NMMU: With the exhibition Zapis 245, currently on view at the Josip Račić Gallery, the National Museum of Modern Art awarded you as the best young artist at the 7th Painting Biennale. What does this award mean to you, and which works are you presenting in the exhibition that Zagreb’s cultural public can visit until August 29?

Iva Zagoda: The award from the National Museum of Modern Art means a great deal to me—not only as recognition of my work so far, but also as an encouraging responsibility. It reminds me of the obligation I have to my own artistic expression, as well as to the audience that follows my work. This kind of institutional support for young artists is extremely important, as it opens space for further development and exploration.

At Zapis 245, I’m presenting nine works: six small-format paintings, one large-format painting, one sculpture, and one spatial installation. All the paintings were created using a mixed media technique on canvas—acrylic, oil, charcoal, chalk, pastel—and I used linen and twill fabrics as a base.

These works were created over the past year as a kind of recording of movement—subtle, everyday, often imperceptible, but ever-present in my surroundings. The title Zapis 245 logically stems from that idea; it’s a visual archive of movements and impulses from 2024 and 2025.

What’s new compared to my previous exhibitions is the variety of media—I’ve combined painting, sculpture, and installation. I deliberately placed them in dialogue with one another to explore their collective potential within the gallery space. I was curious about how these different forms—two-dimensional and three-dimensional—can coexist, complement, or even contrast with each other. The role of the space itself was important to me, particularly in terms of how the works interact with it.

NMMU: What was your first encounter with art?
Iva Zagoda: My first contact with art happened very early in my childhood. I grew up in an environment where visual expression was naturally a part of everyday life—especially at my grandparents’ house. My grandmother is a self-taught painter, my grandfather was a photographer, and my uncle is also a painter, so art was literally present in every corner of the home.

NMMU: Who discovered your artistic talent?
Iva Zagoda: Honestly, I don't know if anyone could say they “discovered” my artistic talent. Most people were actually quite surprised when I decided to apply to the Academy of Fine Arts. Still, my grandparents were my biggest supporters from the beginning. Their home was filled with art, and I believe that's where my artistic sensitivity first formed.
Interestingly, I didn’t attend any art workshops as a child. My parents initially steered me more toward music—that was the first talent they recognized. My father played guitar daily, my mother often joined in singing, and the whole household was filled with music, especially the new wave that shaped their generation.
As for artistic role models, I didn’t have anyone specific. But there’s one vivid memory I still carry: one day, my uncle was loading his easel and painting supplies into a red Renault 4. I stood there, completely captivated by the scene, and thought to myself—I want to have all of that one day too.
But the person without whom I definitely wouldn’t have enrolled in the Academy is Professor Igor Modrić, who prepared and encouraged me for the entrance exam. At that point, I had almost no technical knowledge.

NMMU: You graduated from the Classical Gymnasium in Zagreb. When did you realize you wanted to enroll at the Academy of Fine Arts, and was there ever an alternative?
Iva Zagoda: I had actually applied to study Art History and missed the cut by just 0.3 points—even though I was among the top 10% on the entrance exam. That moment made me stop and really think about why that kind of “coincidence” happened. When I looked at things from that angle, I made a list of all my interests, and after summing it up, I realized that the Art Education Department at the Academy was the right choice for me. At that point, I decided there was no alternative. I worked hard and prepared for the entrance exam.

NMMU: Where does your love of music come from, and how does it influence your work?
Iva Zagoda: My parents enrolled me in synthesizer lessons—I'm not sure why exactly, probably because it was popular and close to home. But soon after, the school advised them to enroll me in a proper music school, so I started learning guitar the following year.
I listen to everything that has “soul” or that certain “something.” It’s hard to explain it any other way.
Besides music, I’m also drawn to sounds that relax me—most of all, birdsong and the sound of water.

NMMU: If you could describe yourself in colors, which ones would you choose?
Iva Zagoda: It’s hard to limit myself to just one or two colors—I would use all of them. But if I had to choose a few, I’d instinctively go with dark pine green and plush pink.

NMMU: How important is your relationship with the curator? Do you let go and trust the process, or do you actively participate in how your work is presented?
Iva Zagoda: The relationship with the curator is extremely important to me. It’s a dialogue that can greatly enrich the exhibition and open up new questions about one’s own work. I actively participate in the process of shaping the exhibition and presenting the works, because I believe every collaboration is a chance to broaden perspectives and push personal boundaries.

NMMU: In which museums around the world would you like to see your work exhibited?
Iva Zagoda: I honestly haven’t thought about that yet.

NMMU: Which cities would you like to visit, which ones do you always return to, and where might you want to live one day?
Iva Zagoda: In the near future, I’d love to visit Paris, Amsterdam, and Madrid, and explore most of their galleries and museums. I always enjoy returning to Venice. I really love Zagreb—I’m not sure which other city I’d like to live in, but northern Italy is probably the closest I’ve come to considering moving somewhere else.

NMMU: What do you consider your greatest success so far?
Iva Zagoda: Not giving up.

Interviewed by: Lana Šetka © Nacional Museum of Modern Art, Zagreb
Photo: Goran Vranić © Nacional Museum of Modern Art, Zagreb