Nikola Vrljić - Opsada Oza, u Galeriji Bačva, 27.8.-16.9.2021.

GALERIJA BAČVA DOM HDLU

NIKOLA VRLJIĆ

27.8.

— 16.9.

2021.

THE SIEGE OF OZ, STAGE 1 In his current body of work The Siege of Oz, Nikola Vrljić, all the while with an intriguing distinction, is conceptually and formally continuing on in the direction already set by his previous exhibition The Circus!. Now, as it was then, the narrative is based on semantically loosely related sculptures which, even if they remain associatively disconnected, function very well as stand-alone works of art. This approach allows the artist to keep organically building on this narrative, currently exhibited in the Bačva Gallery, for the upcoming exhibition stages.

On the other hand, Vrljić enables the visitor, inevitably confounded when faced with a monumental head, two sphinxes, a dancer with her leg raised up in the air, an iconic B-52 bomber leaning against a wall, and a crab, to create a narrative of his own. In terms of content, Vrljić remains his generation’s most prominent representative of figurative sculpture, equally convincing when dealing with male, female or animal motifs. The extravagant posture of the female figure with her leg held high is one of the most courageous sculptural solutions of the last couple of years. On the other hand, here stops all comparison with his previous work. Vrljić has won the acclaim of all those who had previously feared that competency in traditional sculptural craft had vanished from the local arts scene. And indeed, already at the very onset of his career Vrljić had made a significant contribution to naturalism in Croatian sculpture. This is just as true of the robust, firmly erect, belligerent male characters as of the the willowy animal figures. A born sculptor, Vrljić obviously took pleasure in shaping the massive forms which, due to a good measure of physical and expressive credibility, powerfully dominate the space they are in. Their summary shapes, with no conspicuous details and roughly treated surfaces, had paradoxically even enhanced the sculptures’ raw believability. Even though the final material of the works had predominantly been acrylic resin, each sculpture could easily had been imagined in bronze. And here we touch on the neuralgic issue of the production connected with the traditional métier of a sculptor. Why even create something as a model that should then be cast in bronze, when this is effectively far beyond a young artist’s financial means? I would say that it is exactly with material that Vrljić’s current deconstruction of traditional sculpting begins, a deconstruction that

allows him to bridge the gap between the traditional and the contemporary form of expression. Vrljić creates his recent works in polystyrene sheets, stacking them up to a desired height, and then shaping them by cutting into a desired form. In Vrljić’s hands the material presents itself as one that is easily shaped, enduring well the procedures of not only cutting and filing, but also subsequent interventions with various materials and colours for desired aesthetic effect. And the effect, precisely due to the use of contemporary materials and the decision that the finalised work will display not only the original material, but also the procedures of its primary manipulation, like the layering and gluing together of sheets, or their green and reddish, almost fleshlike colour, is outstandingly contemporary. Going back to the semantic layers of Vrljić’s work, as previously, his proclivity for the grotesque in both content and form is well pronounced. We could say that the chosen theme of The Siege of Oz, which sounds like a reckoning with the society of spectacle, works in favour of his tendency to take a cynical commentary as a starting point in his interpretation of reality. Art can not change reality, nor even influence it, but no one, in a democracy, can forbid an artist to express his stance. Can one claim that in order to present an inauthentic reality, Vrljić has purposefully chosen synthetic, replaceable materials, or is this, as mentioned above, primarily an issue of production, the question, in fact, is of no essential significance, because unlike everyday life, The Siege of Oz is an altogether authentic artistic endeavour.

—Branko Franceschi BIOGRAPHY Nikola Vrljić was born in Zagreb in 1980. In the year 2007 he graduated from the Sculpture department at the Academy of Fine Arts in Zagreb. Since 2003 he has exhibited in 22 solo shows. Some of the recent ones are Citizens at Poola Gallery (2021, Pula), The Gathering at Antun Augustinčić Gallery (2019, Klanjec), Runaways at Josip Račić Gallery (2018, Zagreb). He has won multiple awards in different competitions for monuments and public works and is the author of a dozen public sculptures in Croatia.

