JADRANKA BELEVSKI
Necrohaphe / Touch of Death
GLASS AS A SOURCE
The Museum of Ancient Glass has, over the past 15 years since its opening, developed into an institution that systematically studies and presents glass dating to the time span from antiquity to the modern era. It is an example of an institution that has been intensively developing in a special way from the very beginning. The museum was founded as a specialist archaeological museum for ancient glass, and it is precisely this specialist concept that has conditioned its expansion into various fields, both scientific and artistic. The invention of glass dates back to the middle of the third millennium BC and is considered the first artificial human creation. These two historical references to glass alone are fascinating, especially when viewed in light of the fact that glass is a material that is present in every aspect of human life today. The presentation of glass from ancient Iader in the space of the classicist Cosmacendi Palace, where the Museum is located, was further emphasized by a demonstration of glass blowing, a skill that cannot be seen anywhere else in Croatia. An additional step forward was made with regard to contemporary glass art, as artists working in this medium have been presented at numerous exhibitions since the opening of the Museum. The Museum already has a respectable collection of glass works of art, and this year the First Croatian Art Glass Biennale was launched precisely with the aim of promoting Croatian artists. One of the selected participants was Silvio Vujičić, a visual artist and fashion designer, who works in the media of graphics, sculpture, installations and performance, and glass is another subject of his interest.
“Footprints in the Sand – Study for Portraits of Sneakers (Nike Zoom, Nike Shox R4, Nike Intenational, Nike Internationalist by SV)”, a triptych of glass relief panels from the “Conflict Garden” series was made exactly for the aforementioned biennale.[1] The artwork of Silvio Vujičić is intriguing regardless of the medium in which it is expressed. This altar of consumerism, which shows prints of sneakers as a very common fetish of today, is presented very attractively in technical terms. The shiny glass surface with the reflection of galena seems very decorative at first, but only deeper understanding of the work reveals a very complex conceptual work, regarding both technique and message. It is precisely this signature that distinguishes Silvio Vujičić as a relevant artist who questions the time we live in at an exceptionally high level both intellectually and technically. His artistic approach has the work ethic of scientific research, his thinking is multidimensional, and his performance is meticulous. Therefore, the Museum of Ancient Glass in Zadar is a great place to present Vujičić’s work, this synergy of artistic impulse and scientific thinking, all with glass as the fundamental source.
NECROHAPHE AS A DIALOGUE WITH THE MUSEUM OF ANCIENT GLASS
Silvio Vujičić is presenting his solo exhibition “Necrohaphe / Touch of Death” [2] at the Museum of Ancient Glass. The basic concept of the exhibition is based on the idea of creating a connection through installations with the permanent display of the Museum of Ancient Glass, which mainly contains artifacts from the graves of the necropolis of ancient Zadar. It is precisely through this reverse process that the life of the inhabitants of that time is evoked and reconstructed. Funerary customs in ancient times were extremely important, so this segment is illustratively presented within a separate theme of burial in the permanent museum display. In his works, Silvio Vujičić reinterprets objects and concepts from the permanent display, relying on his research in the medium of glass and on complex chemical processes, using techniques of crystallization, chromatography, and plant extraction, all with the aim of bringing the universal phenomenon of death closer to contemporary artistic expression. The setting of the exhibition in a highly atmospheric surrounding[3] brings together Vujičić’s works, six installations that represent a brilliant counterpoint to 2000-year-old glass, which, within their bodies, hide traces of the contents: liquids, food, perhaps even tears, according to the romantic belief of ancient Rome, but also physical human remains, burnt bones from pyres, ashes inside funerary urns.
