociju i distribuciju autorskog stripa nezavisne scene komikaze.hr te putem projekta Femicomix usmjerenog na autorske stripove brojnih umjetnica. Dugogodišnje školovanje Ivani Armanini poslužilo je kao baza koju nadilazi nadgradnjom u stripu kao polju iznimne autorske slobode, društveno angažiranog potencijala koji kombinacijom slike i teksta direktnije prenosi poruku od ostalih klasičnih medija, ali i kao metamedijskom istraživanju kadriranih slika u kojem Armanini nastoji doći do „dublje simboličke razine na kojoj se spajaju oblici s riječima i značenjima stvarajući međusobno neki svoj unutrašnji ritam i vrijeme koje se događa u tim međuodnosima.“ Sve to Armanini postiže jedinstvenim pročišćenim likovnim jezikom u kojemu se često javlja ili izmjena dvije kontrastne boje ili se bojom i prazninom dodatno postiže napetost vizualnog narativa. Vizualnom jeziku doprinosi i postupak kolažiranja koji Armanini provodi i kroz sam proces digitalnog nastanka djela u kojemu, kako autorica navodi, pohranjuje sve prethodne verzije rada te ih potom kolažira, preslaguje ili briše, ruši i ponovo stvara kako bi postigla formu koju želim. Dok je u prethodnim stripovskim ostvarenjima, dnevnicima čitanja poput Pustolovine Glorije Scott (2005.) i djelomično Kataloga (2016.) njezin vizualni jezik bio uvjetovan crtežom s jakim „crno-bijelim kontrastima, golim strukturama i makabričnom atmosferom“, sada razvija istančaniji

odnos koloritom i tehnikom kako bi u vizualni jezik pretočila napetost forme i nepredvidljivo scenarija. Kontrast je u novim plakatima višeslojan – zaokuplja oblike, boje i značenja. Pritom utjecaj glazbe i zvuka utječe na organizaciju plakata i jednostraničnih stripova budući da ritam suvremenog života prate sve kraće forme koje moraju biti što glasnije kako bi zaustavile oko promatrača.

U tom smislu, kako umjetnica ističe, utjecaj ima i koncentriranost, brzina i glasnoća punk/noise komada, ali i buka i suvremeni tempo ulica koje prenosi u kratku strip formu na plakatu.

U brzini bilježenja interakcija inspiriranih svakodnevnim situacijama na ulicama, ljudima, medijima ili pojavama umjetnica tek s odmakom zamjećuje formalnu i značenjsku cjelinu realiziranog, a ono što posebno ističe kao pomoć jest krug virtualnih kolega s Instagrama koji svakodnevno objavljuju nove materijale.

Upravo se to poticajno internetsko okruženje, u kojemu je kreativan rad jedino na čemu se temelji interakcija, a društveno determinirano tijelo ne dovodi se u vezu s identitetom umjetnika, zamjećuje u stilski i tehnički rafiniranom i brzom govoru asocijacija. Ivana Armanini u potpunosti iskorištava potencijal financijski manje opterećujuće, a utjecajem daleko snažnije internetske mreže ne samo kao umjetnica nego i kao jedna od najvažnijih promicateljica neovisnog autorskog stripa koja nevjerojatnim entuzijazmom donosi promjene na hrvatskoj i svjetskoj likovnoj sceni.

Dugogodišnje djelovanje ilustratora i strip-autora Igora Hofbauera duboko je utkano u alternativnu kulturu Zagreba, Hrvatske i šire regije. Prepoznatljivi plakati za koncerte u kultnom klubu Močvara, za albume različitih hrvatskih i stranih bendova te drugih događanja, postali su dijelom svakodnevice stanovnika Zagreba i šire. Hofbauerov pristup plakatu kao prenositelju umjetničke poruke i svakodnevnih informacija tijekom godina se mijenjao, ali jedinstvene vizualne obrasce promatrač može prepoznati neovisno godinama koje prolaze. Na samom početku, tijekom 1990-ih i ranih 2000-ih, kada je izrađivao plakate i flyere za različita alternativna glazbena događanje radovi su bili namijenjeni ulici – javnom prostoru kojim svaki prolaznik nužno mora proći kako bi otišao na posao, kavu, kino. Hofbauerovi plakati, izloženi u mjestu susreta zajednice bez kojeg ne postoji mogućnost za druga sretanja, imali su nešto drugačiju ulogu – postići ravnotežu između prenošenja informacije, provokacije prolaznika jedinstvenim vizualnim jezikom, ali ostajanja unutar granica odgovornosti prema ljudima, ulici i publici koja bi na ta događanja trebala doći. Vizualni jezik, kao i tada, tako i danas, temelji se na grafici kontrastnih boja, definirane linije, stiliziranih crteža, vizualno drugačije i besprijekorno ukomponirane tipografije koje stvaraju ponekad fantazmagorične likove i scene. U tim prikazima spaja pop-kulturu, segmente povijesne avangarde poput njemačkog ekspresionizma i ruskog konstruktivizma, naše modernističko i neoavangradno naslijeđe te estetiku nezavisnog stripa povezujući likovnu umjetnost, glazbu, književnost i film. Vizualni jezik, prikazani likovi, a vrlo često i „labava“ naracija plakata i stripova poput Zatvorskih priča (2007.), Firme (2009.) i Mister Morgena (2016.), odraz su tranzicijskog razdoblja iz socijalističkog u kapitalistički sustav u kojemu je odrastao.

