July the 30th, 2025 – Jelsa has become a meeting point for artists from all over Europe thanks to the Jelsa Art Biennial and its latest commendable campaign.
The Jelsa Art Biennial, which opened on July 4th, stands out as the only event that brings international contemporary art to the islands. This transforms Jelsa into a beautiful meeting point for artists and curators from all over Europe. This year, through the opening of 8 exhibitions, 8 performances and happenings, 6 art installations, 4 concerts and accompanying programmes such as expert lectures, workshops and debates, with artists from 16 countries, the event’s programmes take place both within institutional cultural spaces and in atypical spaces open to the public such as taverns, taverns and the waterfront.
The goal is to enable meetings between traditional visitors to cultural events and the local community in order to encourage interactions beyond the usual economic exchange. In addition, tourism is used as a training ground for reflection on topics that are common to visitors and locals.
Despite the often serious tone of contemporary art, the Jelsa Art Biennial also brings entertainment to its programme. That includes a concert by The Marshmallow Notebooks in collaboration with Mudri Brk, events that connect generations such as the upcoming meeting of musicians Ratko Kožul and Dimitrij Simović, and the happening of the anarcho-culinary collective Cocina de Guerrilla and Karla Crnčević. The latter combines fishing archives with unique flavours.
Here’s how thinks looked as part of the Jelsa Art Biennial looked throughout July:
July the 17th – Video installation We Face Each Other by Gemma Riggs (UK) and Alison Neighbour (UK)
July the 19th – Concert Ratko meets Dimitrij by Ratko Kožul (HR) and Dimitrij Simović (RS)
July the 23rd – Opening of the exhibition Making the Invisible Visible by Ivan Marušić Klif (HR), Francisca Roche Goncalves (PT), Marieka Leena (NL) and Pauline Almeida (PT)
July the 24th – Concert The Marshmallow Notebooks – collaboration with the Mudri Brk festival
July the 25th – Video installation Tourists Go Home, Tourists Come Back, Tourists Stay Forever by Kalina Mihova (BG)
July the 26th – Musical performance Ča bude bit već by Hugo Baranger (FR)
In a world conditioned by taking, one of the most radical acts is to do nothing….
This year, the Jelsa Art Biennial (July the 4th to September the 15th) decided to focus on the importance of protecting the underwater world through collaboration with scientists from the Zagreb Faculty of Fine Arts. The occasion is the discovery of a unique global phenomenon – Island Trapped Waves. One of the few locations in the world where the aforementioned phenomenon has been recorded is, along with Gotland, Hawaii and Bermuda – the island of Lastovo.
At the exhibition entitled Making the Invisible Visible, which will open on July the 23rd at 21:00 in the Dobrović House (Jelsa Municipal Museum, HDD) and the Kravata Gallery, artists will use audiovisual means to present this phenomenon. During the exhibition, there will also be a series of expert scientific lectures held on the three greatest threats to the coastline: uncontrolled fishing, nautical tourism and maritime traffic that contributes to marine pollution, and the destruction of the coast during construction work.
Water covers more than 70% of the Earth’s surface. Life itself originates from water, and beneath the sea’s surface lies a living world so vast and unexplored that many compare it to the vastness of space. It’s almost incomprehensible how quickly the processes that contribute to the rapid development of climate change are taking place in our seas and oceans. Climate change isn’t only the result of pollution, but also of reckless behaviour towards the environment.
The most effective way to slow down climate change, increase biodiversity and promote positive effects on the environment are protected – no take – zones. In such zones, any form of human influence is prohibited, and nature then regenerates itself. Artists will illustrate these processes artistically, and through the language of contemporary art.
about the jelsa art biennial
The Jelsa Art Biennial on the island of Hvar is a festival of contemporary art that connects different audiences through a variety of artistic media and practices. It focuses equally on established and emerging artists. The event is unique in that the works are mostly performed in public spaces with the aim of bringing contemporary art closer to the widest possible audience. It also works hard to emphasise art that conveys a message of social responsibility and sustainability. In this sense, the Jelsa Art Biennial has a vision to become a unique and recognisable event of socially responsible art at the European level. It also wants to become a generator of development based on ecological awareness and culture.
need more info? look no further!
Co-production partners: LAB852, Sustainable Island
Co-financed by: EU Creative Europe Programme, Ministry of Culture and Media of the Republic of Croatia, Jelsa Tourist Board, Split-Dalmatia County, City of Zagreb, Magic Carpets, Co-Vision, Culture Moves Europe, Goethe Institute, Kultura Nova Foundation, Municipality of Jelsa, Split-Dalmatia County Tourist Board, City of Agueda
In partnership with: Jelsa Municipal Museum, Croatian Design Society, Monade, Vrboska Film Festival, AgitLab, Mudri Brk
Media partners: T-Portal, Morski.hr
Web: www.jabiennial.com
Social media: Facebook and Instagram
Contact: jabiennial@gmail.com
