JOSIP ŠURLIN
Works in this section belong to mediums of installation and sculpture. A trait common to all of them is a geometric character which is achieved by a modular process where the artist uses smaller modules (squares, rectangles or circles) in order to form a larger whole. In every work, there is also a combination of different materials, especially industrial ones such as: steel, rubber, wood and aluminum. Most of the works are three-dimensional and, thus, they change the features of space in which they are present. In the case of installation Entrance, inside the gallery a visual ambient is simulated, while the work Ozymandias, by juxtaposing two exhibits (a plant and a mirror), in a symbolic way, brings motives of office design in to a neutral exhibiting space. The work Birdhouse gives the viewer a closed space excluded from the one that surrounds it and accessible only through the installation's circular opening. Furthermore, some of the works include elements of: light, smell, sound and those of sign systems. The author chooses LED diode lights in installations such as: Entrance, Birdhouse and Vanishing Room to enhance their atmosphere. The addition of sound and scent elements becomes apparent in installations Birdhouse and Giles Blatta and His Secret Passages. Works such as: Procession, Avernus 055 and Three Stages of Stillness are approaching themes of installation/sculpture in a somewhat different way. In them we find textual inscriptions printed on different surfaces and silhouettes of signs created by CNC cutting of metal slabs. Thereby, they are not just abstract geometric forms, but ones that require reading. Finally, some of the earlier works (Transitions, Six Slabs) are closely related to their own surfaces or textures; in them the artist explores how their differently treated material components can affect the viewer and at what length could they be used to convey subtle messages.
Except the formal approach to space, presented works contain various conceptual connotations among which we can specify those of: time, transience, memory and of a critical overview of contemporary spaces and cultures. Many works refer to existing or historical spaces, specifically in the artist’s hometown of Split, where said spaces experience constant changes, mostly introduced by government policies or the large influx of tourism. The conception of space can later be translated into questions about one’s identity and life. These factors are highly dependent on the infrastructure where people reside and if subverted in favor of profit or ideology, the overall living conditions become scarce. Thus, in a critical manner, certain works showcased here explore the aforementioned relationship between the state and the individual, and are not just ambiental installation, but art pieces with hidden social commentaries.