FFST - Art History

Results of the “Best Shot from a Field Trip” Photo Contest

Frane Prpa — Wed, 26 Aug 2026 10:24:54 GMT

Organized by the Department of Art History at the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences in Split, the “Best Shot from a Field Trip” photo contest was held as part of the “Friendship in May” event.

Students of the Department of Art History participated in the contest with photographs taken during field trips, while the winning photographs were selected by public vote.

The highest number of votes went to:

Petra Tuta – photograph from a field trip to Šibenik
Ante Jelić – photograph from a field trip to Salona
Maja Minarik – photograph from a field trip to Šibenik

The authors of the three highest-rated photographs will receive special prizes – an FFST merchandise package and a book published by the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences in Split.

Congratulations to the award-winning students, and thank you to all participants for taking part in the contest and for their creative photographic records of the field trips. We would also like to extend our special thanks to everyone who voted and helped select the best photographs.

Lecture “Is There Life Before Rome? Vičja Luka and Rat on Brač in the Context of Adriatic Communications”

Frane Prpa — Wed, 26 Aug 2026 10:22:09 GMT

On 15 May 2026, Associate Professor Vedran Barbarić, PhD, delivered a lecture entitled “Is There Life Before Rome? Vičja Luka and Rat in the Context of Adriatic Communications.” The lecture was held as part of the exhibition Peaks of the Depths – Underwater Heritage of Split-Dalmatia County.

During the lecture, Associate Professor Vedran Barbarić presented the multi-layered archaeological site located on the western coast of the island of Brač, comprising the Rat hillfort and Vičja Luka Bay, and discussed its significance within the broader context of Adriatic communications.

Field Trip to the Meštrović Gallery

Frane Prpa — Wed, 26 Aug 2026 10:21:06 GMT

Second-year undergraduate students of Art History, as part of the course Italian Language 4, took part in a field trip to the Meštrović Gallery, where they visited the new exhibition “Meštrović’s House in Split / A Space of Life and Art”, which marked the reopening of the museum to the public following 15 months of renovation.

In preparation for the field trip, the course instructor, Associate Professor Marijana Alujević, PhD, prepared materials and texts in Italian related to the theme of the exhibition. During the visit, the students discussed the current exhibition, its concept, and its interpretations.

In addition to the new exhibition, the students had the opportunity to explore the museum’s permanent collection and gain a deeper understanding of Ivan Meštrović’s oeuvre and the significance of his artistic legacy.

Guest Lectures by Teaching Assistant Frane Prpa at Ivan Meštrović Secondary School in Drniš

Frane Prpa — Wed, 26 Aug 2026 10:20:36 GMT

On 4 May 2026, Teaching Assistant Frane Prpa delivered two lectures at Ivan Meštrović Secondary School in Drniš, entitled “Urbanism of Islamic-Ottoman Towns in the Sanjak of Klis”, for second- and third-year general grammar school students.

The lectures aimed to encourage students’ interest in humanities research and to introduce them to the influence of Ottoman urbanism on the development of the Dalmatian region.

Field Study Visit to Vid near Metković

Frane Prpa — Fri, 10 Jul 2026 11:52:49 GMT

In mid-April, students of History and Art History participated in a field study visit to Vid, near Metković. As part of the field-based learning programme, they visited the Narona Archaeological Museum and explored the archaeological remains of the ancient Roman city of Narona. The visit provided students with the opportunity to engage directly with the site's archaeological and cultural heritage, thereby enhancing their understanding of the historical and material evidence of the Roman period in the eastern Adriatic.

FIELD STUDY VISIT TO ZADAR AND NIN

Frane Prpa — Fri, 10 Jul 2026 11:51:01 GMT

First-year students of History and Art History participated in a field study visit to the historic cities of Zadar and Nin, where they explored their rich cultural and historical heritage. The programme included visits to major heritage sites, ranging from the Church of St Donatus to the Museum of Nin Antiquities, providing students with first-hand insight into the archaeological, architectural, and artistic legacy of the region.

The field study was conducted under the guidance of Associate Professor Ana Torlak, PhD, Associate Professor Vedran Barbarić, PhD, Senior Teaching and Research Assistant Zvonimir Forker, and Teaching and Research Assistant Frane Prpa.

Lecture and Workshop: Roman Roads – An Example of Intelligent Energy Use

Frane Prpa — Fri, 10 Jul 2026 11:48:48 GMT

The lecture Roman Roads – An Example of Intelligent Energy Use was delivered as an interactive presentation supported by a PowerPoint slideshow, with particular emphasis on the active participation of attendees. The primary objective of the activity was to introduce children to the concept of rational and sustainable energy use through a historical case study, while encouraging critical reflection on contemporary approaches to the utilisation of energy resources.