S vremenom su plakati iz stvarnog prostora ulica grada prešli u virtualni prostor, što je značilo drugačiji oblik komunikacije s publikom, ali istodobno su se mogli napustiti određeni kompromisi. Plakat u neku ruku jest proizvod potrošačkog društva i medij kojim se ono koristi, ali upravo subverzivnim korištenjem

plakata, progovaranjem istim jezikom sustava može se ponuditi daleko drugačija umjetnost, izvan zadanih komercijalnih i institucionaliziranih okvira.

Na ovoj izložbi Hofbauer predstavlja četrdesetak njemu najdražih plakata većinom rađenih za bendove i glazbene događaje. Budući da su plakati rađeni uglavnom za neprofitni sektor ili bendove i pojedince koji dopuštaju apsolutnu kreativnu slobodu, nisu cenzurirani i uvijek uzimaju u obzir senzibilitet i stil klijenta. Radovi su svojevrsni hibridi plakata i stripa jer svaki prenosi određenu informaciju, ali i posjeduje sasvim svoju priču. Na izložbi su predstavljene i skulpture koje su proizašle iz likovnog jezika njegovih plakata i stripova.

Proces nastanka plakata i stripova kod Hofbauera je dugotrajan – prvo rad (i prethodno veliki broj skica) realizira u tušu, kopira ga pa digitalno dorađuje, a zatim realizira u sitotisku pa se konstantno izmjenjuje fokus s kompozicije na priču i obrnuto. Grafičko rješenje pritom prenosi naraciju – tekst se javlja samo kao dodatno objašnjenje prikazanog, a ono kako je to prikazano predstavlja temelj Hofbauerovog umjetničkog promišljanja. Boja također ima posebnu ulogu – ne koristi čiste industrijske boje, nego u svaku dodaje nekoliko kapi druge kako bi stvorio specifičnu atmosferu minimalnog jezika, bez posebnih tonskih prijelaza. Tako na plakatu za Goribor prikazan speleolog u špilji s mnoštvom sigastih oblika, međutim kontrastne plava i žuta s crnim konturama ostavljaju čudnovatu atmosferu. Kao i u noir filmovima, plakatima se prenosi snažna atmosfera i karikirane, stilizirane uloge otuđenih likova pa tako se uz osnovnu stilizaciju, u njegovom stilu miješaju distopijska, morbidna atmosfera i stilizirani, pomalo, kako autor ističe, „slatkasti“ likovi. Još jedan važan element plakata čine tipografija koja je, slično kao i kod konstruktivista, jednostavna, čitka i izvrsno likovno uklopljena te arhitektura i prostor koji na plakatima i u stripu predstavljaju scenografiju scene, ukazuju na vremensku dimenziju te stvaraju ravnotežu i kontekst prikazanom.

Autonomni svjetovi koji stvara plakatima i stripovima često se doimaju kao san, a promatrači, kao i likovi, teško mogu odrediti granicu zbilje i fikcije.

Hofbauer motivima i atmosferom izlazi iz egzistencije koju poznajemo koristeći ponekad poznate prikaze, arhetipske likove, materijale i značenje, a potom ih reinterpretira i kombinira kako bi stvorio novi svijet i kako bi u potpunosti ušli u crtež. Upravo se u tome se prepoznaje Hofbauerova kreativnost i ingenioznost jer prihvaćanjem najrazličitijih poznatih vizualnih i verbalnih predložaka stvara sasvim novu i vlastitu umjetnost.

Slikar, grafičar, ilustrator i street artist Miron Milić na izložbi predstavlja crteže nastale u posljednjih godinu dana. Njegovi radovi često prikazuju životinje, prirodu, ponekad neobične likove i prizore koje vrlo često povezuje s rečenicama koje prate crtež. Motivi se ponavljaju i na ovoj izložbi, međutim dok je te radove pratila tehnička preciznost izvedbe, sada se koristi oslobođenim crtežom, gdje u samo nekoliko linija bilježi određeni karakter ili atmosferu prikazanog. Budući da se bavi street artom i da su njegovi radovi danas postali prepoznatljivi dio urbane stvarnosti, javnost i dijalog s prolaznicima temeljni je dio njegovog rada. Način na koji započinje dijalog, bilo u radovima za ulicu ili za galerijski prostor, ponekad je suptilna provokacija u spoju nacrtanog i napisanog, često su to i humor i ironija, korištenje narodnih poslovica te metafora kako bi se promatrači lakše poistovjetili i prihvatili komunikaciju.

Koristi vizualni i verbalni kolokvijalni idiom te kolektivnu memoriju kako bi se osvrnuo na određene kulturne vrijednosti i kodove. Umjetnik tako direktno

doživljava pozitivnu i negativnu kritiku promatrača, a ujedno progovara o društveno nedodirljivim temama. Na poznatom muralu kod zagrebačke Laube konciznom idejom razbijenih koljena s autorskom rečenicom „Igrali smo se rata jer je bilo zdravo da smo što više na zraku…” ukazao je na višeslojnost tumačenja – od igre koju je veliki broj nas igrao, samoozljediđavanja, reference na riječ „lauba“ koja je povezana s igrom, do ponavljanja socijalnih uzoraka u vrlo ranoj dobi.

