University gallery, by accident or not, congratulated our renowned artist Zdenka Pozaić her birthday by giving her the best gift, an exhibition. But the story of giving doesn't end there, because Zdenka Pozaić gifted the University of Split, or its Library, a valuable gift - 42 prints became a part of the Graphic Collection.

This is how it went.

Even the rain did not stop a large number of visitors, among them dozens of Academy of Arts’ and Faculty of Humanities’ students, from coming to the opening of Zdenka Pozaić' exhibition “Graphic art and everyday life".

Helena Trze Jakelić, head of the University Gallery, and the exhibition’s curator, assoc. prof. Dalibor Prančević Ph.D. presented the artist and exhibited works:

"I am extremely honored to be opening the exhibition of Zdenka Pozaić, an artist whose work I have been following for years and who I know personally. She is a renowned artist who tonight presents three cycles of her recent prints. These are Zagreb Earthquake and Aggression, inspired, on the one hand, by forces of nature’s destruction and man’s aggressive action, on the other. One cycle was inspired by the recent earthquake in Zagreb and the other by Russian military aggression against Ukraine. Both cases question instability, times when the usual coordinates of life are lost and when fear and anxiety creep in.

Third cycle, The Dove Disappears, consists of 12 collage prints that Zdenka created recently, remembering an older piece that she produced for the publisher ‘Mladost’ in the early '90s, which again means, impressed by war.

Prof. Prančević goes on: "For more than 40 years, Zdenka Pozaić has been involved in her bibliophile editions, which combine poetry and visual impressions. Zdenka uses the language she knows best, that of art, accompanying poetry with graphic illustrations."

Visitors had the opportunity to take a peek in the Special Collections Department of University of Split’s Library, which hosts, presents and exhibits the artist’s recent donation to Library’s Graphic Collection. The large and valuable donation includes as many as 42 prints, published from 1981 to the present: Zdenka Pozaić’ graphic-poetry maps, as well as publications: Poets, A poet, Music manuscript, Dub and Word and painting, and visitors can come and see it at the Library every morning.

Helena Trze Jakelić, head of the University Gallery, repeated words of thanks to the artist and concluded: "This is a valuable donation including early works from 1981 all the way to the present. As the University Library marks its 120th anniversary in 2023, we also invite other artists to donate their works to the Graphic Collection, which will safeguard them for future generations."             

The exhibition will remain open until December 1, 2022.