Though it only started in 2018, few residents and visitors to Zagreb last summer could have missed the new Around project. Art installations and urban interventions occurred on the city streets, often by famous landmarks, adding or changing perspectives about the areas where they were located. So stunning were the pieces that it was not unusual to open newspapers the morning after to see blanket coverage of the works, so beloved that their temporary lifespan was the sole negative they drew from a city-wide audience.
Some interventions invited people into forgotten spaces, while others brought a humour or hyper-reality. The best, while they may have come from one of the international artists undertaking the work, cleverly pinpointed the traditional use of such spaces and highlighted their significance.
Last year, well known French street artists Oak Oak and Levalet visited and installations were made by French duo Scenocosme, Botanike, Ana Elizabet and Filip Borelli. Croatian street artist Boris Bare painted a unique red carpet in the passage of Zakmardi’s stairs while local painter Mislav Lešić left his mark on the stairs of the main Dolac market.
This year’s edition, which takes place between August 17 - September 1, will continue to dazzle with a combination of media and art forms. Confirmed international names so far include famous French street art duo Ella & Pitr, from Saint Etienne, whose works are often found taking up the whole facades of large buildings (indeed, some are so vast they can only fully be appreciated by aerial photography). From Spain, land art installation maker Javier Riera creates surreal and perspective-changing interventions by projecting lights onto natural backdrops such as trees or mountains. Australian artist Michael Pederson, who also goes by the name Miguel Marquez, makes pieces that never fail to raise a smile or laugh. He ventures into random or dull areas of a city and turns them into humorous scenes, leaving official looking signs or by elevating bland, natural and/or pre-existing features to centre stage attractions. Croatian artists will also be making their mark within this year's programme.