This exhibition refers to the glass artifacts in the permanent display, but also to their content. Silvio Vujičić reinterprets the customs and beliefs of antiquity and the remains of material culture through the processes of crystallization and chromatography, creating works which intertwine the scientific and artistic approach. For this exhibition, the author creates new works, while those already exhibited fit perfectly into the concept and are reinterpreted within a new, museum space. In each of his works, the author demonstrates a fascinating level of scientific elaboration of the artistic idea, which leads the consumer of his art to a series of questions, but also certainly some answers, perhaps very personal, intimate ones. The theme of death is not simple, unambiguous, nor is it easily consumed, both in life and in art. Vujičić’s works amaze, fascinate with their complexity, but at the same time they delight, somehow dancing on the edge of the acceptable and the scandalous, bringing the comforting thought that not everything in art has been seen before and that the freshness of these works is worth thinking about and absorbing the idea. The basic determinant of his art is dynamism, whether in the exhibited works that are subject to change and the influence of time even in their finished form, or in the intensive chemical processes of creation, or in numerous works that require interactivity. However, in this interactivity, or dynamics, the most important aspect is the guaranteed cognitive dynamics.
GLASS IN THE EMBRACE OF DAISIES, PHALLUSES AND CRYSTAL
Fetish, a word often used with a negative connotation, is a concept as old as humanity. Etymologically, it has roots in the word idol, but also magic,[4] and this duality is perhaps the most authenthic characteristic of fetishism. Sivio Vujičić has been dealing with the theme of fetishism in a number of works. At this exhibition, he presents the three-part work “ Chromatic Charms Series / Lucky me.” The work is inspired, in addition to the symbolism of Roman beliefs, by a specific object from the permanent exhibition of the MAS (Muzej antičkog stakla – Museum of Ancient Glass), a pendant in the shape of a phallus from the jewelry section. This is an object that was found among grave goods in the Roman-era necropolis in Zadar, at the TC Relja site in 1989, and it is dated to the second third of the 2nd century.[5] The item is small in size, only 1.6 x 0.9 cm. It is made of faience, a material similar to glass, but with a significant difference in the proportions of silicates (quartz) and alkalis, and the manufacturing process. It is interesting that the first glass, which appeared in the middle of the 3rd millennium BC in the area of northern Syria and Iraq, in the Mesopotamian region, is associated with the process of making faience, or glazing of ceramic dishes.[6]
Phallus-shaped pendants were very common in ancient times and served as amulets, or protection for the wearer. The phallus symbol is often interpreted as a symbol of fertility or the creation of life, it is not linked to a specific deity, but represents a force that wards off evil, the so-called fascinum.[7] Both fascinum and fetish have the word magic in their roots, so phallic amulets were both obsession and security, common life accessories, which today, surprisingly, still represent an almost scandalous depiction. Silvio Vujičić approaches the phallus symbol in this work in a truly multidimensional way. This faience specimen from the Museum is quite difficult to recognize due to its small dimensions. In his work, the author oversizes it and exhibits it in the two-dimensional form of an image, or digital print, along with other examples of similar archaeological finds and symbolic drawings. The author uses the line drawing of the phallic pendant object as the basis for chromatography. Artists are usually commissioned to work, but here the process is reversed, as this artist, in a manner of speaking, commissions an archaeological documentary drawing to create his art.
