New Exhibition Alert
Marlen Ban: NO MORE I’M SORRY
Opening Night: November 10th, 8 PM
Dress Code: Black
Exhibition Dates: Nov 10th – Dec 2nd, 2023
Gallery Hours: Tue-Fri: 2-8 PM / Sat: 10 AM-3 PM
NO MORE “I’M SORRY” unveils the intricate web of romantic relationships woven with expectations, hopes, conflicts, disappointments, fear, and ultimately, separation. From her own perspective, artist Marlen Ban centers on the female response to injuries within romantic entanglements—emotional, psychological, and physical. In our current social fabric, women may function independently, yet societal views still impose the belief that a woman is only complete when she finds her “other half.” Engaged with ideas of unacceptable solitude and the forced search for a partner, the artist questions what these constructs mean to her now and what they meant in her personal past. How do they manifest in her community? What role has societal pressure to conform and silence played in these processes? The consequences are varied and beyond simplistic answers rooted in patriarchal upbringing and traditional gender roles. Ban explores polyvocality in experiences through this work.
The piece is a tapestry woven from the text of the artist’s traumatic relationship’s end, employing embroidery, traditionally associated with women’s handiwork and camaraderie, to foster empathic communication. By involving women in the artwork’s creation, Ban forms a safe space for sharing and dialogue. Their exchange, as Sara Ahmed says, is not necessarily therapeutic but becomes a testament demanding active listening. By exposing herself, the artist protects the co-creators’ potential need for anonymity, considering the layered narratives a single work couldn’t encompass.
The central motif of embroidered text frequently encounters unnecessary apologies—apologies when we are wronged, and the taking on of blame to avoid unsettling the other side further. The artist creates a monochromatic environment where one cannot escape the words, which paradoxically softens in contrast to the stark emotions expressed. White symbolizes both an end and a new beginning, with shadows marking the indelible presence of experience. Yet, the title itself makes a decisive statement: no more apologies, no more muted voices. NO MORE “I’M SORRY”, in its softness and whiteness, is a subtle yet clear call to resist enforced justifications and oppressive silence.
About the Artist
Marlen Ban, born in 1999, is a New Media student at the Academy of Fine Arts and a Public Administration student at the Faculty of Law, University of Zagreb. Her artistic practice explores social and personal relationships and her own states and fears. She has participated in collective and solo exhibitions at home and abroad.
Co-Creators
Marta Agičić * Vesna Bosanac * Marta Bosnić * Nora Čulić Matošić * Κaja Dujmić * Ana Janjatović Zorica * Marija Katalinić * Ivana Korpar * Klara Kranjčec * Tea Matanović * Silva Milostić * Karmen Nivić * Petra Pavetić Kranjčec * Μaja Pavlinić * Sara Pavleković Preis * Κatarina Perić * Marija Poljak * Marika Puškarić * Rada Iva Sibila * Nikolina Sever * Antonela Solinečki * Klaudija Solinečki * Sara Šarić * Sarah Kim Šuran * Ema Tomić * Ana Vivoda * Matea Vukić
Credits
Curator: Maja Pavlinić
Producer: Tea Matanović
Program Coordinator: Petar Vranjković
Designer: Sven Sorić
Photographer: Luka Pešun
Lighting: Anton Modrušan
Technical Support: Luka Lovrić, Luka Pajković, Matej Pavlinić, Klaudija Solenički
Support
This project is supported by the Ministry of Culture and Media and the City Office for Culture and Civil Society of Zagreb. The work of GMK is supported by the Kultura Nova Foundation.
