PHOTOS: New Artistic Work on Steps to Zagreb’s Dolac Markets

Mislav Lešić – Okolo

“AROUND”, a new project launched in cooperation with Zagreb Tourist Board that will present a series of small art installations and urban interventions; French artists Oak Oak, Levalet and Scenocosme will leave their trace in Zagreb.

A new project dedicated to the artistic exploration of Zagreb – “Around” – will be held until 22nd July, bringing life to a number of public city spaces by staging small interventions in the city itself, turning these spaces into places where art spontaneously touches everyday city life.

Over twenty sites in the heart of downtown Zagreb have been handed over “carte blanche” to artists. They explore solutions for attracting people’s attention to the site’s beauty and uniqueness, for discovering the potential in neglected and “empty” spaces, and some new dimensions of spaces that are being used. At the same time, these sites will be connected and mapped as places worth of stopping and reflecting.

One popular piece on social media has been Mislav Lešić’s piece on the steps leading up to Dolac farmers’ markerts in Zagreb.

Mislav Lešić

Some interventions invite you to interact with and to use the space, other will point you towards some new and more beautiful reality, while some will bring in lots of humour, sometimes forgotten in the business of everyday life.

Regardless if you are there by chance or choice, you are given a reason to stop, look around, think about it and have fun! And then to look for more interventions, taking part in exploring and discovering Zagreb by doing so.

Ana Elizabet

This year’s introductory edition of “Around” project will include “conversations” with the city and people passing by facilitate by several Croatian participants and by well known French street art performers Oak Oak and Levalet, that will innovate in over ten different city sites. Artistic duo Scenocosme will present interactive sound installation Akousmaflore in Kranjčar Gallery, featuring plants in main roles.

Scenocosme

Oak Oak is known by his play with urban elements and by conquering city streets with poetic and humorous characters. Particularly dedicated to detail in his interventions, his works are often miniature and hidden.

He left his footprint on city streets in France, the Netherlands, Spain, Belgium and Japan and he also cooperated with galleries in Los Angeles and New York City. In addition, Levalet’s interesting combinations of drawings and street art installations create vivid characters that communicate with architecture and that are developing in dialogue with existing surroundings, while Gregory Lasserre and Anais met den Ancxt, artists behind Scenocosme, explore viewer’s actions and reactions using interactive installations and works in visual and digital art, combining technology and living elements.

Ana Elizabet

Embedded under the common name “Around”, interventions within this project still do have its unique character, individual approach and an element of sudden appearance. Every artist or collective intervenes with the city space in different time, not aligned with other existing or future interventions.

This year’s “Around” is named “Intro”, anticipating more sites, more artists and more artistic expression in years to come. The Event is produced by Nas dve (Two of us), i.e. Ana Mikin and Tina Kovačićek, supported by Zagreb Tourist Board and French Institute.

Everybody is invited to this unique artistic Zagreb walkabout.