Martina Grlić

Interviews by Brainard Carey

Martina Grlić (b. 1982, Croatia) was educated at the Academy of Fine Arts, Zagreb, Croatia. She has exhibited at Fragment Gallery, New York, USA; Museum of Mali lošinj; Museum of Contemporary Art, Zagreb; Kunstlerhaus, Vienna; Ningbo Museum of Art, Ningbo, China, and the National Museum, Gdanjsk, Poland. She lives and works in Zagreb, Croatia. For her second solo exhibition in New York City, Martina Grlić presents new and recent works. At first glance, Martina Grlić's paintings might appear fragmented, fuzzy, or even incomplete. However, this is a deliberate artistic choice made to visualize the inconsistency of the recollection process. Interested in the intersection of personal and collective memory and a blurry line on which certain forms become semi-recognizable, the Croatian artist combines technical skill with conceptual depth to convey the understanding of human identity. Drawing on the metaphor theory, her Memory Projects are essentially rearranging and reappropriating visual allegories revolving around cultural, political, economic, or social legacies, as well as gender perspectives. Martina Grlić, Thousand wishes, 2023 Oil on canvas 19 3/5 x 16 1/10 in | 50 x 41 cm Martina Grlić, I’ll wear him like a scrunchie, 2023 Oil on canvas 47.2 x 39.3 in 120 x 100 cm Martina Grlić, Dissociated I, 2022 Oil on linen 66 x 55 in | 170 x 140 cm