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Darko Bavoljak

Darko Bavoljak was born in Zagreb in 1961. He graduated in Cinematography from the Academy of Dramatic Arts in Zagreb. He took up photography in the early 1980s. During his university career, he published photographs in Polet, Studentski list, Svijet, Start, and many other papers and journals of the time. Today, his activity has spread over the domains of photography, film, conceptual art, and curatorial concepts. His photographs are to be found in private collections, and in holdings of the Museum of Contemporary Art in Zagreb (MSU) and the Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art in Rijeka (MMSU). Stupid Antonio Presents (2006), Bare Island (2012) and Urbi et Orbi (2013) stand out among the films Bavoljak has made. He is a member of the Croatian Freelance Artists’ Association (HZSU) and the Croatian Association of Artists (HDLU).

 

EXHIBITIONS

 

Solo exhibitions

 

  • 2022   Return, Upstairs Gallery – Cultural and Information Centre, Zagreb
  • 2022   Future vs. Future, Spot Gallery – Office for photography, Zagreb
  • 2021   Return, AK Gallery, Koprivnica
  • 2021   From Individual Projections to Collective Memory; Darko Bavoljak and Igor Grubić to Marijan Crtalić, City Gallery Striegl, Sisak
  • 2019   Display Windows, Magyar Műhely Gallery, Budapest, Hungary
  • 2019   Display Windows, Museum of Fine Arts, Split
  • 2019   Display Windows, Museum of Fine Arts, Osijek
  • 2019   Display Windows, Jastrebarsko City Museum and City Gallery
  • 2018   Focusing Out of Focus, Greta Gallery, Zagreb
  • 2018   Display Windows, VB Gallery, Zagreb
  • 2017   View, AŽ Gallery – Žitnjak Ateliers, Zagreb
  • 2016   Dubrava, Dubrava Photo Gallery, Zagreb
  • 2014   Travelling, Snapshot Cycle, Waldinger Gallery, Osijek
  • 2014   Travelling, Snapshot Cycle, Klovićevi Dvori Gallery, Zagreb
  • 2013   Distraint, Lamparna Gallery, Labin
  • 2011   The Future 2011, K.U.N.S. Gallery O.K., Rijeka
  • 2010   Reflections, K.U.N.S. Gallery O.K., Rijeka
  • 2008   India with Ivan Kožarić, Lotrščak Tower, Zagreb
  • 2007   India with Ivan Kožarić, MMC Gallery O.K., Rijeka
  • 1998   Mljet, Luža Art Centre Gallery, Dubrovnik
  • 1997   Mljet, MGC, Fortezza Gallery, Zagreb
  • 1994   The Future, FOTODIFFUSIONE´94, Societa’ Promotrice Delle Belle Arti, Torino, Italy
  • 1992   The Future, Cultural and Information Centre, Zagreb
  • 1991   War Photographs, MGC Museum Space, Zagreb
  • 1985   Photographs, Photo Club Gallery, Zagreb

 

Group exhibitions (selection)

 

  • 2021 Environment of Memory – Art as Resistance to Repression, Otok Gallery, Dubrovnik
  • 2021 From Guilds to Steel and Beyond, Križevci City Museum
  • 2020 Art/War/Transition (1990 – 1991 – 2000 – 2010 – 2020 – 2021), MMSU, Rijeka
  • 2020 In Search of Lost Space, Pula, Labin, Rovinj, Labin Art Express
  • 2019 City Iconography II (1950-2000+) – Visions of the City, Modern Gallery, Zagreb
  • 2018 11th T-HT@msu.hr, MSU, Zagreb
  • 2017 Marina Viculin – Photographers, Mindset, Kranjčar Gallery, Zagreb
  • 2016 Industrial Art Biennial, Labin
  • 2015 From the Belly of the Giant, MMSU Rijeka
  • 2014 Steelworks Festival, Sisak
  • 2014 MaxArtFest, Zagreb
  • 2014 MMC Days of Performance, MMSU Rijeka
  • 2012 Patient Eye – Landscape Photography in the Collection of MMSU Rijeka
  • 2012 Inner Ear – Exhibition from the Collections of MMSU Rijeka
  • 2010 45th Zagreb Salon
  • 1997 Croatian Photography, Zagreb
  • 1996 30th Zagreb Salon
  • 1994 Rovinj Art Colony
  • 1993 Croatian Photography from 1950 to Today, Museum of Contemporary Art, Zagreb
  • 1992 War Lens, MGC Museum Space, Zagreb
  • 1992 23rd Youth Salon, Zagreb
  • 1990 22nd Youth Salon, Zagreb

