Communication GamesMarijan Crtalić (HR)

action, 2006

I see this work as my personal contribution to reviving relations between Zagreb and Belgrade. The audio-video link between different locations and people is nothing new, but I am not aware of any efforts that have been made so far to initiate a public live streaming connection between the two cities. Generally speaking, nothing similar exists in Zagreb, so my idea is actually a suggestion for introducing similar practices that could make a transition from the art into the everyday, public telecommunication arena.

The title of the project is reminiscent of the title of the film War Games, suggesting a certain subtext to the very nature of reconstructing healthy relations between the two neighboring countries which, on the political level, are not friendly enough yet. Tension and lack of trust are factors that should be removed from relations between the two nations (both on the collective and the individual level) while the political perception of the concrete ‘other’ should be transformed into a humane one. Information on socio-political, cultural etc. situations is additional tools for potential users of the interface (interlocutors) in choosing the topic of a possible conversation. They also serve as a subconscious suggestion that we are all in a similar transitional ‘mess’ and that maybe it wouldn't be a bad idea to try to find solutions to various problems together and avoid the mediation of politicians etc. Accidentally, this year is dedicated to Nikola Tesla so...

production: KONTEJNER (DIY_ARTLAB)

Marijan Crtalić (HR)

I was born in 1968 in Sisak, Croatia. In 1992 I received a graduate degree in painting from the Academy of Fine Arts in Zagreb. After my studies, I began exploring media such as video, photography, performance etc. My work develops from my personal relation to myself and the interaction with my surroundings. The direction my work takes – whether it involves a documentary or symbolic approach to the matter - depends on my own experience in a specific spatial-situational context. Different situations produce different types of expression, ranging from an analytical-investigative approach to the intuitive-emotional, more or less symbolic artistic reaction.

In any case, the common denominator behind all my activities is a social, engaged questioning and artistic (re)action aiming for a critical insight into specific social issues, especially those in which I am also personally involved. My work was exhibited in numerous solo and group exhibitions in Croatia and abroad: in Slovenia, Serbia, Albania, Austria, Italy, Macedonia, Romania, Czech Republic, France, Germany, USA, Egypt, Turkey, Bulgaria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Hungary, Poland, Lebanon. I received the award of the 1st Youth Salon, Sisak/CZK, Sisak, 2000, award of the 26th Youth Salon, Zagreb, 2001 and the AICA award at the 36th Zagreb Salon.