Culture Tips

Slavko Kopač, HDLU Archive

New reLeASeS eVeNtS 100 yeArS oF BerNArDo BerNArDi cULtUre Hot SpotS toys - ChIldhood Forever MIroslav krleža - 40 years on

www.deezer.com/hr/album/269855552

New reLeASeS

Matija Dedić dedicated his new album to the great singer-songwriters, strong vocalists and women who marked his life.

Croatian Actor nikša Kušelj’s CD is available on all streaming services. You’ll also find the video for the song “Grandezza” which nikša directed. the album features ten compositions filled with metaphors of the sea, the artist’s hometown of Dubrovnik, as well as theatre and film.

Slavko Kopač, HDLU Archive

eVeNtS

17.12 - 27.03 » slAVKO KOpAč A multimedia exhibition on slavko Kopač shows the work of a Croatian artist who belongs to the top achievements of domestic and world art, and strongly marked the French and european art scene of the second half of the 20th century. Associating with worldrenowned artists such as Jean Dubuffet, André Breton and Michel tapié, he created trends in Paris, the world’s art centre. the exhibition will show a selection of Kopač’s most excellent paintings and sculptures from private collections and museum institutions and will provide an insight into the cultural circumstances of the cities where the artist worked (Vinkovci, Zagreb, Florence, Mostar, Paris). the exhibition will extend through all the exhibition spaces of Meštrović’s pavilion and will include the exterior, where various installations will be placed. QE-3, Home of HDLu, trg žrtava fašizma 16.

12.07 » dIAnA KrAll on July 12, 2022, the Vatroslav lisinski Concert hall in Zagreb will host the famous Canadian jazz singer and pianist Diana Krall, who is coming to Zagreb as part of her new world tour. QI-3, vatroslav Lisinski Concert Hall, trg stjepana radića 4, tel. (+385-1) 612 11 11, www.lisinski.hr.

Photo by Mary McCartney

20.04 - 19.06 » yOuTH sAlOn the Youth Salon in its 36th year is a traditional manifestation of hDlu. the main concept of the Youth salon is Parasites, i.e. it wants to “gather parasites, intruders, pests and nuisances as guests”, as intruders and as hosts who are aware, artistic procedures penetrate existing structures and explore new systems…in parallel with the curatorial concept of the 36th Youth salon, the exhibition ‘Situation in Additional Exhibition Spaces’ will be presented with the aim of presenting and representing the widest possible crosssection of fine art research and the work of younger artists. Qwww.salonmladih. hdlu.hr/en.

25.04 » frAnz fErdInAnd one of the biggest foreign guest appearances in Zagreb 2022 is part of the hits to the head tour, and it is accompanied by an album of the biggest hits with which the band has conquered the world and will be presented live in the spring.QH-3, Dom sportova, trg Krešmira ćosića 11, tel. (+385-1) 365 03 33, 200 - 230kn.

Bernardo Bernardi, 1961., MUO Archives

100 yeArS oF BerNArDo BerNArDi

December 2021 saw the centenary of the birth of Bernardo Bernardi (1921-1985) the designer and architect who was a key player in the culture of Croatia in the decades following World War ii.

to mark the occasion the Grey Area arts association has organized a sequence of events and an exhibition in Bernardi’s home town of Korčula, helping to reveal just how influential figure he was. A keen proponent of modernist styles who was very much the total artist, he designed buildings, interiors and furniture for a range of buildings that characterized the progressive, go-ahead Croatian Republic of the 1950s and 1960s.

he is arguably most famous for his chairs, which were featured in many of his interior-design projects, and whose simple elegance is much revered by the designers of today. the Zaostatak interijera (“Remains of the interior”) exhibition is at the Korčula town Museum until March 16 2022. www.gm-korcula.com.hr

Bernardo Bernardi Gallery Archives

cULtUre Hot SpotS

ArT wOrKsHOp lAzArETI the former quarantine houses – which now houses an artists’ community, including workshops and ARl gallery. Contemporary local art of an excellent standard. QFrana supila 8, Dubrovnik, www. facebook.com/ArL.Dbk. open 11:0020:00.

AzImuT Club this is the main actor of the Šibenik alternative scene. situated inside now-dry wells, built in 1453, it’s is a home to urban culture. here you will find various contemporary exhibitions, several fascinating art installations, all part of Azimut’s atmosphere and underground world. topped with live concerts and music, its shaded terrace is a place you’ll want to visit to relax, where you can hang out while sipping a cool glass of culture.Qobala palih omladinaca 2, šibenik, www.azimut.art/. open 09:00-24:00. bOOK CAffE dnEVnI bOrAVAK For those of you wondering, the café translation is ‘the living Room’ and it is in the atmosphere here that does justice to the café’s name. Friendly staff, very unpretentious, occasional live music, new album and book promotions, literary nights are a plus. there is a separate room for non-smokers which serves as a gallery with regular exhibitions.QCiottina 12a, rijeka. open 07:00-24:00; sat 09:0024:00; sun 16:00-24:00. bOTAnIčAr Perhaps oddly located in one sense, but perfectly in another, Botaničar is a mix of art gallery, café, culture venue, situated only a few minutes from the Botanical Garden. this part of the city seems to attract ‘underground’ venues, and it’s easy to see why. here you will find book launches, poetry nights and, more importantly, somewhere peaceful to enjoy your tea or coffee. Qtrg Marka Marulića 6, Zagreb, www. facebook.com/BotanicarZagreb/. open 08:00-23:00; sun 11:00-19:00.