The depiction of the phallus as a timeless symbol is a completely new work by Silvio Vujičić, created using chromatography, a method that is not artistic in the classical sense. According to the basic definition, chromatography is “a physical-chemical separation technique in which the components of a mixture are distributed between two phases, one of which is immobile and the other mobile.”[8] The simplified purpose of this method is to separate components from various complex samples, for their identification and analysis, and its application is very widespread. It requires a chromatograph device and printing material, i.e. a chromatography glass plate with a medium. It is precisely the material that the artist uses to print the chromatograph that is symbolic in the context of the exhibition theme. The plant material used is daisies, Latin Bellis perennis, beautiful perennials. Indeed, perennials, which bloom all year round, are fascinating little flowers that resist the cold of winter. Their resilience is symbolically reflected in the concept of the exhibition, this artistic staging of the touch of death. Silvio Vujičić’s knowledge and interest in botany are important determinants for understanding his work. Simply put, the technical process, if we skip the artistic processes for now, begins with the collection of materials, which in this case is picking of daisies. As a small digression, and as an important reference for getting to know this artist, I must mention the installation “Rosu / As a Curtain” from 2012, which was exhibited at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Zagreb, and for which he extracted dye from approximately 234 000 Dactylopius Coccus insects. These insects are used to obtain red dye in numerous industries and can now be ordered from specialized suppliers. A truly fascinating work, technically very complex. However, to return to the topic, in this project the daisies are hand-picked by the artist himself, which offers us a personal moment. The symbolism of the daisy is associated with Roman mythology, more precisley the story of a nymph called Belides and Vertumnus, the Roman god of nature, who brutally pursued her, which is not unommon in ancient mythologies. In that story, Belides is transformed into a flower, a small, delicate daisy. There are numerous references to the symbolism of the daisy in the mythology of Venus, the goddess of love, but if we put aside all these historical and mythological symbolisms, the daisy is somehow intuitively linked to light-heartedness and childhood. In Silvio Vujičić’s previous works, the daisy carries a much more complicated burden. The artist himself calls it a “problematic flower”, which primarily carries queer symbolism, primarily in the basic translation of the word queer from English as something unusual and different, but also an aura of sexuality, male homosexuality and transformation, and in this exhibition he relies on Roman funerary symbolism.
The process of creating a chromatography in the atelier/laboratory starts with the preparation of samples of collected plant material, in order to obtain a daisy extract. The resulting liquid is used as toner for the printer, and the author usually digitally transfers the prepared line drawing onto the chromatographic plate. The work process is defined, but often a chemical reaction takes it in a different direction. The author, by hand, painting with brushes dipped in daisy extract, transferred the drawing onto the luminous surface of the chromatographic plate, on which the colors and motif are revealed in the process of being subjected to an alcoholic atmosphere. The artist’s alchemical recipe remains in his domain, it is not necessary to reveal it completely, it is important to recognize the amount of knowledge and innovation that Silvio Vujičić brings to his artistic technique and the realization of the idea. However, it is important to know that the paint on the plates, no matter how much one tries to protect them from external influences, evaporates and the image disappears in a few weeks. The ephemerality of this original work evokes strong emotion, because a lot of effort and time has been invested in the process. What remains is a digital representation that is exhibited in print. This is a work that has its own layers, even in a museum context, because sometimes, for the purpose of protection, a specific artifact is presented with some kind of replacement, a facsimile, a copy or a digital variant. Here, the author presents his version created from his original work in an artistic interpretation, or reproduction. A version is by definition precisely “one of several realizations of the same work in different materials and techniques.”[9]
In his creations Silvio Vujičić uses scientific methods, which are relatively rarely used in art. The purposefulness of using such methods, and above all devices, is not something that is problematic, but it does not belong to standard artistic expression. However, by using them, the author creates works of art of modern time, a time of innovation, knowledge and accessibility. The globalization of the world through digital tools, the easy exchange of information available to everyone, makes the artistic moment extremely interesting. The chromatogram of phallic pendants demonstrates the freshness of the idea and the elaboration of the method. With an oversized motif, he transfers the symbol into the digital, presenting it in the form of a picture, visually exceptionally complex and attractive.
At the exhibition at the Museum of Ancient Glass, the author also presents the work “ Daisy Chain Series”, which was exhibited at the end of 2017 as part of the exhibition “Flowerworks” in the “Windows” gallery of the Silvije Strahimir Kranjčević Library in Zagreb, and as part of the project Uncertain Interventions: LGBTIQ Users in Public Libraries. This “beautiful glass herbarium” was exhibited as an intervention in the library, replacing real windows. A very decorative work at first glance, but also a work that carries a completely different symbolism than that revealed in the exhibition’s layout and concept, namely issues of identity, gender choices and sexuality.