Crteži u galeriji ipak su izloženi u drugačijem okruženju, međutim i oni bilježe određene odnose, pojave, sjećanja i progovaraju o nedodirljivim temama. Dok za murale izrađuje brojne skice rada, ulice i arhitektonskog objekta, na crtežima uspijeva svježe zabilježiti trenutke i sjećanja, bez naknadnih intervencija. Slično kao i kod Armanini, nastaju instantne vizualizacije čiste ideje koja još nije kontaminirana sekundarnim tumačenjima, koje su prikazane iz više perspektiva i upotpunjene rečenicama. Spojem brze realizacije ideje i vizualne pročišćenosti nastaju crteži koji, kao jedan od najautentičnijih medija umjetnosti, bilježe svu svježinu trenutne ideje. Dok su prijašnji crteži odražavali sigurne crtačke poteze, minuciozne figurativne prikaze s vješto izvedenim i naglašenim portretnim karakteristikama ljudske i životinjske figure, u ovim crtežima udaljio se od detaljističkog, ali zadržao osnovnu ideju kako bi prikazao karakter i u drugačijim postupcima. Budući da je i prije istraživao svjesne i nesvjesne procese koji čine karakter ljudi i životinja, prikazati detaljno površinski sloj nikada i nije bio njegov cilj. Tako se kroz motiv životinja nastojao osvrnuti na teme eksploatacije, zatočeništva, straha, mitologije, ritualnosti te uključiti njihov karakter. Kako su prikazi životinja u povijesti umjetnosti izuzetno čest, ali periferan dio umjetnosti, Milić iskorištava upravo taj potencijal kako bi proizveo nešto drugačije. Minimalizmom, odnosom crnog i bijelog, odnosno crnom konturom bilježi i objašnjava sve što je potrebno kako bi uhvatio karakter, a boju koristi ne kako bi prikazao volumen, nego dopunio osobnost.

Kao i kod Hofbauera i Armanini, tipografija nije isključivo u službi prenošenja informacije nego je vrlo promišljeno ukomponirana u rad. Tipografija, već u samom procesu ispisivanja, kao i kaligrafija postaje samostalni izvedbeni čin kojim se, promatrajući odnos papira i tinte/tuša, potez i ritmizaciju pisma, stvara minimalističko apstraktno vizualno djelo. Za Milića su slika i riječi neodvojive i čine cjelinu. U suvremenom svijetu sve ovisi o brzom protoku informacija pa tako u jezgrovitom likovnom i verbalnom izrazu, u vrlo kratkom vremenu može izazvati reakciju promatrača. Budući da su slova riječi ukošena sugeriraju, kako autor navodi, da je riječ o citatu. Kako umjetnik prenosi svoje riječi / citira sebe, ovako vizualiziran citat pomaže nam prihvatiti da je netko već to rekao, a umjetnik ponovo vokalizirao pa tako na suptilan način ukazuje na društvenu nelagodu i svojim angažmanom pomiče granice onoga što je prihvatljivo. Danas, kada čovjek ima vrlo limitirano vrijeme koje troši na kulturu, Milić u radovima redefinira promatraču poznate motive i scene, pruža daleko širi kontekst i drugačiju istinu te bez pretencioznosti komunicira sa zainteresiranim promatračem.

Unatoč jasno vidljivom vizualnom i konceptualnom razilaženju, Ivanu Armanini, Igora Hofbauera i Mirona Milića povezuje i djelovanje izvan zadanih institucionalnih propozicija umjetnosti te realizacija djela dostupnih i društvenim idiomom razumljivih većini. Svatko od njih, na vrlo individualan način, doprinosi demokratizaciji medija i umjetnosti.

Patricia Počanić

Ivana Armanini

Pučko otvoreno učilište Poreč Decumanus 34 BEHIND THE LINE Ivana Armanini, Igor Hofbauer, Miron Milić 24. 5. – 24. 6.2018. open hours: every day from 10.00 – 13.00 and 17.00 – 22.00 except Sundays and holidays

Poreč, 2018.

Ivana Armanini, Igor Hofbauer, Miron Milić Behind the line Exhibition Behind the Line presents the works (posters, drawings, comics, illustrations) of Ivana Armanini, Igor Hofbauer and Miron Milić who in many respects have similar, while at the same time different, artistic signature and conception. The artists have been studying, developing and presenting their works mostly in public space of Zagreb, and their work has spread to public (both urban and virtual) of the whole Croatia and even wider. In case of these authors the public is designated in a twofold manner – Armanini, Hofbauer and Milić quite often create for public, virtual and urban platforms, while the great number of the works (as well as some of the newly-presented drawings by Milić) are posters which are both the historical and actual means of public communication. By using the public, which is a place of opposition and antagonism (O. Marchart), in personal comments of everyday life on posters by Ivana Armanini, visually provocative posters for happenings

by Igor Hofbauer or drawings and numerous works realized for the public space of a city by Miron Milić, the artists are provoking the public opinion, and trigger a reaction of the observers outside the galleries. The goal of these works is to occupy the observer’s attention in a contemporary dictate of time and provide intensive experience. The poster and drawing in such circumstances must induce a reaction – whether it was laughter, surprise or horror; visual code must be concise, clear in performance, devoid of any ballast, while the visually-verbal scenario has to be closer to everyday speech without high art elitism. The works exhibited inside the gallery space are partially excepted from the critical reaction of accidental passersby, but they offer visitors a deeper insight into the process of the very creation of the work and differently engaged contemporary art. The works are also linked by a specific relationship of image and word, a property characteristic for poster, and often for drawing as well.

