The exhibition has been conceived as part of the eighth edition of the national competition for graduate students from art academies and art history departments. This year’s winners are Kim Mikasović, a student of the Arts Academy in Split (under the mentorship of Prof. Neli Ružić, theoretical mentorship of Blaženka Perica, PhD, assistant Marieta Vulić), and Teuta Stančić, a student of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences in Split (supervised by Assoc. Prof. Dalibor Prančević, PhD).

Since Lasting Peace Is Hard to Believe In

As the result of several years of artistic research and two site-specific interventions at the Old Split Hospital, the artist’s three-part series examines the interdimensional aspects of the healthcare system. She reflects on the symbolic significance of the former hospital, tracing its transformations through different historical periods. The artist engages with archival material not merely on an analytical level, but also through a sensory and emotional connection, which served as the inspiration for this series.

Zone of Contact is the first work in the series, made up of four glass scenes modelled on illustrations from a military first aid manual. It focuses on tactile communication during the administration of first aid. The life-size figures are rendered in negative relief, giving the impression of a touch pressed into the surface. The glass, both solid and fragile, embodies the intimacy and delicacy of human contact while highlighting the harshness of the act. Tender gestures, encased in this cold material, create a stark contrast and evoke a sense of vulnerability.

Through her research, the artist uncovers little-known information about the existence of a wartime shelter within the hospital, documented in five photographs. In the series Shelter, she reconstructs these images using aquatint and etching, reflecting on the weight and symbolism of the shelter within the hospital setting. By working with raw materials and minimal contact with the surface, she introduces a new dimension to the narrative of this forgotten space.

The third work unites these themes through hundreds of drawings and collages. Its layered compositions and fragile materials suggest a neglected dimension of healthcare. Drawing on references from original archival sources, Chapter on Care explores the notion of attentiveness in medical practice, emphasising the contrast between historical and contemporary roles.

The series as a whole reflects on empathy in the delivery of medical care, pointing to the persistent prevalence of institutional detachment and procedural rigidity.

Teuta Stančić