Flowers, which are still the dominant symbol of reverence for the dead, symbolize the transformation from the beautiful, fragrant, fragile and quickly passing into another sphere, so that on some subconscious level this touch of death is made softer. The daisy imbued with symbolism in the exhibition “Necrohaphe / Touch of Death” is presented in a reinterpretation of that specific work from the exhibition “Flowerworks”, now as a new work, because the author breaks it after the aforementioned site-specific exhibition. The work, which was truly a window, without the context of the exhibition in some way acquires an exclusively aesthetic overtone for the author. His intervention occurs in the laminated glass within which the daisies were perfectly protected without the adverse weather influence, the artist breaks the work and exhibits it in the form of a wall painting. The glass herbarium becomes a bio-installation, which, precisely in contrast to the use of laminated glass as safety glass, becomes very unsafe and, when air enters, changes the daisies, but also their meaning. Through the clear duality of the exposed daisy chain, which goes from protection to change, from innocence in the symbolism of the flower to the symbolism of orgiastic sexuality and death, this work reveals a multitude of layers and reflections. The daisy chain also represents a kind of danse macabre, the dance of death, a common iconographic motif since the Middle Ages. In addition to the classical symbolism of the daisy as a flower, innocent and childlike, in modern slang daisies, and especially daisy chain, have a sexual allusion, so that the symbolism of breaking and sort of opening and releasing this work has even greater weight.
Silvio Vujičić is preoccupied with processes, transformation, appearance and disappearance. By exhibiting his works in this very Museum, which he, at some subconscious level, experiences as a depository of the props of the past, and of course death, he gives his artistic work a new, different context. The author created completely new works for this exhibition, in the context of what this museum exhibits and represents. It is truly valuable to be part of the creative process of this artist who has that programmatic moment in his work, whether he works on commission, for example in architecture, or creates some works with a given theme, function, concept or place.
Another artifact captured Silvio Vujičić’s attention, again made of faience, miniature pendant only 3 cm high depicting the god of silence, Harpocrates.[10] It was found among grave goods within the ancient necropolis of Zadar, dating to the second half of the 1st century. Specific typological features: en face depiction with a foot forward, gesture of holding a finger to the mouth, embracing a cornucopia, suggest the figure of Harpocrates, an Egyptian deity from the Hellenistic period.[11] As with the phallic pendant, which Vujičić reinterpreted in chromatography, this pendant also has the function of an amulet, or protection. Harpocrates with a finger to his mouth, represents not only silence, but also secrecy. The small dimensions of the pendant further emphasize the great symbolism and belief in powerful protection. In the work “Deadly Quiet / Self-Portrait as Harpocrates”, the artist creates a self-portrait in the form of a sculpture made of crystallized caffeine. Caffeine is a well-known psychoactive drug, the most widespread in the world today. In moderate quantities, it is positive for human functioning, in large quantities it is toxic and dangerous.
