Location: Museum of Fine Arts Split (Kralja Tomislava 15, 21000 Split)

A 4 / 5th EDITION

MIHAEL FRANČIĆ Ennui

Curator: Blaženka Miše

November 15 – December 11, 2022

A4 project curator: Ana Čukušić

The burdens born by the Generation Z today, that is, long-term experiences of alienation, depression and fear have resulted in the artist’s self-imposed isolation and his escape into the sphere of digital media, while the accompanying feelings can be summed up by the generic term of ennui. Translated into English, the French title noun, ennui, describes a feeling of boredom, listlessness and dissatisfaction arising from a lack of excitement. The said descriptions become a thematic inspiration for Frančić’s new series.

Mihael Frančić creates a series of eight psychological self-portraits that convey his inner state, which is reflected in depression, lethargy, anxiety and trauma. The experienced trauma suffered through verbal and physical violence has translated into a desire to avoid unnecessary public exposure. This time, however, the artist consciously exposes himself on canvas. The works are based on photographs of the artist’s body and environment taken with a mobile device from different perspectives. The perspective of the captured photographs forms a realistic (and the only possible) view of a person’s body, which remains within its boundaries because the artist creates them within the limits of his own possibilities, that is, his hand position. Intimate photos of the body and the environment are developed as studies in a digital program, and are then transferred onto the canvas with oil and acrylic paints. Studies made in the digital format show the artist’s long-standing commitment to finding inspiration in real life. On the other hand, the desire to leave the safe zone of the virtual world has overwhelmed the self-repressed problems that were cathartically purified by physically working on the painting.

More information at https://galum.hr/en/exhibitions/exibition/1759/.