Contemporary gallery spaces have long outgrown their original function of merely displaying artworks. Driven by the needs and dynamics of the artistic scene, they are now becoming places for production, reflection, and collaboration. At the same time, young artists face the challenge of limited workspace, financial resources, and time for focused creation. After completing their academic education, many lack structured support and dialogue with mentors, which often reflects on their work and, in the worst case, leads to abandoning further artistic practice.
In response to these challenges, GMK is launching a new mentored residency program, Zajednički, dedicated to young artists. This program builds upon the long-standing practice of the Open Studio and offers a two-month (eight-week) stay in the 8ice space, with financial support, technical conditions for work, and mentorship from experts in the fields of theory or artistic practice, depending on the personal practices of the artists.
Unlike traditional residency programs that relocate artists to a new context, Zajednički focuses on the local scene and fosters artistic reflection within a familiar environment.
The pilot edition of the residency brings together three artists: Rada Iva Sibila, Kristijan Popović, and Mate Nikola Tonković, who will develop their artistic research through a mentorship process, and their progress will be presented to the public.
The artists will stay in the 8ice space during the following periods:
- Rada Iva Sibila: March 17 – May 9, 2025, with mentor Sandra Sterle
- Kristijan Popović: May 16 – July 11, 2025, with mentor Niko Mihaljević
- Mate Nikola Tonković: October 27 – December 19, 2025, with mentor Hrvoje Spudić
Rada Iva Sibila (b. 2002, Zagreb) completed the School of Applied Arts and Design in 2021 and enrolled in the Academy of Fine Arts in Zagreb the same year, Department of Animation and New Media. She finished her undergraduate studies in 2024 and is currently a first-year graduate student. Her artistic interests are primarily focused on contemporary visual and intermedial practices, with a fascination for feminist critique and esoteric/subconscious practices. One of her key interests is the body—questioning its physical and social conditioning. The fusion of bodily brutality and banality with the supernatural, subconscious, and magical is a recurring theme throughout her processes and works. She is interested in internal worlds, alter egos, altered states of consciousness, both affirmativity and destructiveness, and the artistic potential behind them. Her intimate artistic interests include exploring altered mental states and gaining deeper insights into atypical aspects of the human psyche, as well as the social and medical sanctioning of differences. She has exhibited at the Semester and Final Exhibitions of the Academy of Fine Arts in Zagreb (2021, 2022, 2024), at group exhibitions like ALU Perspektiva in HDLU Zagreb (2024), Space in Transition at Galerija Putolovac in Zagreb (2024), and ALU/MET at the same gallery in the same year. She also exhibited at Galerija Rupa (2024), participated in the project Intimate Spaces of Everyday Life at the Ethnographic Museum in Zagreb (2024), and at the PlesAdu Festival in the same year. She held a solo exhibition in Dublin at Pallas/Project Studio (2024) and at the ZEZ Festival in Zagreb (2024). She received the Rector’s Award for the Opera Project Amfitrion at ALU (2023).
Kristijan Popović (b. 1998, Zagreb, Croatia) completed his secondary technical education at the “Tesla” Technical School and enrolled in the Academy of Fine Arts in Zagreb in 2020, where he is currently a first-year graduate student. Since 2018, he has been active in various theater and film scenography projects. He has held two solo exhibitions at the SC Gallery kiosk and the Pass It On project at Lauba in Zagreb. He has participated in numerous group exhibitions at Galerija Bačva, Galerija Apoteka in Vodnjan, Galerija Putolovac, and VGA in Zagreb. He was awarded the Rector’s Award for a major team scientific and artistic project in the 2021/22 academic year for the musical-theater projects Animal Farm (2021/22) and Amfitrion (2022/23). In 2022, he won third place at the Ivan Kožarić Award for young artists at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Zagreb, and in 2023, he won the first-place jury award at the Starter Prize competition at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp. In 2024, he received the SUMMA CUM LAUDE commendation from the Academy of Fine Arts in Zagreb.
Mate Nikola Tonković (1996) is completing his studies at the Department of Animated Film and New Media at the Academy of Fine Arts in Zagreb. His primary interest within the new media practice incorporate video as a medium, performance art, and the interplay between these forms within specific spatial contexts. Through his work, which often takes the form of art installations, he explore and question various aspects of the individual’s position within a society of control. He is particularly drawn to themes of visibility and invisibility, examining how individuals and groups navigate real and virtual spaces.
The Zajednički residency is financed through the Special Public Call of the City of Zagreb for funding programs that involve young artists and artists, as well as by the Ministry of Culture and Media of the Republic of Croatia. The work of GMK is supported by the Kultura Nova Foundation and INA, d.d.
