Artist on Vacation
09 - 16 July 2018
Avantgarde Museum
Poreč, Croatia
Since 2012, the Artist on Vacation project has gathered, hosted and presented to the public a number of internationally prestigious artists who create on the legacy of historical Avant-gardes, as well as artists who continue the practice of radical art and further develop its aesthetics. In the summer months, Poreč becomes a vacation spot for international artists. In collaboration with Valamar Riviera d.d., the Institute for the Research of Avant-Garde and Marinko Sudac Collection artists are invited to spend a week at an exclusive hotel and vacation on the beautiful Istrian peninsula.
The project was created by Marinko Sudac as an extension of the activities of the Museum of Avant-Garde, the Institute for the Research of Avant-Garde and Marinko Sudac Collection. It complements the Collection’s mission, and gives affirmation to the artists in the social, cultural and artistic contexts. The mission of the Artists on Vacation project is to show the various legacies of the original Avant-Garde movement that have developed in different countries and contexts.
The entire driving force behind our project is to present the participating artists to the Croatian public. The project is an effort to connect all the activities that aim to bring together the historical Avant-Gardes and present them to the public in a direct way, outside of an institutional environment. Artists get an opportunity to meet other artists, but also theorists, art historians, and museum professionals. This exchange of ideas and influences brings about personal and artistic developments and paves way to new collaborations and projects. Every year, there is an exclusive one day exhibition organized during the Project.
The Artist on Vacation is a unique project because it does not put any requirements on the artist. We give artists an opportunity to spend their vacation in some of the best and most beautiful environments on the Adriatic coast. There, the artists can rest, swim, eat local Croatian food, explore the city and the Croatian culture and recharge their creative energy. Being exposed to such lovely environment and having the time to relax is often inspiring to artists, and many of our participating artists had decided to turn Poreč into their unofficial studio and create new art.
Each year, at the end of the Project, a grand exhibition of works created during the Artist on Vacation project, as well as a presentation of the participating artists is organized at the Museum of Contemporary Art Zagreb. The Artist on Vacation exhibition marks the start of a new exhibition season in Zagreb.
Also, a catalogue of a year’s project is produced. The catalogue contains all the information about the project, the participating artists, their stay at Poreč, their works etc. What is really interesting is that the catalogue is printed in over 100 000 copies. That makes our Artist on Vacation project catalogue the most printed museum catalogue in Croatia (and even the region).