In the works by these artists image and word transmit the content through verbal and visual code, and so the word becomes an important visual component of the work. The drawing is in all three cases the basis of the work and presents a direct connection of mind and body (hands). The works are linked by humor, irony, bizarre, dark or absurd situations or turned-upside down puns. Humor achieves the communion between the artist and the audience who creates an opinion toward some (personal or social) unease, which they transform into laughter, while through irony, in various ways, they are breaking the presupposed visual patterns and elitist ideas about art. What differentiates them, apart from different visual handwriting, and the production of works – from the very techniques to functions of their creation. At the exhibition Armanini presents the posters in personal diary form, published on public Internet platform, Hofbauer presents a compilation of his favorite posters in which, having on mind the multiplication of the work of art, he was able to create recognizable visuals with a minimum of compromise intended for the broad audience, and Milić is dedicated to a further exploration of drawing by distancing himself from the known in detail representations.

Ivana Armanini for the first time presents the posters from the cycle Instant posts (Instantne objave). For the exhibition the author has chosen around fifty works in short comics form and illustrations created in the period of 2017.-2018., which have been published, as the author states, “instantly” on Instagram (https://www. instagram.com/ivana_armanini/). She exhibits the posters that often contain textual part, but have no advertising nor applicable purpose. These are illustrations, short comic book forms which record certain associations and emotions, retaining the freshness of instantly recorded state. Although this is personal documentation of various daily interactions from all segments of reality, the observer also recognizes

the comments of his own everyday life – sometimes media, actual socio-political or he recognizes certain ambient. Therefore the poster of stylized representation under the name Her Majesty reminds of a recent event of censorship in Osijek, while on the other posters we recognize political protagonists such as Trump, but also the characters of artists who marked our neo-avant-garde and conceptual history. However, the observer can certainly identify with some of the more personal every-day short comic forms and recognize the interpretation of a traditional form of building such as dry-stone wall or enjoy in purely aesthetical quality of what is shown. Some, almost abstract illustrations or comic books in a humoristic, satiric way record the every-day life of an empty city, the sounds of music and then the visitors once again via humor identify themselves with what is shown. Humor and irony also transcend the narrative level. Armanini by editing the sequences and choosing the appropriate cadre for the image simultaneously ironizes the classical comic book form, which, as she points out, takes to the limits by linking “comic books and abstraction, action, experiment, street art and graphism.” However, ironizing the classical form of comic book is simultaneously done on the level of context and stereotypical comprehension of comic book as a male medium. This idea has been for a long period of years realized on the Internet platform for production, promotion and distribution of authorial comic book of independent scene komikaze. hr and via the project Femicomix aimed at the authorial comic books of various female artists. Longtime studying has served Ivana Armanini as a foundation which she transcends through upgrade in comic books as a field of extreme authorial freedom, socially engaged potential which through combination of image and text more directly conveys the message of other classical mediums, but, like metamedia research of panned pictures in which Armanini tries to achieve “deeper symbolical level on which forms meet words and meaning mutually creating some kind of their own internal rhythm and time which occurs in those interrelationships ”Armanini achieves all of this by unique purified artistic language in which often appears either the change of two contrastive colors or with color and emptiness she additionally achieves the tensity of the visual narrative.

Visual language is also contributed by the collage technique which Armanini pursues through the very process of digital creation of the work in which, as the author states, she stores all the previous versions of the work and then she makes collage, reassembles them or erases, breaks and creates them once again in order to achieve the form she desires. While in the previous comic book works, reading journals like The Adventures of Gloria Scott (Pustolovine Glorije Scott) from 2005 and The Catalogue (Katalog) from 2016 her visual language was determined by drawing with a strong “black and white contrasts, naked structures and macabre atmosphere”, now she develops a refined relationship with colors and technique in order to translate the tensity of the form and the unpredictable of a scenario. The contrast in the new posters is multilayered – it occupies shapes, colors and meanings. In this, respect the influence of music and sound affects the organization of the poster and single-paged comic books since the rhythm of the contemporary life is accompanied by shorter and shorter form which have to be as loud as possible in order to stop the eye of the observer. Therefore, as the artist points out, the influence has the concentration, speed and loudness of punk/noise piece, but also the noise as well as the contemporary rhythm of the street which she transfers into the short comic book form on a poster. Due to the rapid pace of recording interactions inspired by everyday situations on the streets, with the people, media or situations, the artist only with a distance notices the formal and semantic whole of what is accomplished, and what she especially emphasizes as a help is a circle of virtual colleagues form Instagram who daily publish new materials. Exactly this encouraging Internet environment, in which the creative work is the only thing on which the interaction is based, and socially determined body is not linked to the artist’s identity, is

perceived in stylistically and technically refined and fast speech of the associations.