Crystallization is something that everyone will surely remember from elementary school. Beautiful crystals are formed from a supersaturated solution and organized into a crystal lattice. Crystallization as a natural process is fascinating in itself, and crystallization for the purpose of creating works of art even more so. The very term of growing or growth of crystals truly sounds organic, so Silvio Vujičić creates his crystallized works in various chemical substances with great knowledge and patience. I wouldn’t say that he reinterprets nature, but rather that he works with it, manipulates it, similar to how he creates with AI in fashion. In both cases, the process is controlled, but to a certain extent. The excitement of the process is certainly one of the drivers of this artist, but it is not the goal. The goal is the most perfect final work possible. Crystallization has its own magic because, in a way, chaos leads to a solid structure full of play of light and color. In the work “Deadly Quiet / Self-Portrait as Harpocrates”, Silvio Vujičić depicts himself in the Harpocrates pose with a finger in front of his mouth and a smartphone in his hand. The reinterpretation of Harpocrates through an apotropaic, protective motif and the replacement of the cornucopia as a symbol of prosperity with a smartphone as a symbol of modern lifestyle, reveals the layering of the idea, but also the complexity of the production process, which is anything but simple. The process itself begins with photographing oneself, creating and printing a model on a 3D printer. The finished sculpture is created by crystallizing in a mold. The process of using modern technologies, which will end with the creation of a crystallized sculpture, is evidence of the complex development of the idea, but at the same time refers to the symbolism of the smartphone as a modern cornucopia, full of possibilities. Caffeine itself in its crystallized state, poisonous and dangerous, further emphasizes the apotropaic meaning of the figure of Silvio/Harpocrates, but also gives a strong necrohaphe, the touch of death, and rounds off the presentation of this exhibition. The excitement of using toxic, psychoactive, and even illegal substances for the purpose of creating one’s art is an urge that this artist skillfully uses in his work. The title of his 2015 exhibition is illustrative, saying “Everything I like is either illegal, immoral, or doesn’t yet exist.” It is a pleasure to be a small part of creating something that doesn’t yet exist, and this is precisely the main premise of Vujičić’s art.
Silvio Vujičić’s work is very unique, both in terms of artistic processes, concept and execution. The combination of science and art has always been present, sometimes more recognizable, sometimes less. The first thought is certainly the famous Leonardo da Vinci, the first homo universalis. It is precisely the skill of these old masters, the technical level and innovation that are so important that they go beyond the basic concept and idea. The pursuit of technical perfection of artistic methods is the gold standard that has been lost and found throughout the history of art. Jackson Pollock’s famous statement is that each age needs to find its own technique and that in some way the artist is inseparable from his time. Present time is specific, like any other in history, but if we were to put Silvio Vujičić’s art in this contemporary context, a reference to the increasingly famous molecular gastronomy comes to mind, so his scientific approach to art would truly be “molecular art”. Silvio Vujičić’s atelier is a laboratory in the truest sense of the word. In presenting the concept of his work, I would almost dare to compare him to Rasmus Munk[12] or Heston Blumenthal,[13] famous chefs of today who approach cooking scientifically, primarily from the perspective of chemistry, but also physics. Similarly, this author pushes the boundaries in his artistic kitchen, boundaries that need to be pushed, especially on the Croatian art scene. On the world stage, in terms of similar considerations, and thanks to the modern cornucopia – the internet, there is also a very interesting work available by the Japanese artist, designer and architect Tokujin Yoshioka, a student of the famous fashion designer Issey Miyake, who makes very large installations with crystals and glass. Or in fashion, by Iris van Herpen, a Dutch fashion designer who creates kinetic fashion creations, combining wearable fashion and technology in an exceptional way. Following in the footsteps of Issey Miyake regarding working process, which was based on studious research and new technologies, Silvio Vujičić develops his processes. Japanese sensibility, philosophy of life, design have always been so contemporary, and always inseparable from nature. These concepts are very close, but today alienated from the modern way of life, so that it seems to me that Vujičić truly makes a difference with his art!
Crystallization as a tool in the artistic process produces a distinctly appealing result, and such is the new work by Silvio Vujičić “ The Collector.” A visually exceptional work, even more fascinating due to the complexity of the execution, with a recognizable motif for the audience. The sculpture is based on the classicist Cosmacendi Palace with a new modern extension in which the Museum is now located.[14] The motif of the museum building, almost a model, is familiar to visitors, recognizable and in this form certainly a very aesthetically attractive detail of the exhibition. What is unexpected but intentional is the use of crystals of red blood salt (potassium hexacyanoferrate (III)), a complex iron compound, which was originally obtained from animal blood, and is used, among other things, for the production of pigments. By placing the model in a supersaturated solution of this chemical, the entire surface crystallizes, resulting in an extremely impressive texture in intense red color. The symbolism of transformation, reinforced by those shiny red crystals, is the impetus for creating this model of the Museum. This work is possibly the best reflection of the author’s concept of the museum as a depository of the death props, museum as a collector, a place where ancient life is preserved, somehow frozen in time in a crystal cell, almost a vacuum full of ancient times. However, the crystals do not carry a sinister overtone, I believe that they cheer up visitors, they are beautiful and optimistic in their color. The currents of consciousness of both the author and the consumer of his art are personal, free, and that is precisely the purpose and beauty of art. The freethinking need for different comprehension and creation.
