June 1, 2020 - VIRTUAL EXHIBITION

Due to COVID-19, temporary residency by Igor Hajdarhodžić at SBCAST in Santa Barbara has been postponed until next year. In the meantime, we bring you a closer look into his latest exhibit with this short article and video about his work.

Hajdarhodžić was born in 1960 in Dubrovnik, Croatia, and comes from an extended family of 32 artists. He graduated from the Academy of Dramatic Arts in Zagreb. In addition to acting, he is involved in music, media production and the visual design of maritime-related facilities. His studio and art shop is located in Dubrovnik. He has also been operating in Grožnjan since 2018. 

The town of Grožnjan used to have a port. Below the town, in the valley of the river Mirna, at the location of Bastia, ships stayed and unloaded and loaded cargo or people. Today, Grožnjan is again a port. This time, several ships, mostly made of metal, dock there. The pier is located in a large town square. With a view from the walls of the square, the sea is visible in the distance. The captain of this frigate is Igor Hajdarhodžić. He is also the main shipbuilder because, along with a few assistants (Puljo, Kigen and Petar), he personally builds these ships. 

Looking at the details, we begin to recognize the elements from which these vessels are built. In front of us are ordinary, discarded objects that have been given a completely new function. The repertoire of blended items is usually metal, but there are many other diverse components. We recognize grinding wheels, furnace parts, chimney pipes and water pipes. Also included are parts of agricultural machines and tools, parts of industrial machinery mechanisms, bicycle parts, saws, grates, chains, pulleys, screws, drills, metal nets, old toolboxes and barrel reels. There's traces of shocks, fractures, wear of the substrate, rust, dirtiness – everything becomes art material. 

The history or temporality of each of the elements, the ethnographic note, are additional curiosities. They can be experienced as narratives, but also as a sign system. Compositions and objects made of discarded and then rediscovered articles offer several reflections. Igor seems to want to justify the rejection of the superfluous by creating ingenious compositions out of it. The new object, created from the found object collaged into installations like these, takes on a more significant meaning than before. In addition to the artist's pronounced sarcasm toward industrial society, we also find a warning to be conscious of our wasteful tendencies and ecological neglect.

The information and insight highlighted here originally appears in Eugen Borkovsky’s article about Igor’s work.