FROM THE SHIPYARD HAVE ECHOED
THE HAMMER BLOWS, THAT HAVE  BUILT COUNTLESS SHIPS

“35 YEARS OF ART WORKSHOP LAZARETI”

ART WORKSHOP LAZARETI, OTOK GALLERY

17 November – 9 December 2024

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In the text written on the occasion of the anniversary exhibition of Art Workshop Lazareti, Helena Puhara writes:

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“Art Workshop Lazareti, unobtrusively and without too much dramatic gesture, diligently and industriously, because the prog(res)/(ram) goes on, marks 35 years of existence. As they once ironically announced on a poster: You missed nine Quarantines, miss the tenth as well.

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Today we can say – paraphrasing the well‑known Latin saying that a name is a sign or destiny – the workshop, without looking back, moves forward with work. For us, when after a certain period of time we realize what it was that we missed then, new omissions will occur, because Art Workshop Lazareti is always one step ahead.

Therefore, this major ‘anniversary’ exhibition is not a classic retrospective. It is not dedicated to glorifying a famous past and highlighting all the protagonists who participated in various aspects of its work, but rather uses a large amount of documentary material, different objects, artistic works – including perhaps some authors we would not associate with the work of Art Workshop Lazareti, while omitting some who are indeed part of its foundations. In this way it constructs a living history of a time segment, viewed more broadly in terms of society and the context of work. And yet, no one is excluded. The concept of the exhibition and its installation was devised by Slaven Tolj, one of the initiators of Art Workshop Lazareti. It is also his view of the past period, which he layers on several levels, leaving interpretation to the observer, the user of the material offered. For the exhibition is visual, tactile, and cognitive. It covers the entire activity of this, we may freely call it, Institution. In addition to being an exhibition space for visual and performing arts, Art Workshop Lazareti functions as a socially engaged space with a thoughtful publishing activity, open to all – both renowned artistic names and amateurs.

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All of this can be read from this spatial diary. The astonishing variety of program activities that left us room to reflect on a different Dubrovnik is well documented. The needle on the imaginary scale of ARL’s influence on the contemporary art scene, not only locally, would be in constant motion. From major exhibitions that changed the perspective of the West towards contemporary art of this region – such as Place and Destiny, Island, Overview of the Situation in the South, or the exhibition Collector Dubrovnik which mobilized the memory of the wider community – through the vibrant concert scene, iconic performances (such as the appearance of the New York experimental theatre troupe La Mama with Seven Against You on Lokrum), or the first performances of BAD.co or Saša Božić, co‑productions in contemporary dance or dramaturgical‑radio stagings, to highly engaged battles for public space – we initiated an unstoppable avalanche that defies systematization.

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Works by great figures of Croatian contemporary art, Dubrovnik authors, international artists, friends, acquaintances, passers‑by – whoever and whatever you can imagine – are found in this Rubik’s cube of an exhibition, which we can turn and rearrange in countless variations.

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Ivan Kožarić, Tomislav Gotovac / Antonio G. Lauer, Mladen Stilinović, Antun Maračić, Vlasta Delimar, Goran Trbuljak, Boris Cvjetanović, Ana Opalić, Vlado Martek, Tina Gverović, Marko Ercegović, Mara Bratoš, Ivona Vlašić, Luko Piplica, Ivana Dražić Selmani, Ana Požar Piplica, Ivana Pegan, Pasko Burđelez, Sven Klobučar, Nives Sertić… It is almost impossible to list all the artists woven into the fundamental register of Art Workshop Lazareti, whose documentary imprint or artistic work is presented in this exhibition. Not to mention all the other artists whom Slaven Tolj, on this occasion, invites and includes in the broader picture, in the wider artistic horizon, in the community of multiple perspectives – 35 years back and forward.

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The exhibition 35 Years of Art Workshop Lazareti functions as a processual format unfolding in the interaction between visitors and the heterogeneous material on display. Or, as Barak Reiser, one of the artists from ARL’s rich residency program, said in his work: No matter what I tell you, your mind will create its own image. Here, that is precisely what is expected of you.”

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Helena Puhara

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ART WORKSHOP LAZARETI,

Otok Gallery 17 November – 9 December 2024

Text: Helena Puhara, Josip Klaić Curator: Slaven Tolj

Exhibition design: Slaven Tolj

Technical setup: Nikša Vukosavić