Toxic substances, the toxicity of the work itself, for example, the work made of pure caffeine “Deadly Quiet / Self-Portrait as Harpocrates”, are often the subject of Silvio Vujičić’s interest with the motive of provoking interaction, not necessarily tactile, mental interaction is much safer, but more demanding. Such works are potentially dangerous for humans, but are exhibited in controlled conditions. Such is the case with the installation “The Garden”, where glass is the barrier between dangerous substances and visitors.
This work is exhibited in the form of a ladder, it is an older work,[15] given a new context in this new exhibition space. The ladder carries an installation of blown flasks made on a burner using the glass blowing technique. Demonstrations of making glass miniatures from borosilicate glass tubes, the most commonly used type of laboratory glass, can be seen in the Museum of Ancient Glass as the main reference on the topic of cosmetics, pharmacy and medicine, separate topics in the Museum’s permanent display. There are two important determinants of glass as a material, one is its one-hundred percent recyclability, and the other is its neutrality. The fact that it is not chemically reactive to other substances makes it ideal for use in these fields. The Museum of Ancient Glass exhibits numerous balsamaria, droppers, glass receptacles that stored various resin solutions in essential oils, creams, fragrances, decorative cosmetics, medicines or poisons. It is romantic to think about lacrimaria, in which tears were supposedly collected or vials for storing mother’s milk, about potential poisonings, intrigues in ancient Rome, pyres on which exactly glass balamaria full of fragrances were thrown… The role of the Museum is to preserve knowledge, customs and skills, to educate and encourage learning and understanding of past times. Artists immerse themselves in this world in the same way, but by giving slightly different interpretations of history. In synergy with the scientific aspect, this artistic nerve perhaps arouses the interest of visitors in a more plastic way. The installation of the “glass garden” by Silvio Vujičić brings blown glass bottles, in different shapes and with double walls. What immediately attracts attention is that these receptacles preserve the contents. The contents are very intriguing and reveal another chemical method, the extraction method, and the extracts inside the closed bottles are plants, some poisonous or hallucinogenic, mystical in ancient beliefs, with powerful properties, and possibly used for the purpose of necromancy, talking to the dead and the spiritual world. The design of the bottles is very functional, the glass is transparent, shiny, and the dangerous contents are skillfully hidden inside the bottle. Glass as a barrier is a psychologically intense moment, because fragility is what first comes to mind concerning glass, and transparency at first glance erases this protection from dangerous liquids. The symbolism of the ladder completes the concept of necrohaphe, the touch of death. Nowadays, digital ladder #, or the hashtag sign, is a digital aid for a kind of content categorization and digital navigation. An example is #necrohaphe for unifying posts for this exhibition. In most cultures, religions and civilizations, ladders signify transition, movement, connection. In this exhibition, the symbolism of the ladder is strong, especially with the glass vials, the contents of which are aids for necromancy, talking to the dead. Passing under a ladder is considered bad luck in a well-known superstition, and passing under these, or Silvio Vujičić’s installation “The Garden”, would be potentially very dangerous indeed.