Ivana Armanini wholly uses the potential of financially less demanding, and yet in influence far stronger internet network not only she does that as an artist but also as one of the key promoters of and independent authorial comic book who brings changes to the Croatian and world art scene with an incredible enthusiasm.

Longtime activity of illustrator and comic book author Igor Hofbauer is deeply imbedded in the alternative culture of Zagreb, Croatia and even wider. Recognizable posters for concerts in iconic club Močvara, for the albums of various Croatian and foreign bands and other events, have become a part of everyday life of citizens of Zagreb and wider. Hofbauer’s approach to poster as a carrier of an artistic message and everyday information has changed over the years, but the observer can recognize the unique visual patterns regardless of the years that pass. At the very beginning, during the 1990s and early 2000s, when he was creating posters and flyers for various alternative music events the works were intended for the street – a public space through which every passer-by necessarily has to go by in order to get to work, grab a coffee or go to theatre. Hofbauer’s posters, exhibited in the meeting place of community without which there is no chance for a second meeting, had a somewhat different role – to achieve the balance between transmitting the information, provoking the passers-by with a unique visual language, but remaining within the borders of responsibility towards people, street and audience who should attend those events. Visual language, then as well as today, is based on graphics of contrasting colors, defined lines, stylized drawings, visually different and impeccably composed typography which sometimes create phantasmagoric characters and scenes. In those representations, he connects pop-culture, segments of historical avant-garde like German expressionism and Russian constructivism, our modernistic and neo-avant-garde heritage and the aesthetics of independent comic book in reference to music, literature and film. Visual language, presented characters, and very often “loose” narration of posters and comic books like Prison tales (Zatvorske priče) from 2007 Firm (Firma) from 2009 and Mister Morgen from 2016 are a reflection of a transition period from the socialist to capitalist system in which he grew up. In time, the posters from real space of city streets were starting to be implemented in virtual space, which meant a different type of communication with an audience, but at the same time, certain compromises could have been abandoned.

In a sense, a poster is a product of a consumer society and the medium it uses, but by using the poster subversively, using the same language of the system one can offer far different art, outside the given commercial and institutionalized frame. In this exhibition Hofbauer presents around forty of his favorite posters mostly made for bands and music events. Since the posters are mainly made for non-profit sector or bands and individuals who allow absolute creative freedom, they are not censored and they always consider sensibility and style of clients. The works are a sort of hybrid of poster and comic book because each one transmits certain information, but also contains solely its own story. Sculptures which stem from the art language of his posters and comic books are presented on the exhibition as well. The process of poster and comic book production takes a long time in Hofbauer’s case – first of all he realizes his work (and a large number of sketches) in drawing ink, then he copies it and then further works on it in digital form, and he realizes it in serigraphy so the focus constantly shifts from composition on the story and vice versa. Graphic solution transfers the narration – text appears only as an additional explanation of what is shown, while the basis of Hofbauer’s artistic reflection is how it is presented.

The color also has a special role – he does not use clean industrial colors, but to each one he adds a couple of drops of the other one in order to create a specific atmosphere of minimal language, without special tone gradations. Hence the poster for Goribor shows a speleologist in a cave with lots of stalactite figures, however contrasting

blue and yellow color with black contours create a peculiar atmosphere. Just like in noir movies, the posters convey a strong atmosphere and caricatured, stylized roles of alienated characters, so alongside the primary stylization, his style combines dystopian, morbid atmosphere and stylized, a bit, as the author points out “cutish” characters. Two more important elements of the posters are typography which is, as similar to constructivists, simple, easy to read, and artistically excellently embedded, and there is also architecture and space which both in the posters and the comic books present the scenography of the scene, point out at a temporal dimension and create the balance and the context to what is shown. Autonomous worlds which the author creates with posters and comic books often appear as a dream, and observers, like the character, can hardly determine the border between the reality and fiction. Hofbauer is in his motifs and atmosphere leaving the existence we know by using sometimes known representations, archetypical characters, materials and meaning, and the he reinterprets and combines them in order to create a new world and so that we completely enter the drawing. This is exactly where one recognizes Hofbauer’s creativity and ingenuity because by accepting various known visual and verbal templates he creates a completely new and his own art.

Painter, graphic artist, illustrator and street artist Miron Milić exhibits drawings created in the last year. His works often show animals, nature, sometimes unusual characters and scenes, which he quite often connects with the sentences that follow the drawing. The motives repeat themselves on this exhibition as well, however while the previous works had been done with technical precision, he now uses a liberated drawing, where he in just a few lines records a certain character or atmosphere of what is shown. Since he practices street art and since his works have become today a recognizable part of urban reality, public and the dialogue with the passers-by is a fundamental part of his work. The way in which he engages in a dialogue, whether in his work for the street or for a gallery, is sometimes a subtle provocation in a junction of what is drawn and what is written, these are often humor and irony, the use of folk sayings and metaphors so that the observers could more easily identify with and accept the communication. He uses visual and verbal colloquial idiom and collective memory in order to turn back on certain cultural values and codes.