He is a member of HZSU and HDLU. He lives and works in Zagreb.

OPSADA OZA, ETAPA 1.

U svom kurentnom ciklusu Opsada Oza, Nikola Vrljić se uz intrigantnu razliku koncepcijski i formalno drži pravca kojeg je zacrtala prethodna izložba Cirkus!. I narativ Opsade Oza zasniva se na značenjski labavo povezanim skulpturama koje, čak i ako ih se asocijativno ne poveže, odlično funkcioniraju i kao samostalna umjetnička djela. Umjetniku ova metoda omogućuje da osnovni narativ sada predstavljen u Galeriji Bačva, organski nadograđuje za izložbene etape koje predstoje. Posjetitelju, neminovno zatečenom grupom koju čine titanska glava, dvije sfinge, plesačica u vis izbačene noge, o zid naslonjen ikonički bombarder B52 i rak, Vrljić pak omogućuje slobodno formiranje narativa.

U pogledu sadržaja Vrljić i nadalje ostaje najistaknutiji predstavnik figuracije u skulpturi svoje generacije, podjednako uvjerljiv u izvedbi muških, ženskih i životinjskih motiva. Ekstravagantna poza ženskog lika uvis uzdignute noge, jedno je od najhrabrijih kiparskih rješenja posljednjih godina. Tu sva sličnost s prethodnim izložbenim ciklusom prestaje. Naime, Vrljić je dočekan sa zadovoljstvom svih koji su strepili da je suvereno vladanje tradicionalno kiparskim umijećem nestalo s lokalne scene. Uistinu, Vrljić je još na samom početku karijere dao snažan doprinos naturalizmu u našoj skulpturi. To se podjednako odnosi na stamene, čvrsto osovljene, rabijatne muške likove ili vižljasto izvedenu animalnu plastiku. Kao rođeni kipar, Vrljić je očito s uživanjem oblikovao masivne volumene koji, zahvaljujući dobrom omjeru fizičke i ekspresivne uvjerljivosti, suvereno gospodare okolnim prostorom. Njihova sumarna izvedba, bez istaknutih detalja i s grubo tretiranom površinom, još je i paradoksalno pridonijela njihovoj sirovoj uvjerljivosti. Iako je materijal izvedbe bila mahom akrilna smola, lako se moglo svaku od skulptura zamisliti odlivenu u bronci. Time smo dotakli neuralgičnu točku produkcije uz koju se povezuje tradicionalni kiparski metijer. Čemu uopće oblikovati nešto kao model za odljev kojeg je mladom umjetniku financijski praktično nemoguće realizirati? Rekao bih da upravo u materijalu izvedbe započinje Vrljićeva trenutna dekonstrukcija tradicionalnog kiparenja kojom će premostiti jaz između tradicionalnog i suvremenog izraza. Svoje recentne skulpture izvodi u polistirenskim pločama koje slaže u potrebnu visinu, a potom rezanjem oblikuje u ciljanu formu. Pod Vrljićevom rukom doima se da je

riječ o podatnom materijalu koji dobro podnosi ne samo zahvate rezanja i brušenja, već i naknadne obrade materijalima i bojom kojim ih djelomično prekriva radi postizanja željenog estetskog učinka. A učinak je upravo radi korištenja suvremenih materijala i odluke da konačni izgled prikazuje ne samo izvorni materijal, već i postupke njegove primarne pripreme kao što su uslojenost i lijepljenje ploča, kao i njihova zelena i crvenkasta, gotovo mesna boja, izrazito suvremen. Vraćajući se na semantičke slojeve Vrljićevog rada, kao i u prethodnim ciklusima, izražena je njegova sklonost grotesknom u sadržaju i oblikovanju. Mogli bismo reći da i izabrana tema Opsade Oza, što zvuči kao obračun s društvom spektakla, pogoduje razvijanju njegove sklonosti da u interpretaciji stvarnosti krene od ciničnog komentara.