Glass as an artistic medium has occupied Silvio Vujičić since the beginnings of his artistic expression, in one way or another. It was often permeated with work with textiles, which is an important part of his sphere of interest. Glass in architecture and interior design is a field in which he realized a number of projects. That is why it is important to highlight his research, laboratory work, experiments, repetitions, development of textures, pigments, his own formulas and techniques with final application. This journey and work process has a goal, the beauty is in the journey, but the final product at the highest level is the real goal. Understandably, the artistic process itself brings a lot of data, attempts, improvements, and they become a real treasure of knowledge, which this author successfully applies and modifies in various fields of his artistic work.
INVITATION TO A WALK THROUGH AN UNDERGROUND GLASS GARDEN
“The world of the dead is fifteen times larger than the world of the living. Regardless of the fact that I don’t think there’s anything after death, sometimes I wake up in the morning and I am happy to believe that the world of the dead might be a fun place.” [16]
This is how Silvio Vujučić described his work at the exhibition accompanying the art festival “Extravagant Bodies”, which in 2013 dealt with aging and, indirectly, the theme of death. Death is a topic that constantly preoccupies this artist, it is a topic that purifies, and does not necessarily seek answers, the beauty is here in that journey, especially when the destination is unknown… The journey with Silvio Vujičić at the Museum of Ancient Glass in Zadar brought freshness to the city’s cultural life, but also a completely new perspective on both art glass and archaeology. The exhibition “Necrohaphe / Touch of Death” is a completely new concept at the Museum of Ancient Glass in Zadar. Contemporary art revives heritage, reinterprets it, and through a dialogue between the new era and history, involves visitors in actively approaching otherwise often generic walk through museums, inviting them to search, recognize and understand what is offered, both ancient materials and Vujičić’s almost alchemical interventions at a solo exhibition at the Museum. In this exhibition, the author unites the personal and the universal in a very specific place for exhibition, a place soaked in ancient heritage. Silvio Vujičić is a very authentic author, an artist of the current moment who creates new art using the knowledge of some past times, but also collaborating with what is certainly yet to come. Artificial intelligence, a term that is very fashionable to argue about today, is a tool that has been working with Silvio Vujičić for some time, especially in the field of fashion design.[17] Whether they each live their own lives or collaborate in some fields, is difficult to define with modern vocabulary. The same is true of crystals, which at first glance seem so opposed to technology, but are fundamentally very similar. Understanding of botany, chemistry, various technologies, working with glass, is the knowledge that Vujičić successfully uses in numerous elaborate processes to create his art. Crystallized installations are the result of Vujičić’s collaboration with nature, chemical processes that are conditioned, but also autonomous in a way. Silvio Vujičić, truly as a homo universalis, dances with both AI and something as natural as crystals. He balances between idea, vision and process, looks forward to the result, and with the same enthusiasm we present this exhibition project together in the Cosmacendi Palace, the Museum of Ancient Glass in Zadar, a place where science and art intertwine, and the past easily flows into the future.
For the final thought on the touch of death through Vujičić’s world of plants, crystals and glass, the Latin saying will serve almost perfectly: Contra vim mortis non est medicamen in hortis, translated as Against the force of death, there is no medicine in the garden. Or maybe that’s not the case after all?
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Belevski, Jadranka, „1. hrvatski bijenale umjetničkog stakla“, katalog izložbe, Muzej antičkog stakla u Zadru, Zadar, 2024.
„Ekstravagantna tijela: Ekstravagantne godine : Inspirativna starost – tijelo i um na rubu društvenih normi”, katalog izložbe, Galerija Klovićevi dvori, Zagreb, 2013.
Eterović Borzić, A., Štefanac, B., „Antičko staklo, katalog stalnog postava Muzeja antičkog stakla u Zadru“, Muzej antičkog stakla u Zadru, Zadar, 2021.
Giunio, Kornelija A., “Ars amatoria. Ljubav i erotika u starom Rimu”, Arheološki muzej Zadar, Zadar, 2015.
Hrvatska enciklopedija, mrežno izdanje. Leksikografski zavod Miroslav Krleža, 2013. – 2024.
