x

Member Log-In

Don't have an account? Register here.

Europe

Igor Grubic
Small contemplative actions (366 Liberation Rituals series)

The series 366 Liberation Rituals by Igor Grubic gathers a number of actions related to the artist’s micro-politics. They materialize as a plurality of pointers that destabilize reality and interrogate our outlook on the political historicity of former Yugoslavia. These actions were realized over the course of the year the artist turned forty and revolved for one part around the revolutionary movement of 1968 and on the other on the informal group called Grupa šestorice autora (Group of Six Authors)* which was active in Zagreb between 1975 and 1979. Each group of images refers to a short precise action and the label documents the artist’s gesture, as well as the context in which it was done. *Mladen Stilinovic, Zeljko Jerman, Boris Demur, Fedomir Vucemilovic, Sven Stilinovic, and Vlado Martek.

Having started his carrier as an activist artist, Igor Grubic became known in 1998 through an action made in tribute to the group RED PERISTYL that had painted in red, the floor in front of Diocletian’s Palace in Split as a provocative gesture against totalitarism. Thirty years later, he reactivated this gesture as a response to a different context in which nationalism and corruption are appearing in different countries of the former Communist bloc experiencing a period of transition. Since then he has performed symbolic actions in the public space recalling May 68 political, as well as anti-fascist, values. His belief in the necessity of individual action is strong. In order to address social and political topics, he prefers using the transgressive power of poetic language rather than critical discourse. Igor Grubic has participated in many international exhibitions including Manifesta.