Hrvoje Majer / Janko Matic

Using methods similar to that of a psychoanalyst, Hrvoje Majer excavates the inner state of his subjects. For this exhibition, he departs from his typical process by using found imagery from commercial print media as a starting point; then, draws out both the idea of the person depicted and why they are used as an archetype. Incorporating a humanizing scale and a raw technique, the results are expressive of something far more personal and longing than what their sources might indicate. 

Janko Matic manipulates the symbols of everyday life as tools for contemplation. Whether crudely turing a pair of Converse sneakers into high-end adidas with three stripes of white paint, or taking a shower in the window of a women’s perfume shop; the intent of slowing minor indicators of progress remains evident. In this exhibition he appropriates magazine imagery not far from that of Majer’s but chooses a comedic gesture, rather than a dramatic one. Having known each other since their formative days in Croatia, the two artists are presenting their first-ever joint exhibition to examine their relative understanding of contemporary portraiture.