City Galleries Osijek, Croatia

The City Galleries Osijek were founded by the city council in 2006. The primary work is to present and to promote contemporary art in the region by organizing national and international exhibitions, theatre performances and experimental film screenings.

The well-known Croatian conceptual artist Ivan Faktor has been directing the institution since January 2007. Dramaturge Marijana Fumić is in charge of performing arts.
Currently, the City Galleries house three spaces: Galleries “Waldinger” and “Kazamat” for Visual Arts and “Barutana” for theater and performances. A space expansion is also planned for film screenings, which currently take place in the Waldinger Gallery.

The Galleries are located in Tvrdja (a fortress), which is the oldest part of town. The Baroque structure of Osijek’s Tvrdja complex was built in the 18th century as a defensive fortification with impressive walls and two city gates. It is one of Croatia’s most important epicenters and is home to the greatest and most well-preserved Baroque military buildings still in existence today. Like Tvrdja, “Barutana” is also listed as part of the national cultural heritage. The ancient gunpowder magazine (“Barutana” in Croatian) was completely renovated and redesigned as a small-scale theater venue. The annual “Performance Art Festival” takes place here every summer in addition to other performances.

Alongside the regular exhibitions, film and theater events, the Osijek City Galleries also organize readings and concerts. In the long term there are plans to establish an artist-in-residence project. This will provide international artists who are working in the visual and performing arts as well as new media with the opportunity to live and work in Osijek for several weeks and interact with activists in the local culture.