New Art in New Zagreb

 

First, let me draw your attention to the most beautiful feature of this photograph: the blue, clear skies. Yes, it's true: spring is near, and this Saturday in Zagreb the sun decided to make its debut after a very extended gray winter. After walking around downtown and absorbing some sun, Mike took me to the brand new Museum of Contemporary Art in New Zagreb. We live in Old Zagreb and typically spend most our time in the older side of the city, so seeing the new side was a nice change. You know you've been in Europe for too long when modern buildings and shopping malls are comforting...

Anyhow, like the modern art museums in Budapest and Vienna, the building itself was as minimalistic as possible and hung its art on unadorned white concrete walls. However, one aspect that was really interesting, both up close and from afar was the dark panels of windows on each level you can pictured. Inside each of those glass sections are panels of LED lights (it looks like a giant Lite Bright), which scroll words and photos incessantly.

  

Given its vivid - often crazy - exhibitions (which really favored nudity to clothing), the sparse space was welcome. There were three huge levels of every medium of art: paintings, photographs, video installations, sculptures, found art, etc., primarily from Croatian artists. This piece I am standing by was a recreation of tiny, squared living spaces like bathrooms, living rooms, etc.,  repeated and scattered around a chess board. I learned of its metaphor while I was at the museum, but now it's escaping me... I believe it was a commentary on the modern game of life and the transitory idea of what home is - some existential thinking like that...  Since I wanted to engage in this higher thinking, I bought the audio guide so I could learn more about each piece, but it was clear the curators can't always explain the work, so they would revert to giving biographical information on each artist instead. Thus, this is why I can't remember most artists' motivations. However, this is probably a better way to view the work - interpreting it as I please.

  

This was my favorite piece, called "Four Seasons - Grave of an Unknown Computer." I enjoyed the beautiful composition and tongue-in-cheek title which I thought was a witty commentary on our modern relationship with technology.

  

Now this piece on the other hand, was Mike's least favorite piece of artwork presented at the Museum. As to the symbolism, your guess is as good as ours. 

  

Perhaps the highlight of the huge museum was how you got to exit it: through a steep, curly slide fixated in the center of the museum. You could either take the plunge from the second story or the third, and being the daredevils we are, we chose the highest peak. Here I am, about to make my exit.