This way the artist directly experiences both positive and negative critique of the observer, and at the same time he talks about socially untouchable topics. On a wellknown mural at gallery Lauba, in Zagreb, with a concise idea of bruised knees with an authorial sentence “We played war because it was healthy for us to be out in fresh air…”he pointed out on the multilayeredness of interpretation – ranging from game, which a lot of us play, self-harm, references on the word “lauba” which is linked with a game, to repetition of social patterns in a very early age. However, drawings in the gallery are exposed to a different environment, but they also record certain relationships, phenomena memories and talk about the taboo topics. While for the murals he makes numerous sketches of his work, street and architectural object, on the drawings he manages to record fresh moments and memories, without subsequent interventions. Similarly as with Armanini, instant visualizations of clear idea, which is still not contaminated with secondary interpretations, are created and shown from several perspectives and completed with sentences. By combining quick realization of an idea and visual purity, he creates drawings which, as one of the most authentic mediums of art, record all the freshness of an immediate idea.

While the previous drawings reflected confident drawing moves, minute figurative representations with skillfully carried out and emphasized portrait characteristics of human and animal figure, in these drawings he distanced himself from detailed, but he kept the principal idea to show the character in different manner.

Since he has previously also explored conscious and unconscious processes, which make up the character of humans and animals, showing the surface layer in great detail was never his goal. By using the motive of animals, he tried to address themes

of exploitation, captivity, fear, mythology, rituality and engage their character. Since the representations of animals are quite frequent, yet peripheral, in history of art, Milić uses this potential in order to create something different. With minimalism, relationship of black and white, that is black contour he records and explains everything that is necessary in order to capture the character, and he uses color not to show the volume, but to complete the personality.

Same as in the case of Hofbauer and Armanini, typography is not solely in the service of transmitting information but is thoughtfully incorporated in the work.

Typography, already in the very beginning of writing, like calligraphy is becoming an individual performance which, by observing the relationship of paper and ink/ dry ink, strokes and rhythm of letters, creates minimalistic abstract visual work. The image and word are inseparable and they make the whole. In contemporary world everything depends on the fast flow of information therefore in a concise artistic and verbal expression he can challenge observer’s attention. Since the letters of the words are inclined they suggest, as the author states, that they are a quotation. Since the artist conveys his words/quotes himself, the quotation visualized in this manner helps us to accept that someone has already said that, and artist has had vocalized it again thus subtly pointing towards the social unease and with his engagement moves the borders of what is acceptable. Nowadays, when people have a limited time they spend on culture, Milić in his works redefines known motifs and scenes for the observer, providing a much broader context and different truth and without any pretentiousness communicates with an interested observer. Despite the clearly visible visual and conceptual divergence, Ivana Armanini, Igor Hofbauer and Miron Milić are also linked by their activity outside the given institutional propositions of art and realization of works available and in their social idiom understandable to the majority. Every one of them, in their own individual way, contributes to democratization of media and art.

Patricia Počanić

IGOR HOFBAUER

rođen je u Zagrebu 1974. Studirao je slikarstvo tri godine na zagrebačkoj Akademiji likovnih umjetnosti, nakon čega je napušta kako bi se potpuno posvetio dizajnu i ilustraciji. Poznat je među mnogobrojnim obožavateljima alternativne glazbe zbog svog velikog utjecaja na vizualni identitet zagrebačke klupske scene. Njegov najpoznatiji rad su posteri i letci za zagrebački klub Močvara. Dizajnirao je preko stotinjak plakata za Močvaru i ostale klijente u Europi i Americi te preko dvadesetak omota za hrvatske i strane bendove.

Njegov je rad objavljen u The Art of Modern Rock: The Poster Explosion Paula Grushkina i Dennisa Kinga iz 2004., knjizi koja prikazuje odabir najboljih rokerskih postera u posljednjih 50godina. Stil njegovih plakata i dizajna trenutno je prepoznatljiv i utemeljen na eklektičnom spoju klasičnog američkog stripa i filma noira, pop-arta, njemačkog ekspresionizma te ruskog konstruktivizma, inteligentno povezanih rukom spretnog crtača. Igor Hofbauer u posljednje se vrijeme bavi stripom. Njegov prvi strip Prison stories izdala je zagrebačka izdavačka kuća Otompotom i portugalska kuća Chili Com Carne.

Surađuje s hrvatskim piscem fikcije Edom Popovićem na nekoliko ilustriranih knjiga koje su objavljene u Hrvatskoj i Njemačkoj. Njegov strip Mister Morgen izdao je francuski L’Association i kanadski Conundrum 2017. Njegov se rad širi u nekoliko polja dizajna – od scenografije, animacije, dizajna brojnih postera, cd/vinil-omota, sve do ilustracija za knjige. Surađivao je s brojnim magazinima na polju stripa i ilustracije.

