November 20–December 20, 2014
Opening: November 20, 6–8pm
Garis & Hahn
263 Bowery
New York, NY 10002
ikonartsfoundation.org
www.garisandhahn.com
Ikon Arts Foundation is pleased to present Notes on Undoing, a group exhibition of established and emerging Croatian artists curated by Branka Benčić. The show features photography, film, drawing, painting and mixed-media work by Igor Eškinja, Vlatka Horvat, Igor Grubić, Tina Gverović, Zlatko Kopljar, Dino Zrnec, Marko Tadić, Damir Očko, Hrvoje Slovenc, Viktor Popović, and Ljiljana Mihaljević.
Notes on Undoing is the first survey of Croatian contemporary art in New York City. The exhibition will run from November 20 to December 20, with an opening reception at Garis & Hahn from 6 to 8pm on November 20.
Notes on Undoing brings together a group of artists with a shared cultural heritage and diverse practices all centered on exposing, unpacking and exploring the dominant assumptions that inform the perspectives of the artist and his or her audience. The viewer might observe these artists tackling their practices with disparate yet connected approaches: with an interest in universal human experiences such as the way the body or an object relates to its environment; and alternately with an interest in the experiences particular to being an artist, for example the relationship between the artist and the institution, or the presentation of work in a space.
Curator Branka Benčić elaborates further: “Artistic positions engage with issues of (re)presentation, structure and construction of the work of art, or the act of ‘exhibiting’ itself, pointing to tensions between the observer and the observed, exploring spatial relationships and interactions between objects.”
In the range of approaches exhibited in Notes on Undoing, the viewer may observe the ways in which these artists’ deconstruct and “undo” the assumptions and structures around them, while at the same time their works create and reveal new frameworks and relationships in all of these realms.
Linda Mateljan, the foundation’s Director, writes: “Ikon Arts Foundation was established to inspire engagement with Croatian creative culture by offering insight and exposure to Croatian artists, designers and filmmakers. As Notes on Undoing is the inaugural exhibition for Ikon Arts Foundation in New York City, we wanted to show the breadth of high-quality work being produced in Croatia, which not only provides us with engaging visions of the world, but also with provocative perspectives that expand the possibilities for our intellectual and aesthetic growth. These perspectives are specific to Croatian artistic practice, as well as being relevant to the contemporary art context in the New York City, and internationally.”
Ikon Arts Foundation is proud to have the opportunity to present this landmark exhibition of Croatian contemporary art in conjunction with Garis & Hahn.
Notes on Undoing is proudly supported by the Ministry of Culture Republic of Croatia, the Department of Culture of the City of Zagreb, the Department of Culture of the City of Split, the Department of Culture of the City of Pula, Garis & Hahn, Duggal Visual Solutions and 567Global, Ikon Arts Foundation and its supporters.
About Ikon Arts Foundation
Ikon Arts Foundation was established in 2013 with a vision to inspire engagement with Croatian creative culture in the USA. Headquartered in New York City, Ikon Arts Foundation produces the Ikon Review digital platform, art and design exhibitions, film screenings, and creative marketing projects. Ikon Arts Foundation is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt not-for-profit organization.
