Artist
Lara Varat
Lara Varat has been studying Cinematography at the Academy of Dramatic Arts at the University of Zagreb since 2019. She participated in several art workshops and other educational programs focused on queer topics. She has experience working on film sets, in smaller (e.g. Eclectica) and larger (e.g. Netflix) productions. Her photographic works have been featured in the series of exhibitions titled "In the process" (2019-2020, 2021) at the F8 Gallery in Zagreb. She participated in building a collaborative light and sound installation in the exhibition Coexistence II: Spaces of Light (Gallery Nova, Zagreb, 2021).
Desire Paths
Lara Varat deals with sexuality, gender identity and expression, and spatial manifestations of queer culture. While constructing photographic narratives, she’s particularly interested in exploring the possibilities of staged photography and auto fiction. In Desire Paths she’s focused on exploring contemporary queer sexuality and staging the queer body as an object of desire by using the spatial phenomenon of the desired path, both literally – showing the traces of Zagreb's cruising zones – and metaphorically – connecting it to the concepts of freedom and indomitability.
Ivan Buvinić’s work addresses topics related to memory politics, speculating on contested family histories and personal archives, whilst Matej Jurčević focuses on a critical approach to the representation of youth culture - and to the destigmatization of mental illnesses. Lara Varat’s work deals with sexuality, gender identity and spatial manifestations of queer culture. Finally, Lucija Bogunović’s projects revisit the role of photography medium, exploring its possible translations and materializations in textile and installation formats.