IGOR HOFBAUER was born in Zagreb in 1974. He studied painting for three years at the Zagreb Academy of Fine Arts and afterwards he left the university in order to completely dedicate himself to design and illustration. He is well known among numerous fans of alternative music because of his immense influence on the visual identity of club scene in Zagreb. His most famous works are posters and flyers. He has designed more than hundred posters for the Močvara club and other clients in Europe and America and he has designed more than twenty cover designs for Croatian and foreign bands. His work was published in the The Art of Modern Rock: The Poster Explosion by Paul Grushkin i Dennis King from 2014, a book which presents a selection of best rock posters in the last 50 years. The style of his posters and design is recognizable and founded on eclectic combination of classic American comic book and noir film, popart, German expressionism and Russian constructivism, intelligently brought together by the hand of a skillful designer. Igor Hofbauer lately deals mostly with comics. His first comic book Prison stories was published by publishing house Otompotom from Zagreb and Portuguese publishing house Chili Com Carne. He has cooperated with Croatian fiction writer Edo Popović on a couple of illustrated book which were published in Croatia and Germany. His comic book Mister Morgen was poblished by French L’Association and Canadian Conundrum in 2017. His work expands in couple of design fields – ranging from scenography, animation, poster design, cd/vinyl covers to book illustrations.

He has cooperated with numerous magazines in the field of comic books and illustrations.

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MIRON MILIĆ

rođen je 1980. godine u Vinkovcima. 2006. diplomirao je grafiku u klasi prof.

Miroslava Šuteja na Akademiji likovnih umjetnosti u Zagrebu, a trenutno se bavi crtanjem autorskih radova, ilustracijom i street artom. Član je HDLU-a i HZSU-a te umjetničkog kolektiva AKC Medika iz Zagreba. Dobitnik je mnogih nagrada i priznanja, između ostalog za najbolje likovno rješenje murala u centru Ljubljane na Mural Arts Residency. Pobjednik je natječaja za oblikovanje etikete Božićnog piva u organizaciji Instituta za suvremenu umjetnost i Zagrebačke pivovare te dobitnik Porina za najbolje likovno ostvarenje 2017. godine u Splitu. Miron Milić gostovao je na mnogobrojnim street art festivalima u zemlji i svijetu, između ostalog na: City in words public arts and literature festival, Moskva, Rusija; Mural Arts Residency, Kino Šiška, Ljubljana, Slovenija; Novo doba festival, Beograd i Zemun, Srbija; Complex 23 Hannix, Heilbronn, Njemačka; MUU fest, Muzej ulične umjetnosti, Zagreb, Hrvatska; BLART, Banja Luka, Bosna i Hercegovina; Spajalica – art interventions in public spaces, MMSU Rijeka, Hrvatska.

Izlagao je na mnogobrojnim skupnim i samostalnim izložbama u zemlji i izvan nje: Galerija Omladinskog kluba Skladište, Fondacija Danilo Kiš, Subotica, Srbija; Galerija KC Grad, Beograd, Srbija; Galerija Greta, Zagreb, Hrvatska; Galerija Boonika, Zagreb, Hrvatska; 36 mountains festival, 32. Salon mladih, Galerija Prsten, Dom HDLU-a, Zagreb, Hrvatska; CroatianContemporary Artists, Ernst and Young, Den Haag, Nizozemska; Drawing Outline / Suvremeni crtež u Hrvatskoj, izložbeni prostor Nacionalnog društva slikara Ukrajine, Kijev, Ukrajina; Kontor 3, selected works – Lifelines, Kunstkontor Gallery, Berlin, Njemačka; Hrvatski trijenale crteža, Gliptoteka HAZU-a, Zagreb, Hrvatska; SLICK – Paris, Pariz, Francuska; Vienna Art Fair, Beč, Austrija; Kunst Zürich, Zürich, Švicarska: Black box at ARCO, Madrid, Španjolska.

MIRON MILIĆ was born in 1980 in Vinkovci. In 2006 he graduated graphics in the class of professor Miroslav Šutej at The Academy of Fine Arts in Zagreb, and he is currently occupied with drawing authorial works, illustration and street art. He is a member of HDLU and HZSU and of artist collective AKC Medika from Zagreb. He received numerous rewards and honors, among others the one for best art solution for mural in the Centre of Ljubljana at Mural Arts Residency. He won the competition for designing the label of the Christmas beer in organization of Institute for the contemporary art and Zagreb brewery and he also won the Porin for the Best art accomplishment in 2017 in Split. Miron Milić has been a guest at numerous street art festivals in Croatia and abroad, among others at City in words public arts and literature festival, Moscow, Russia; Mural Arts Residency, Cinema Šiška, Ljubljana, Slovenia; New era festival, Belgrade and Zemun, Serbia; Complex 23 Hannix, Heilbronn, Germany; MUU fest, Museum of Street Art, Zagreb, Croatai; BLART, Banja Luka, Bosnia and

Herzegovina; Spajalica – art interventions in public spaces, MMSU Rijeka, Croatia. He has exhibited on numerous collective and individual exhibitions in Croatia and abroad: Gallery of Youth club Warehouse, Foundation Danilo Kiš, Subotica, Serbia; Gallery KC Grad, Beograd, Serbia; Croatia; 36 mountains festival, 32. Youth’s saloon, Gallery Ring, HDLU, Zagreb, Croatia; Croatian Contemporary Artists, Ernst and Young, Den Haag, Netherlands; Drawing Outline / Contemporary drawing in Croatia, the exhibition area of National association of painters of Ukraine, Kiew, Ukraine; Kontor 3, selected works – Lifelines, Kunstkontor Gallery, Berlin, Germany; Croatian drawing triennale, Glyptotheque of the Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts, Zagreb, Croatia; SLICK– Paris, Paris, France; Vienna Art Fair, Vienna, Austria; Kunst Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland: Black box at ARCO, Madrid, Spain.book Mister Morgen was poblished by French L’Association and Canadian Conundrum in 2017. His work expands in couple of design fields – ranging from scenography, animation, poster design, cd/vinyl covers to book illustrations. He has cooperated with numerous magazines in the field of comic books and illustrations.