Gallery Gina Archives

CAffE gAllEry gInA Wildly popular after dark, good music, a tiny art gallery and an older crowd all crammed into a little space in an atmospheric stone street.Qvaroška 2, Zadar. open 08:00-24:00. KC mEsnIčKA A small club in the Zagreb city centre, especially productive with literary evenings, exhibitions, jazz jam sessions, live concerts and dj sets. the upper part of the club is great for drinking coffee, while the music events are held in the smaller basement.QMesnička 12, Zagreb, tel. (+385) 091 604 00 70. open 07:00-24:00. pOnEšTrICA the name of the store is a local word for a small window and in it you will find works by artisans and artists mainly from Rijeka and its surrounding areas. Ceramics, painting, handicrafts and designer jewelry are on offer and you will surely be able to choose the right gift for everyone in here. in addition, this is a wonderful venue for readers’ meetings and various creative workshops.Qtrg 128.Brigade Hrvatske vojske 3A, rijeka, www.ponestrica.hr/. open 09:30-17:00; closed sat, sun. zAdArT Devotees to art ought to know that the exhibition space of the ZadArt! Gallery is where new exhibits are held every three weeks on average. All forms of art and visual art by not only Croatian but also foreign artists can be seen. Art for all, both big and small!QKovačka 3, Zadar. open open10:00-12:00, 18:00-21:00:00, 18:0021:00; closed sun.

toys - ChIldhood Forever

Are you ready for a nostalgic journey to the past? the new project of the Zagreb’s Ethnographic Museum which is open till May 2022, will remind us of the carefree world of our childhood and teach us about traditional and modern toy design.

the central exhibition of the project was conceived as a journey through the history of Croatian toys and children’s games from the held collections of the ethnographic Museum, from the end of the 19th century to the present day. traditional toys, especially those from the hrvatsko Zagorje region, which are listed as non-tangible heritage of the unesCo’s Representative list, are hereby introduced to children and adults in an educational and appealing manner.

As part of the exhibition, visitors can also enjoy watching popular Croatian cartoons such as ‘Professor Balthazar’ and ‘little Flying Bears’, produced by Zagreb Film, a partner of this project.

if that wasn’t enjoyable enough, you can choose to see any of eleven guest exhibitions from other museums across the city which have presentations on the first floor of the Museum. the Museum of Arts and Crafts, the Croatian history Museum, the Croatian school Museum, the Archaeological Museum, the nikola tesla technical Museum, the Croatian sports Museum and the Museum of Contemporary Art have come together to jointly present traditional, artistic and industrial toys manufactured in Croatia.

the exhibition also showcases the work of notable Croatian artists who have cooperated with wellknown foreign clients and museums. established toy designers, Jasmina Kosanović and lea Vavra, have personally been involved in the preparation of the project.

Additionally, on the ground floor of the museum, as part of the permanent exhibition of the Collection of non-european Cultures, there is an exhibition ‘Playing around the World’, with interesting and exciting toy exhibits from Asia, south America, Africa and Australia.

For the entire duration of the exhibition, visitors will have a chance to participate in educational workshops and themed exhibitions organized by other museums of Zagreb.

Visiting ‘toys - Childhood Forever’ will brighten up this gloomy season by your participating in something fun and entertaining. take your children, grandchildren and friends to the ethnographic Museum and you’ll be transported to the carefree time where one enjoyed the world of imagination and play.

Photo by Matija Dronjić

MIroslav krleža - 40 years on

Wikipedia may well describe Miroslav Krleža as “the greatest Croatian writer of the 20th century” but how widely read is he? And should you bother getting hold of his books?

December 29 2021 will mark forty years since the death of Krleža, the Zagreb-born poet, novelist, dramatist and thinker who towered like a colossus over the Croatian literary scene. Many of his works are considered canonical in his own country, and he has been celebrated internationally as one of the key voices of Central european modernism. however english-language translations of his work are disappointingly meager for someone of his stature, and he is far too often unfairly dismissed as someone who you ought to get to grips with if you are really serious about such things but you can skip if you just want a good read.

Born in 1893, Krleža served in the Austro-hungarian army in World War i before becoming the central figure of Zagreb’s inter-war literary scene. he was a communist supporter right from the start, but disagreed with the strict cultural policies favoured by the communists during the stalin-dominated 1930s, and became associated with a more maverick, free-thinking form of Marxism. held at arms length by Yugoslavia’s leaders in the years immediately after World War ii, he was nevertheless a firm supporter of tito’ new course after 1948 and became something of a cultural ambassador for communist Yugoslavia, travelling with tito on many of the latter’s state visits.

the political side of Krleža often obscures how much pure literature resides in his books. his most famous novel is the Return of Philip latinowicz published in 1932, about a painter who returns home after a long period of estrangement and drifts into a directionless and slightly depraved group of middle-class losers ruined by war and economic dislocation. it’s an engaging period piece with existential overtones, although it is not as powerful as on the edge of Reason (1938), a bona-fide european classic which explores social hypocrisy with biting sarcasm and has a pretty decent english translation.

on no account attempt to start your explorations of Krleža with the Banquet in Blitva, a strangely lifeless satire of authoritarian politics in an imaginary Baltic country. it will put you off him for life. As yet untranslated in english is Zastave (“Flags”), an epic chronicle of Croatian family life in peace and war.

People who feel daunted by Krleža’s grumpy intellectualism and who really need an alternative point of entry should definitely try Journey to Russia, a modernist travel book written in the 1920s but translated quite recently (and with great fluency) by Will Firth.

Zagreb City Museum Archives

FoLLoW us

www.instagram.com/croatiainyourpocketart/

DIANA KRALL

T O U R 2 0 2 2