The Bridges project is a visiting exhibition by young Rijeka artists and students of the Academy of Applied Arts in Rijeka, as well as independent artists from Rijeka and Zagreb. It will take place at the DobraVaga gallery. The exhibition represents the continuation of the cooperation with the Ljubljana art scene, which began on 30th November 2015 with the Common Space exhibition in the Kortil Gallery in Rijeka.
The aims of the exhibition are the formation of local and regional connections, establishing a long-term intercultural dialogue, positioning Rijeka artists on the map of the European art and cultural network, increasing the visibility of the new generations on the Croatian art scene, and maintaining the existing cooperation with the Ljubljana cultural and artistic production. The exhibition actively encourages young artists to present themselves and their work outside of their home town and accessible gallery spaces. In addition to individual visual solutions and authentic artistic expressions, the exchange of experience and artistic practice is a very important part of this regional initiative.
The authors communicate via similar traditional and modern artistic expressions, which include various painting media, encaustic painting, graphics, photography, interdisciplinary approaches and the use of found and recycled materials. Works by artists Anita Kos, Tifani Rubi, Mislav Lešić, Dorijan Šikić, Zoe Miloša, Marga Božanić, Michel Mesarić, Pekmezmed, Ivan Blažetić Šumskog and the Artu Ditu collective were combined into a curatorial concept by young Master of Art History Katarina Podobnik. The opening of the visiting exhibit will be accompanied by a performance by the experimental music group Wuna from Rijeka.
The project is supported by the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Croatia, the City of Rijeka and the Student Cultural Centre in Rijeka. It is organised by the Art History Association of Rijeka, Creative Cluster Kombinat and Kino Šiška.