IVANA ARMANINI

rođena je u Zagrebu, gdje je završila Školu za primjenjenu umjetnost i dizajn te magistrirala na Akademiji likovnih umjetnosti. Dobitnica je Rektorove nagrade, a njezina su djela dio stalnog postava Muzeja suvremenih umjetnosti u Zagrebu (Zbirke u pokretu). Članica je Hrvatske zajednice samostalnih umjetnika. Osnivačica je i voditeljica projekta Komikaze od 2002. (https://komikaze. hr) te je autorica stripova s preko 300 domaćih i međunarodnih izložbi, 100 festivalskih gostovanja i 4 objavljena albuma stripova: Mangelos Vol. 1 (2017. / 64 str. / po skriptu Marka Goluba); FMCX BW (2017. / 56 str.); Katalog (2016. / 132 str.) i Pustolovine Glorije Scott (2005. / 126 str. / po i s pričama Mime Simić). Više na adresi: ivanaarmanini.net. Komikaze je mreža za proizvodnju, promociju i distribuciju autorskog stripa s fokusom na nezavisnu scenu kroz koju se najviše objavljuje i izlaže. Ivana je urednica 16 tiskanih albuma Komikaza te 47 internetskih i niza specijalnih izdanja. Na internetskoj je stranici arhivirano 5000 radova od preko 260 autora iz 50-tak zemalja. Kroz istu udrugu Ivana 2015. pokreće projekt Femicomix s kojim gostuje u 8 država i koji, osim nje, uključuje još 16 autorica. Komikaze su predstavljale hrvatski strip u Francuskoj i Njemačkoj povodom ulaska Hrvatske u Europsku Uniju u sklopu projekata Ministarstva kulture. U francuskim časopisima Liberatione i Charlie Hebdo Komikaze su opisane kao jedna od grafički najzanimljivijih nezavisnih publikacija u Europi. 2018. Ministarstvo kulture odlučilo je prestati podržavati ovaj časopis.

IVANA ARMANINI was born in Zagreb, where she finished School of Applied Arts and Design and graduated at the Academy of Fine Arts. She received Rector’s Award, and her works are part of permanent display of Museum of Contemporary Art in Zagreb (Zbirke u pokretu – Collections on the move). She is a member of Croatian Freelance Artists’ Association. Founder and head of project Komikaze since 2002. (https://komikaze.hr) and a comic book author with more than 300 domestic and international exhibitions, 100 festival tours and 4 published comics albums: Mangelos Vol. 1 (2017. / 64 pg. / after Marko Golub’s script); FMCX BW (2017. / 56 pg.); Katalog (2016. / 132 pg.) and Pustolovine Glorije Scott (2005. / 126 str. / after and with Mima Simić’s stories).

More on the webpage: ivanaarmanini.net. Komikaze is a network for production, promotion and distribution of authorial comics with a focus on independent scene where the majority is published and exhibited. Ivana is an editor of 16 printed Komikaza albums and 47 online and various special editions. On the webpage there is 5000 archived works and more than 260 authors from around 50 countries. Through the same organization in 2016 Ivana has started the project Femicomix with which she was a guest in 8 countries and which, beside her, includes 16 more female authors. Komikaze have presented Croatian comic book in France and Germany for the accession of Croatia in European Union as part of the project of Ministry of Culture. In French magazines Liberatione and Charlie Hebdo Komikaze are described as one of graphically most interesting independent publications in Europe. In 2018 Ministry of culture has decided to halt the support for the magazine.

IMPRESSUM nakladnik/publisher: Pučko otvoreno učilište Poreč za nakladnika/for the publisher: Snježana Radetić kustos izložbe/curator: Sebastijan Vojvoda voditelj projekta/project coordinator: Sebastijan Vojvoda urednik kataloga/catalogue editor: Sebastijan Vojvoda Predgovor/foreword Patricija Počanić lektor/lector: Marko Vrančić prijevod/translator: Marko Vrančić postav izložbe/exhibition setup: Igor Hofbauer, Miron Milić, Ivana Armanini voditelj tehničkog tima/tehnician team leader: Andi Bančić tehnička podrška/technical support: Ivan Pisak fotografija/photography: Andi Bančić grafičko oblikovanje/graphic design: Kristina Kalčić Brajković, KKA Studio tisak/printing: Kerschoffset naklada/edition: 100 primjeraka/copies

GALERIJA ZUCCATO Pučko otvoreno učilište Poreč Narodni trg 1, 52440 Poreč, t . +385 (0)52 887 217, f. + 385 (0)52 887 220, likovna@poup.hr www.poup.hr

program je omogućen potporom Grada Poreča i Ministarstva kulture RH The program was made possible with the assistance of the City of Poreč and the Croatian Ministry of Culture.

ZAHVALA / SPECIAL THANKS Patricija Počanić, Marko Vrančić i Kristina Kalčić Brajković

www.poup.hr