In the atrium of the Museum of Fine Arts, Zagreb sculptor Neven Bilić will exhibit a site-specific installation titled The Big Muntius. The work was created in 2021 as part of The Cycle: Art in Front of the Art Pavilion. Since his last exhibition at the Museum of Fine Arts in 2013, the artist has focused on serial production and the multiplication of elements covered with ornamental decorations and their harmonious connection, constructing them into a whole, which he cultivates and develops to this day. Replicating modules have become a kind of trademark that combine the characteristics of a puzzle and a riddle.

By departing from conventional sculpting techniques such as carving and modelling, which were characteristic of his earlier works, Neven Bilić employs the principle of multiplying stackable prototypes, which he duplicates with slight variations to create unique objects. He makes a shift from traditional sculpture even in the choice of materials. He has opted for polyurethane, a plastic compound that has a rubbery texture. It is very easy to handle, inexpensive, durable, and suitable for shaping and painting.

Bilić’s interest in industrial processes and prototype production originates from his work in the ceramics industry. He spent a year and a half working in industrial facilities for ceramic production, designing prototypes, moulds, and working models, acquiring an admirable level of technological skill that he requires because he carries out all stages of work by himself in his studio: from creating plaster models, making moulds, to casting in polyurethane, finishing, and assembling objects from the basic elements he has made himself.