Umjetnost ne može promijeniti stvarnost, pa niti na nju utjecati, ali nitko u demokraciji ne može umjetniku zabraniti izražavanje svog stava. Može li se tvrditi da je za prikaz neautentične stvarnosti Vrljić namjerno izabrao sintetične, zamjenske materijale ili je riječ o ranije navedenom generalnom problemu produkcije, u suštini nije bitno jer je za razliku od svakodnevnice riječ o autentičnom kiparskom pothvatu.

—Branko Franceschi

NIKOLA VRLJIĆ OPSADA OZA THE SIEGE OF OZ

BIOGRAFIJA Nikola Vrljić je rođen 1980. godine u Zagrebu, gdje je 2007. diplomirao na kiparskom odsjeku na Akademiji likovnih umjetnosti.

Od 2003. godine izlagao je na ukupno 22 samostalne izložbe, a neke od recentnih su Građani u Galeriji Poola (2021.,Pula), Skup u Galeriji Antuna Augustinčića (2019., Klanjec), Odbjegli u Galeriji Josip Račić (2018., Zagreb).

Više je puta nagrađivan na natječajima za javne radove i spomenike te je izveo desetak javnih skulptura. Član je HZSU i HDLU. Živi i radi u Zagrebu.

Popis radova / list of works

OZYMANDIAS (I FAZA/STATE I), 2021.

211x185x175cm ekstrudirani polistiren, poliuretan, bambus, akrilna boja extruded polystyrene, polyurethane, bamboo, acrylic paint

SAMOOBRANA / SELF-DEFENSE, 2021.

61x120x123cm ekstrudirani polistiren, poliuretan, bambus, akrilni marker extruded polystyrene, polyurethane, bamboo, acrylic paint

ODBJEGLE SFINGE/ RUNAWAY SPHINXES, 2018.

DUNJA PARTENOPA, (SIRENA 1/SIREN 1), 2021.

I 158x318x100cm, II 154x270x120cm ekstrudirani polistiren, poliuretan, bambus, akrilna boja extruded polystyrene, polyurethane, bamboo, acrylic paint

186x83x108cm akrilna smola, pigment, drvo acrylic resin, pigment, wood

PUTOVANJA/ JOURNEYS, 2021.

254x246x60cm ektrudirani polistiren, poliuretan, bambus, akrilna boja extruded polystyrene, polyurethane, bamboo, acrylic paint

Impresum / Impressum Nakladnik / Publisher: Hrvatsko društvo likovnih umjetnika / Croatian Association of Fine Artists, Trg žrtava fašizma 16, 10 000 Zagreb, hdlu@hdlu.hr, www.hdlu.hr Za nakladnika / For the publisher: Tomislav Buntak, predsjednik / president Ravnateljica / Director: Ivana Andabaka Upravni odbor HDLU / Croatian Association of Artists Board: Tomislav Buntak (predsjednik / President), Josip Zanki (potpredsjednik / Vice president), Ida Blažičko (potpredsjednica / Vice president), Fedor Fischer, Monika Meglić, Alen Novoselec, Melinda Šefčić

DANAS/ TODAY, 2021.

195x80x126cm ekstrudirani polistiren, poliuretan, bambus, akrilna boja extruded polystyrene, polyurethane, bamboo, acrylic paint

Voditeljica galerije / Gallery coordinator: Nika Šimičić

Prijevod / Translation: Barbara Šarić

Umjetnički savjet Galerije Bačva / Bačva Gallery Advisory Board: Jelena Bando, Branka Benčić, Tomislav Buntak, Ivan Fijolić, Kristian Kožul, Marijana Stanić, Josip Zanki

Lektura / Proofreading: Zana Šaškin

Urednica kataloga / Catalogue Editor: Nika Šimičić

Tisak / Printed by: Sveučilišna tiskara Naklada / Edition: 100 Organizator / Organizer:

Grafičko oblikovanje kataloga / Catalogue Design: Zoran Đukić Fotografija / Photography: Damir Žižić Predgovor / Preface: Branko Franceschi

Uz potporu / Supported by: