Andrea Cihlar / Jugglers
Solo exhibition
Andrea Cihlar's first solo exhibition entitled Jugglers, in which this young artist from Zagreb presents a series of ten sculptures made in metal, in a combination of ready-made elements and goldsmithing techniques of metalworking. The exhibition problematizes the hustle and bustle of contemporary society and the complicated life situations that such a way of life brings, comparing the confrontation of an individual with juggling.
FROM THE PREFACE OF THE EXHIBITION
Delving deeply into the question of existentialism, man as an inexhaustible source of inspiration, irreplaceable and uniquely complex, with his diversity expands this theme from a mere artistic effect to a mature intra-sculptural discussion. The sculptural work Jugglers is a metaphor of contemporary life, with an emphasis on the individual as a unique, equal participant.
Building on his earlier painting work called Mechanisms, the backbone of which was the subjective experience of human life, this work wanted to expand its meaning. Pointing out the issue of the hustle and bustle of modern times, human existence tried to identify itself with juggling that requires many skills necessary for a modern man, trying to encourage the observer to become aware of his own inner strength.
"We are all the same in different ways", is the thought of the author, who through the presentation of juggling scenes as metaphorical interpretations of specific life situations in which we appear as "jugglers", brings the development, diversity and multidimensionality of the individual. Conceptually, this work is no longer exclusively an object or space, but a transformed theoretical and linguistic expression, manifested in the original visual language. The negation of objects as exclusively one-dimensional opens up the possibility of their reinterpretation in space, unconscious reading and interpretation as symbols of emotional meanings and experiences of the human body. Fictional dynamic spatial fantasies are not limited to projection in real space, but strive to completely occupy it – real space has come so close to the imaginary that the boundaries between them have been erased.
(…)
Sara Brašnović
BIOGRAPHY OF THE AUTHOR
Andrea Cihlar was born in 1990 in Zagreb, where she graduated from the School of Applied Arts and Design, Department of Metal Design. Her education continued at the Academy of Fine Arts, University of Zagreb, Department of Painting, under the mentorship of Prof. Ksenija Turčić. During her studies, as part of the student exchange program, she spent the winter semester at the Academy of Fine Arts in Munich (Akademie der Bildenden Künste München).
He obtained the title of Master of Painting in 2017, and additionally enrolled in a Master of Sculpture, which he successfully completed in 2018 under the mentorship of Prof. Dalibor Stošić.
So far, she has participated in many group juried exhibitions and competitions, as well as domestic and international workshops and projects, some of which are:
ArtiParti vol. 3 in Oris – House of Architecture; international exhibition "18th Miniatures", (ULS) Zaprešić; 7th Polish International Medal Project, "Heritage"; 10th Polish International Medal Project, "Faith"; "Bash ART" International Exhibition of Miniatures in Kursalon, Lipik and the Pakrac City Museum; exhibition "Together in Glass" in the Mimara Museum; exhibition "Animus" as part of the "Split Flower" event, Old Town Hall in Split.
She participated in the project and workshops as part of the international exhibition project Bauhaus – Networking of Ideas and Practice (BAUNET) in cooperation with the Museum of Contemporary Art in Zagreb; on the project "Short Circuit" (ALU+FER+FFZG) organized by the association KONTEJNER | bureau of contemporary art practice, and held her own workshop at the School of Applied Arts and Design in Zagreb called "Ambiguity".
The exhibition is financed by the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Croatia and the City Office for Culture of the City of Zagreb.
The exhibition at the Šira Gallery can be viewed during the Gallery's working hours (Mon-Fri: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., Saturdays: 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.) until July 30, 2019.