 

Other

 

2018-2020   Landscape of remembrance— Art as resistance to repression, and You betrayed the party when you should have helped it, Times of power, Rijeka 2020, European capital of culture, project manager

2018    Environment Of Remembrance 2016/2018 Art Is Resistance To Repression, Pogon Jedinstvo, Great Hall

Curators of the exhibition Darko Bavoljak and Marijana Stanić, exhibition setup Darko Bavoljak, Jasmina Bavoljak, Marijana Stanić.

Artists participated: Damir Bartol Indoš and Tanja Vrvilo, Darko Bavoljak, Katija Bušlje, Marijan Crtalić, Boris Cvjetanović, Damir Čargonja Čarli, Tajči Čekada, Petar Dabac, Darko Fritz, Boris Greiner, Petar Grimani, Igor Grubić, Tea Hatadi, Đorđe Jandrić, Duje Jurić, Igor Kuduz, Jelena Lovrec, Milomir Kovačević Strašni, Siniša Labrović, Toni Meštrović, Davor Mezak, Kata Mijatović, Marijan Molnar, Ana Mušćet, Predrag Pavić, Zoran Pavelić, Vesna Pokas, Ivan Posavec, Jasenko Rasol, Frane Rogić, Marijana Stanić, Sandra Sterle, Sven Stilinović, Vlatko Vincek, Mirjana Vodopija, , Borko Vukosav, Vlasta Žanić and Jakov Žaper.

2011   AUSSTELLUNG LAIBACH ART 1980 – 2011. CECI n’est pas Malevich, Centre of the Croatian Association of Visual Artists (HDLU), Zagreb, curator with Jasmina Bavoljak

2009   INTIMATENESS – exhibition cycle, (Ivan Kožarić, Tomislav Gotovac, Boris Demur, Vlasta Delimar and Vlasta Žanić), Klovićevi Dvori Gallery, curator with Jasmina Bavoljak, and produced interactive DVD catalogue

2008    Ex-centre – exhibition cycle, (Alfred Pal, Vladimir Dodig Trokut, Ivica Malčić, Nightmare Stage, Confessional), Josip Račić Gallery, Zagreb, curator with Jasmina Bavoljak

 

Film activity

 

  • 2020               MMC, documentary, 22′ (producer, director, and cinematographer)

18th LIBURNIA FILM FESTIVAL, 2020, Opatija, OFF PROGRAMME, Summer Stage

 

  • 2013               URBI ET ORBI, experimental, 3′ (producer, director, and cinematographer)

25th Days of Croatian Film, 2016, Zagreb, complementary programme “25 years of the Days of Croatian Film”

22nd Days of Croatian Film, 2013, Zagreb

 

  • 2012               BARE ISLAND, documentary, 52′ (producer, director, cinematographer, and co-writer)

22nd Days of Croatian Film, 2013, Zagreb

10th Zagreb Film Festival, 2012, Zagreb

 

  • 2006               STUPID ANTONIO PRESENTS, documentary, 72′ (writer, director, producer, and cinematographer)

17th Days of Croatian Film, 2008, Zagreb

13th Split Film Festival, 2008, Split

Alternative Film/Video Festival, Belgrade, Serbia

  • 1991               Lipovljani, Small Europe, documentary, 28′ (cinematographer), HRT Zagreb
  • 1991               Živac and Avdo, documentary, 23′ (cinematographer), HRT Zagreb
  • 1990               Unused, short feature, 30′ (cinematographer), TV Sarajevo
  • 1990               It’s Time for Humanity, documentary, 23′ (cinematographer), TV Sarajevo