Perović, Š., “Privjesak s likom Harpokrata s nekropole antičkog Jadera, Rimske keramičarske i staklarske radionice. Proizvodnja i trgovina na jadranskom prostoru. Zbornik III. međunarodnog arheološkog kolokvija, Crikvenica, 4. – 5. studenoga, 2014., Crikvenica 2017.
Perović, Š., “Izvornici, kopije, imitati”, katalog izložbe, Muzej antičkog stakla u Zadru, Zadar, 2021.
[1] Belevski, Jadranka, “1. hrvatski bijenale umjetničkog stakla“, katalog izložbe, Muzej antičkog stakla u Zadru, Zadar, 2024, 104-105.
[2] Necrohaphe from the exhibition title is a coinage that was designed as a term that illustrates the idea of the exhibition, and comes from the Greek words νεκρός, -ά, -όν (necros) – dead, corpse and ἁφή, ῆς, ἡ (haphe) – touch.
[3] The exhibition has one important detail in its visual display – walls covered with textiles. Textiles, curtains, draperies, are some of the objects of interest of this artist. This textile installation, which creates a shell within the museum exhibition hall, represents the framework of the “touch of death”, almost as a binding space of contemplation.
[4] fetishism. Croatian Encyclopedia, online edition. Miroslav Krleža Lexicographic Institute, 2013 – 2024. Accessed on 3.12.2024. <https://www.enciklopedija.hr/clanak/fetisizam>.
[5] Eterović Borzić, A., Štefanac, B., “Antičko staklo, katalog stalnog postava Muzeja antičkog stakla u Zadru”, Muzej antičkog stakla u Zadru, Zadar, 2021, 316.
[6] “Muzej antičkog stakla u Zadru: Vodič”, Muzej antičkog stakla u Zadru, Zadar, 2017, 7.
[7] Giunio, Kornelija A., “Ars amatoria. Ljubav i erotika u starom Rimu”, Arheološki muzej Zadar, Zadar, 2015, 40.
[8] chromatography. Croatian Encyclopedia, online edition. Miroslav Krleža Lexicographic Institute, 2013 – 2024. Accessed on 6.12.2024. <https://www.enciklopedija.hr/clanak/kromatografija>.
[9] Perović, Š., “Izvornici, kopije, imitati”, Muzej antičkog stakla u Zadru, Zadar, 2021, 7.
[10] Eterović Borzić, A., Štefanac, B., “Antičko staklo, katalog stalnog postava Muzeja antičkog stakla u Zadru”, Muzej antičkog stakla u Zadru, Zadar, 2021, 324.
[11] Perović, Š., “Privjesak s likom Harpokrata s nekropole antičkog Jadera, Rimske keramičarske i staklarske radionice. Proizvodnja i trgovina na jadranskom prostoru. Zbornik III. međunarodnog arheološkog kolokvija, Crikvenica, 4. – 5. studenoga, 2014., Crikvenica 2017., 530.
[12] Rasmus Munk, Alchemist restaurant, Copenhagen, Denmark, currently holding the title of the best chef in the world, who has just opened a gastronomic laboratory next to his restaurant.
[13] Heston Blumenthal, a British chef, called the father of molecular cuisine, known for his “kitchen chemistry” shows and reviving historical recipes.
[14] Architect Branko Silađin is the author of the project of the construction and design of the Museum of Ancient Glass in Zadar.
[15] 2013.-2015.
[16] “Ekstravagantna tijela: Ekstravagantne godine : Inspirativna starost – tijelo i um na rubu društvenih normi”, katalog izložbe, Galerija Klovićevi dvori, Zagreb, 2013, 94.
[17] Soll is an AI fashion designer, who “collaborates” within the fashion brand E.A. 1/1 A.I. with Silvio Vujičić and Miro Roman: https://soll.store/#home, concept presented at the exhibition SOLL: “I don’t design fashion, I write it.”, 2022, at the HDD Gallery in Zagreb.