Taking up two floors of the Museum of Contemporary Art (MSU) in Zagreb, the exhibition Sanja Iveković: Works of Heart (1970-2023) chronicles the artistic journey of one of Croatia’s most prominent and important living artists.
Beautifully conceived, the exhibition immediately greets visitors with a simple diptych of Iveković’s photography – one of many mediums the artist works within – portraying the same cinema in Zagreb, both before and after transition from Socialism into capitalism. In one image, people wait in a queue outside of Kino Balkan, and in the other, taken later, they wait in front of Kino Europa.
Clearly communicated are some of the intentions at the core of Iveković’s work and that become apparent throughout the rest of the exhibition: social critique, the interrogation of the public space as a medium of communication and the simple power of juxtaposition.
Visitors will see, throughout the white halls, walls and floors of the museum space, everything from the artist’s student work all the way through to 2023, including a remarkable series of poster-collages produced during the lockdowns of the pandemic. Iveković’s strong feminist messaging and critique of systemic political dominance are present throughout the exhibition, and the wide variety of media and form used to convey these ideas are striking.
The exhibition runs until this Sunday, January 7. This is the very first retrospective of the MoMA-featured artist in her home city, and as such represents an incredible opportunity for art-lovers (both casual and passionate) to see a wonderfully curated cross-section of Sanja Iveković’s work in the city most intimately connected to her development. Don’t miss out!
Where: Museum of Contemporary Art (MSU), Avenija Dubrovnik 17
When: Until Sunday, January 7
Tickets: €6