New Exhibition at GMK
opening Friday, October 18th, 7 PM, GMK (Šubićeva 29)
exhibition open until November 2nd
gallery hours > Tue-Fri: 2 – 8 PM / Sat: 10 AM – 3 PM
free admission
How can we create havens of rest, imagination, and resistance in an era dominated by cognitive capitalism? What strategies and alliances can help preserve our mental and emotional wellbeing in an age where imagination is commodified and the drive for productivity is relentless? How can art and culture mediate the line between intimate self-care and collective resilience against the pervasive impact of late capitalism?
Andrea Knezović’s exhibition One Step Forward, Two Steps Back delves into these subtle tactics through the lens of art, culture, and collective wellbeing. It challenges the audience to rethink and explore how rest, resistance, and survival can exist within a system obsessively taking over our personal and intimate time.
Focused on challenging the dominance of cognitive capitalism, Andrea invites us to consider alternatives to the prevailing practices that glorify ceaseless work and profit. She proposes policy models that value solidarity and emotional support, aiming not for profit, but for active participation and community engagement. Through her practice, she explores various models of imagination, separating and decolonizing the ideas of productivity, memory resources, and experiential exclusivity—creating and maintaining diverse formats of collectivism, care, alliance, and participation through art.
In her immersive installations, visitors are invited to pause, dive into deep reflection on the role of art in shaping a more caring future, and envision a world where imagination and care surpass the imperatives of constant productivity.
Andrea Knezović is a conceptual visual artist and researcher, with a research master’s in Artistic Research from the University of Amsterdam and a bachelor’s degree from the Academy of Visual Arts, Ljubljana. Knezović’s research centres around the politics of care, its institutional implications and psycho-cultural aspects. Between 2022 and 2024, Knezović was chair of the board of the Salwa Foundation and co-founder of the art and research platform MARC Amsterdam (2021-2024). She has contributed to various discursive journals including MIT Thresholds Journal, Lish Journal, and simulacrum. She has exhibited in the Museum of Contemporary Art Metelkova, Ljubljana; the 10th edition of U3 Triennial at Museum of Modern Art Ljubljana; BAK, basis voor actuele kunst, Utrecht; Cukrarna, Ljubljana; MIT Keller Gallery, Cambridge, MA; Nieuw Dakota, Amsterdam; 12 Star Gallery, London; The Israeli Center for Digital Arts, Holon; Kiribati National Museum, Tarawa; Marx Halle, Vienna; and others. In 2023/2024 she was selected for the BAK Fellowship for Situated Practice in Utrecht. Her works are part of numerous museum and corporate collections, including the Museum of Modern Art Ljubljana, NLB Bank, and the SCCA-DIVA Archive. In 2013 and 2015, she was nominated for the Essl Art Award. She lives and works in Amsterdam.
Curator: Maja Pavlinić
Producer: Tea Matanović
Program Coordinators: Antonela Solemnički, Petar Vranjković
Photo Documentation of the Opening: Luka Pešun
Technical Support: Marin Kovačević
Production: Generator of Multidisciplinary Coproductions (GMK)
Portrait Photograph: Roman Ermolaev
Special Thanks for Their Continuous Support: Àngels Miralda, Kate Sutton, Laura Dubourjal, Otakar Zwartjes, Tevž Logar, Falke Pisano, Sara-lot van Uum
The Program Was Supported By: Ministry of Culture and Media of the Republic of Croatia, City of Zagreb, Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Zagreb
Gmk’s Work Is Supported By: Kultura Nova Foundation, INA, d.d.
