Vlado Martek
Vlado Martek (* 1951 in Zagreb, Croatia) is a Croatian artist who deals with the visualization of the written word. In his works, he works with poems, sometimes just with their fragments, which he uses with the help of murals, graffiti, prints, drawings, sketches, collages, actions and agitations, graphics and artist's books in scene. Currently, Vlado Martek lives in Zagreb, where he also works as a librarian in addition to his artistic activities since 1979.
Life and work
Vlado Martek studied literature and philosophy at the University of Zagreb. Soon investigated Martek addition to the poetry of other means of expression, and went in 1974 to the public. By Željko Jerman photographer and the former art student Boris Demur it up posters the underpass a known main road Zagreb's large-scale paintings. Among these he placed first in one of his poems with large letters in poster format. A year later he founded with Mladen Stilinović, Sven Stilinović, Fedor Vučemilović, Boris Demur and Željko Jerman the Action Group Group of Six Artists ( Grupa autora šestorice ). By the year 1979, the artists' association in the streets of Zagreb hosted over 20 actions.
The above are based Martek the tension supplied from philosophy, poetry and the visual arts. In his works, he designed and negates the words into a depiction of reality between the lines. The resulting reduction and concentration of poetry he describes himself as Präpoesie ("Pre- poetry" ). Here his interests from linguistics unite towards about psychology to anthropology and anthroposophy. Martek describes it as follows: "Pre- poetry is controlling, to evasion into space before writing, controlling my head, my motives as to why I write, my responsibility, a tidying up before I write a poem. In did sense it is a provacation in language, by destruction but that is construction. " Here, Martek serves a wide range of media and materials to critical, humorous and analytically to question social structures and present.
Solo exhibitions (selection )
- 2012: The Power of Support / The force of the ground, Aanant & Zoo, Berlin
- 2011: Lisez Mallarmé, Galerie Frank Elbaz, Paris
- 2010: Poetry in Action, Gallery P - 74, Ljubljana & Gallery Kraljević, Zagreb
- 2008: Retrospective, Modern Gallery, Zagreb
- 2004: Small Exhibiton, Mala Galerija, Museum of Modern Art, Ljubljana
- 1998: samizdat, City Library, Zagreb
- 1996: Troubles with the content, Zvonimir Gallery, Zagreb; Troubles with Ethics, Š -OU- Galerija Kapelica, Ljubljana
- 1988: Works on Paper Gallery Ingird Dacić, Tübingen
- 1985: Vlado Martek - Hermafroditski bojevnik, Skuc Galerija, Ljubljana
- 1984: Vlado Martek, Skuc Galerija, Ljubljana
- 1982: ( Pre) poetry environment, Studio Gallery of Contemporary Art, Zagreb
- 1980: Book- Work (with Mladen Stilinovic ), gallery Studentskog centra, Zagreb
- 1979: Elementary processes in poetry, Podroom, Zagreb
Group exhibitions ( selection)
- 2012: The Present and Presence, Moderna Galerija, Ljubljana
- 2011: MULTIPLY IS HUMAN, Edition Block, Berlin
- 2010: You Are Invited To Attend Kindly, Aanant & Zoo, Berlin
- 2009: Who killed the painting, Neues Museum Weserburg Bremen, Bremen
- 2005: Collective Creativity, Kunsthalle Fridericianum, Kassel
- 2003: In the Gorges of the Balkans, Kunsthalle Fridericianum, Kassel
- 2002: In Search of Balkania, Neue Galerie, Graz
- 2000: Chinese Whispers, Apex Art Gallery, New York
- 1999: Aspects / Positions, Museum of Modern Art SLW, Vienna
- 1993: The Horse who Sings, Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney
- 1990: characters in the river, Museum of the 20th Century, Vienna
- 1976: Confrontation, Gallery of Contemporary Art, Zagreb