Mladen Stilinović, one of Croatia’s most important artists and who was at the forefront of Yugoslavia’s twentieth century avant-garde, has died. Stilinović was the driving force behind both the New Art Practice movement and the Group of Six Artists, co-founding the latter with Vlado Martek, Boris Demur, Željko Jerman, Sven Stilinović and Fedor Vucemilovic in the late 1970s. Though Stilinović’s work had serious intent – he was active in promoting art as a means to challenge both Yugoslav socialism and Croatia’s later embrace of neoliberal capitalism – he rejected the notion that conceptualism should be dryly serious, frequently seeking elements of humour and irony within his work. From 1969 to 1976 he worked with experimental film, having initially dabbled in poetry. His later work included collages, photographs, artist books, paintings, installations, actions, as well as continuing his interest in moving image. Stilinović was born in Belgrade and lived in Zagreb, where from 1982 to 1991 he ran the the PM Gallery.
19 July 2016
