"Exhibition Y-Z, Construction Site of a New Generation" – featuring Mihael Bađun, Lora Elezović, Bartol Galović, Tomislav Hršak, Nikica Jurković, Mihael Klanjčić, Luka Kušević, Emanuela Lekić, Mia Matijević Akrap, Vida Meić, John Miličić, Alba Miočev, Luisa Pascu, Manuela Pauk, Nikola Pjevačević, Jurica Pušenjak, Josip Rončević, Matej Vuković, and Iva Zagoda – opened on April 17th at the Octagon of the Museum of Contemporary Art (NMMU). The event was addressed by Branko Franceschi, Director of the National Museum of Modern Art, and the exhibition concept was presented by curator Marta Radman, also the author of the accompanying catalog text. The exhibition was officially opened by the Minister of Culture and Media of the Republic of Croatia, Dr. Nina Obuljen Koržinek.
The Zagreb cultural public can view the exhibition until June 17, 2025. The graphic design of the catalog in both Croatian and English, which will be presented later, is by Ana Zubić.
Curator Marta Radman on the exhibition: The focus of the exhibition is the work of the new generation of artists in traditional art disciplines, at a time when the Museum has been moved from its headquarters, and Zagreb's cultural infrastructure is still operating under conditions of reconstruction. The Octagon, the new exhibition space of NMMU, which will soon also undergo renovation, symbolizes the city's transition during the rebuilding process and the generation that arises in these circumstances.
The exhibition features works by artists from the so-called Y and Z generations, who graduated from art academies after 2015, with works created between 2022 and 2025. Although they start from traditional media, the artists question them through experimentation and reduction.
In the paintings, the figure, ornament, and landscape appear as traces, rhythm, or structure, while color loses its illusionistic function, and repetition and detail build the rhythm of the composition. Sculptures are made from paper, ceramics, and found materials – simple yet expressive elements shaped into suggestive structures.
The artists are thematically connected by a sense of time and memory, while methodologically they emphasize repetition and the process of execution. Generationally, they are defined by a similar educational path, limited working conditions, and production, as well as an uncertain institutional framework. It is precisely under these circumstances that the works of their generation emerge – intellectually clear, concentrated, and strong in confronting the medium that shapes them.
📷 Goran Vranić and the NMMU archive © National Museum of Modern Art, Zagreb