Visit to Ateliers Žitnjak

The artistic organization Ateliers Žitnjak was founded in 2004 by the fellowship of artists, users of the ateliers in the complex of ex-elementary school Žitnjak, a venue under the public ownership of the City of Zagreb, that was re-made into ateliers in 2003. The organization was established on the model of various international art centres in the (post-)industrial (sub)urban zones, with the intention of creating an inclusive art and cultural space that would contribute to social revitalization of the peripheral, culturally neglected area of Žitnjak. As a part of the space and its story, the artists have founded the AŽ Gallery in 2005, as a multi-purpose and various-activities space, with about 200 exhibitions and related programs held so far (children workshops, public discussions and actions, film projections, book promotions and similar gatherings); and they started the artists-in-residence program in 2007. Members of the Atelier Žitnjak Arts Organization are prominent Croatian artists, and the AŽ gallery manager, Bojan Krištofić, is one of the Reshapers, while the entirety of its program is being designed by the artists' collective. Ateliers Žitnjak are thus one of the few artists-run community-art spaces in Zagreb and Croatia.

Members of Atelier Žitnjak Arts Organization are artists of various disciplines: Boris Cvjetanović, Hamo Čavrk, Boris Greiner, Dražen Grubišić, Ivana Jelavić, Alem Korkut, Bojan Krištofić, Kata Mijatović, Hrvoje Mitrov, Zoran Pavelić, Predrag Pavić, Vesna Pokas, Frane Rogić and Vlasta Žanić.