The inter – institutional project and exhibition The Visible Ones represents more than eighty female authors, studies and indicates the pronouncedly low representation of women artists in art collections of museum institutions, and also presents certain aspects and mapping of the contemporary artistic practice of women artists in Croatia.

With this project, we seek to indicate the contemporary fine art production of women artists, which is marked by great achievements, but is nevertheless insufficiently visible.

Through thematic units, the exhibition presents contemporary artistic production of women artists who have positioned themselves highly on the art scene through their artistic activity, but not in the holdings of museum collections. The focus of this project’s research is the artistic production after the 1990s (by the so-called transitional generation), from the period when the change in the artistic paradigm was accompanied by a shift in ideology, transitions, and socio-political turmoil. The aforementioned social changes have greatly influenced the visibility of artistic productions by women authors who have actualised works of high artistic quality; however, the circumstances (war, geopolitical changes, migrations) have in a way placed their production on the margins of visibility, which also affected museum purchases, as well as their insufficient critical and theoretical visibility.

The project The Visible Ones is inspired by facts resulting from the research that the representation of women artists’ works in collections, public spaces and galleries, and on the art market in general fails to reach even 10%. While taking into consideration the aforementioned data and the necessity to change the hitherto paradigms, we are gathered around the initiative for the actualisation of a project that would enable the achievement of the fullest and best possible result of the project through teamwork and networking of related institutions, as well as raising awareness on the importance of equality and equal opportunity, and of promoting the production of women artists in the field of visual arts.

With this project, we seek to provide an insight and an overview of recent creation, with the desire to raise awareness of the necessity for equal visibility and representation of women authors in museum collections and programme implementations. The women artists’ production encompasses a wide range of topics and sensibilities, and undoubtedly deserves higher visibility and the attention of expert and wider public.

Alongside the exhibition, the project also includes a discursive and performative programme, with the aim to indicate the need to change programme creation and the development of the museum collections within which we should pay attention to equal representation of women artists.

With this exhibition, we also indicate the awareness of the legacy which is bequeathed to us, and the role of the museum institution, which – alongside promoting and presenting contemporary production – has a clearly pronounced social corrective role. The role of women is increasingly important at the socio-political level and even dominant in certain fields; therefore, it is important that this also be manifested in the field of art.

In the essay Why Have There Been No Great Women Artists?, Linda Nochlin poses the eponymous question. She states that women should perceive themselves as potentially, if not truly equal subjects, and be willing to face all facts without self-pity, without circumlocution; simultaneously, as Nochlin highlights, we must approach our position with a good measure of emotional and intellectual dedication, which is necessary for creating a world in which equal accomplishments would be not only possible, but also encouraged by social institutions.

In order to gain more visibility for the project, the Museum of Contemporary Art collaborates with institutions which follow contemporary production in their programmatic determinants: Museum of Modern Art Dubrovnik, Museum of Fine Arts Osijek, Museum of Fine Arts Split, and MMSU Rijeka.

Alongside Martina Munivrana (MSU), author of the project and the concept, the following expert associates participate in the project: Jasminka Babić (GU Split), Vilma Bartolić (MMSU Rijeka), Branka Benčić (MMSU Rijeka), Valentina Radoš (MLU Osijek), Rozana Vojvoda (GU Dubrovnik) and Ana Škegro (MSU Zagreb), whose selections will encompass the regional overview of the contemporary art scene.

Documentation: Diana Zrilić (MMSU Rijeka)

Author of the setup: Nives Sertić

Visual identity: Sanja Kuzmanović

The project is realized with the suport of the City of Zagreb, The Ministry of Culture and Media of the Republic of Croatia, and with the cooperation of the European Parliament's Office in Croatia.

Alphabetical list of participating artists: 

Marija Ančić, Milijana Babić, Lara Badurina, Gordana Bakić, Selma Banich, Maša Barišić, Breda Beban, Ana Bilankov, Duška Boban, Mara Bratoš, Sonja Briski Uzelac, Hrvoslava Brkušić, Josipa Bubaš, Jasenka Bulj, Nikolina Butorac, Branka Cvjetičanin, Tajči Čekada, Tanja Dabo, Vlasta Delimar, Tanja Deman, Ivana Dražić Selmani,  Katerina Duda, Jadranka Fatur, Vera Fischer, Ivana Franke, Maja S. Franković, Sonja Gašperov, Martina Grlić, Tina Gverović, Nicole Hewitt, Vlatka Horvat, Ana Hušman, Dunja Ivanišević, Katarina Ivanišin - Kardum, Sanja Iveković, Helena Janečić, Paulina Jazvić, Ivana Jelavić, Jagoda Kaloper, Nina Kamenjarin, Nives Kavurić-Kurtović, Ivana Keser, Lana Ključarić, Nikolina Komljenović, Božena Končić Badurina, Jelena Kovačević, Martina Kramer, Ines Krasić, Andreja Kulunčić, Nina Kurtela, Mirna Kutleša, Ana Kuzmanić, Margareta Lekić, Kristina Leko, Dubravka Lošić, Luiza Margan, Kristina Marić, Ines Matijević Cakić, Martina Meštrović, Martina Mezak, Kata Mijatović, Hana Miletić, Alieta Monas Plejić, Petra Mrša, Ana Mušćet, Nadija Mustapić, Irma Omerzo, Ana Opalić, Magdalena Pederin, Ivana Pegan, Mariana Pende, Jelena Perić, Ana Petrović, Vesna Pokas, Renata Poljak, Ivana Popović, Vesna Popržan, Ana Požar Piplica, Sonja Pregrad, Nika Radić, Lala Raščić, Kristina Restović, Nika Rukavina, Neli Ružić, Edita Schubert, Nives Sertić, SofijaSilvia, Ana Sladetić Šabić, Marijana Stanić, Sandra Sterle, Lana Stojićević, Matea Šabić Sabljić, Jasna Šikanja, , Vlatka Škoro, Mia Štark, Sanja Švrljuga - Milić, Ksenija Turčić, Zrinka Užbinec, Celestina Vičević, Sandra Vitaljić, Ana Vivoda, Ivona Vlašić, Mirjana Vodopija, Zlata Vucelić, Tanja Vujasinović, Anabel Zanze, Vlasta Žanić, Darija Žmak Kunić