2025
Exhibition Residencies
Recognition and reaction to the context, location of the neuralgic points, the use of the local visual, symbolic and other ‘language’ , exploration of the art scene and it’s critical frame are the main determinants of my artistic activity.
I can best illustrate my method of working by describing a small work I made called “Jenny vs Ev”. The work consisted of two bricks. One, Victorian, taken from Flat holm island, Wales, and the other made from coaldust by myself. I made it from coal in an attempt to materialise Welsh tradition and history by using materials and symbols characteristic of the place.
The translation of materials, namely the use of non appropriate materials is a pratice that interests me for a long time. By changing the material we are changing the object.
As an artist who reacts to place and context it was of crucial importance to make a research trip to Leitrim. Through my research I eventually decided to work with molten lead, dead trees and slate as well as photographic images and text from the gaelic irish. I was interested to note the changes to the original place names from old irish to the modern english and achieved a sense of how a colonised place can be appropriated through language.
Tomislav Brajnovic was Born in 1965 in Zagreb and lives in Istria on the North west peninsula of Croatia. In 1993 he completed the first year of studies at the KABK Den Haag, Holland and graduated in the Academy of Fine Arts in Zagreb 2003 finishing the MA Fine Art Course, St Martins College, London. 2005.
His solo exhibitions include: Mali salon, Museum of Contemporary Art, Rijeka Galerija Rigo, Novigrad, 2005; "Greenhouse", Gallery Miroslav Kraljevic, Zagreb, 2004; "Holly Structures", SC Gallery, Zagreb, "Alfa & Omega"(Marcelo, Tomislav & Petar Brajnovic), O.K. Gallery, Rijeka 2004.
Group exhibitions include: Peti evangelij (The Fifth Gospel), Celje, Slovenia, Put u nepoznato, Pula, Croatia, Hicetnunc, San Vito al Tagliamento, Italy, Insert, Museum of Contemporary Art, Zagreb; "Local & Global", Koprivnica; "From A to B", Varazdin; 2005; Sobe, Ljubljana, Slovenija, Pula, Zagreb 2004; Dialoghi incrociati,Cascina Roma, Milano, Italy; "An artist who doesn’t pretend to be an Englishman is not an artist", walk through London in a 19th century moring suit 2003; “Flat Holm Project”, Sense in Place, Cardiff, Wales, 2005.
Brajnovic was granted the Pollock Krasner Foundation in 2000, Gunk Foundation Grant 2001; Frankopan Foundation Scholarship, Croatian Ministry of Science & Technology Scholarship 2002. Awards include Grand Prix, Piran, Slovenija 1997 and the
1st Prize, Grisia, Rovinj, 2004.
Past Residencies