Tvrtko Burić / Line memories

In the world of ever great competitiveness there is an increasing frequency of inability to maintain balance between the spiritual and the material, as well as the private and the professional, which results in a radical stagnation of the quality of life of an individual. Such an environment becomes the main inspirational area in the work of Tvrtko Burić and it is the key stimulus for escaping into a visual and experiential world in which the artist finds the solution for newly imposed values ​​through establishing a balance between full and empty, peaceful and dramatic, natural and artificial. Tvrtko Burić transforms the experience of the world in which he lives into artistic installations of dispersive character. Spontaneously and intuitively shaping unique forms, the artist embodies the strength and energy of his experience.

The history of Diocletian’s cellars posed a unique challenge in Burić’s work. His design of a new art installation required the establishment of dialogue with the complex and layered basement space. As the construction of basement halls was conditioned by the geological backbone of the site, Tvrtko Burić had to follow the natural laws and specifics of space during his designing and realization of a unique site-specific work. While a smaller part of the component parts of the installation was prepared in advance, much of the work was created on the spot, where the spatial arrangement of the elements of the newly made constructions was realized within the context of the visual content we consider as the totality of the historical legacy.
Tvrtko Burić created a linear drawing that was materialized in space by building a blurred structure of alternating organic forms and graphic accents. The line, as the key link of all parts of the installation, defines the dynamics of the entire space. It unites, unravels and blends the leading view of the observer from the indented forms, through some breaks in the space, to the extremely minimalist accents. Looking from afar, the installation has an impression of three-dimensional sketching in the air, but its spatial layer invites the observer to step into its interior to look closely at the richness of the structure detail and gain a comprehensive impression of the spatial drawing. Moving through the space, the observer becomes an integral part of the installation, recognizing an infinite number of points of view that change with each step. By looking at works from multiple perspectives, the observer builds a complete interpretation of the work, which opens up different possibilities of evaluation. It is the activation of the observer that leads to the ultimate realization of the installation, and its full meaning. Along with the basic dialogue between space, artwork and audience, the installation contains several key layers of meaning that can be read through the analysis of particular details. If we focus on the material, we will see that there is a direct clash of natural and artificial elements – dry branches of trees joined with pieces of plastic and metal to form singular forms. The combination of natural and artificial is a direct reference to contemporary expression realized in the historical space. On the other hand, Burić, by combining the incompatible, points to the domination of man over nature, which is necessary for our survival, and which is systematically destroyed by accumulating non-degradable waste. Finding a balance between organic and inorganic we can also achieve the balance between man and nature, industry and nature, technology and nature.

By further analyzing the details, we come to the next multidimensional artistic moment. All parts of the installation (together with the space in which they are made) form a rounded and defined spatial entity. But if we break the elements and see them as individual pieces, we will see that it is a group of different materials that act like a collection of useless waste. When the artist transforms this material into a unique installation that has created spatial dialogue, the maximum potential of objects that we would otherwise have rejected is achieved. On the other hand, the liberation of the basement space from accumulated objects (which have gradually overflowed the Diocletian’s Palace’s substructure since the Middle Ages) illustrates the reverse process: the space is liberated through subtraction, leaving the possibility of constructing a mental image, or re-examining the perception of ourselves and our actions. Both examples indicate that spontaneous construction and use of seemingly junk objects, as well as the cleaning of the laden space, can jointly provide unique energy and dynamics and take up a meaningful form.

Getting to know the unique installation of the spatial drawing, the observer understands the dynamics and character of the artist himself as well as the space in which the installation is located. The line interprets the main story, but besides being periodically materialized in more concrete implications of figurative forms, it also offers space for pauses, i.e. gaps in the space that give the observer the ability to complete the story and thus actively participate in the work. With his individual approach and understanding of the intangible values ​​of a given space, Tvrtko Burić realized communication between historical and contemporary, personal and collective, and pointed to the importance and diversity of the appreciation of the value of the work of art and its durability as well as the possibility of establishing a dialogue between natural opposites. Thus, notes of artist’s thoughts about the unavoidable but also the potential were materialized and became a kind of call for multilevel reading of the dynamics and variables of modern life, and the search for possible corrections and the role of man.

Sonja Švec Španjol, mag.hist.art.