INTERWINED – Open Doors 2024

Monfort Gallery, Portorož, 4.04.25—25.05.25 |
Opening: Friday, 4.04.2025, at 19:00

The Istrian Peninsula has historically been an area of intertwined, fragmented entities and diverse political-cultural influences. This identity, shaped by both shared and distinct characteristics, connects the entire territory, which is today politically divided between Italy, Slovenia, and Croatia. The historical marginalization of the Croatian part of Istria is also reflected in contemporary art, where young artists, despite their excellence and innovation, remain without proper recognition in a broader national and international context due to their engagement within the local scene. The exhibition opens a space for questioning the contemporary Istrian art scene through the lens of migration, identity, ecologicalissues, and the reinterpretation of tradition.

The selected artists from the Croatian part of Istria (Alex Brajković, Eni Blašković, Glorija Blazinšek, Meri Files, Alison Ivašić, Anja Juričić, Gaia Radić, Gea Rajić, Marina Rajšić, Dora Ramljak, and Nina Turina) bring diverse approaches, media, techniques, and conceptual ideas, making the exhibition a space for dynamic dialogue between personal expression and shared cultural and social concerns. Through the selection of curators from the Piran Coastal Galleries, Slovenian artist Karmen Bradovent joins the exhibition, fully embodying the concept of intertwining. By connecting artists with different expressive methods, Intertwined emphasizes the inseparable bond between space, culture, and art, proving that artistic expressions, despite geopolitical borders, remain part of a shared, interwoven reality.

Stephanie Peršić

Curator: Stephanie Peršić, Coordination: Ana Papež