In addition to the theoretical component, participants took part in a workshop during which they engaged in discussion, expressed their views, and related the acquired knowledge to their own everyday experiences. Particular emphasis was placed on experiential learning and practical application. Pupils completed a series of tasks using specially designed worksheets that were developed and adapted to their age group and level of prior knowledge. The worksheets included reading comprehension exercises, concept-matching activities, and problem-solving tasks focusing on energy conservation and the efficient use of energy resources. Through these activities, participants strengthened their logical reasoning, collaborative skills, and independent critical thinking.

Alongside raising awareness of the importance of responsible environmental stewardship, the activity also incorporated elements of cultural heritage education, with particular emphasis on the Roman road that has been preserved in the immediate vicinity of the school. As the children are already familiar with this archaeological site and frequently encounter its remains, the local heritage context significantly enhanced their understanding of the topic and enabled them to connect the educational content with their immediate environment.

The interactive teaching approach, together with the combination of diverse pedagogical methods, proved highly effective in fostering participants' engagement and motivation. Overall, the activity successfully contributed to raising awareness of the importance of responsible energy use, environmental sustainability, and the value of local cultural heritage while promoting active learning and critical thinking.

Exhibition Cartographies of Želimir Koščević by Associate Professor Silva Kalčić, PhD

Frane Prpa — Fri, 10 Jul 2026 11:46:36 GMT

On Tuesday, 21 April 2026, at 7:00 p.m., the Gallery of the Student Centre in Zagreb hosted the presentation of Exhibition Cartographies of Želimir Koščević: Critical Instruments, Exhibition and Curatorial Narratives, a new monograph by Associate Professor Silva Kalčić, PhD. The publication was presented by Janka Vukmir, President of the Croatian Section of AICA; Suzana Marjanić, editor of the volume; Ivana Bago, contemporary art theorist; Zlatko Galić, author of the foreword written from the perspective of a former student; Želimir Koščević; and the author herself.

The Gallery of the Student Centre was not chosen as the venue by chance. It was here that Želimir Koščević, serving as director of the Gallery between 1966 and 1979, fundamentally transformed the understanding and role of curatorial practice in Croatia, aligning it with the most progressive international developments of the period. The book launch took place within the exhibition of Milivoj Bijelić, an artist who had participated in Koščević's major international exhibition Cartographers (Kartografi), organised by the Museum of Contemporary Art in Zagreb in 1997.

Silva Kalčić's book represents an attempt to historicise curatorial practice in contemporary Croatian art through the example of the long-standing work of curator Želimir Koščević. As director and curator of the Gallery of the Student Centre in Zagreb—originally constructed as the pavilion of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes at the Zagreb Fair (1928–1929) according to the design of architect Ivan Zemljak, a member of the Zemlja Group—Koščević subsequently continued his curatorial career at the Gallery/Museum of Contemporary Art in Zagreb and later at the Lang Photo Gallery in Samobor.

It is important to emphasise that the history of curatorial practice remains a relatively underexplored field within Croatian art history, whereas internationally it has become an increasingly significant area of scholarly inquiry. While the history of exhibitions in the modern sense—as a manifestation of the public sphere and the universal right to public visibility—can be traced back to the revolutionary transformations of the late eighteenth century, the history of contemporary curatorial exhibitions is still being actively constituted today. This ongoing process invites critical reflection on institutional policies, exhibition formats, interpretative frameworks, and models of presentation.

Following the Rijeka Salon of 1954, which introduced the influential and authoritative figure of the curator responsible for selecting works for the salon exhibition—a development discussed by Zlatko Galić in the book's foreword—the emergence of the neo-avant-garde together with institutional critique during the 1950s and 1960s profoundly challenged established understandings of the artist, the artwork, the curator, and the audience. These developments led to a more active curatorial role in mediating new artistic practices, culminating in the authorship of thematic exhibitions, exhibition-statements, and ultimately in the radical questioning—and, at times, the dissolution—of the curatorial position itself. Such tendencies are exemplified by Koščević's exhibitions Imaginary Museum I–III (1966–1968), Exhibitions of Women and Men (1971), Mail Shipments (1972), and ultimately the major international exhibition Cartographers: Geo-Gnostic Projections for the Twenty-First Century (1997).

When curators of Koščević's generation—he was born in Zagreb in 1939—entered the cultural field, they redefined their professional role to such an extent that they assumed the position of meta-artists, a development widely recognised as the curatorial turn. Rather than relying on linear museological narratives, Koščević employed artistic methodologies within curatorial practice, treating exhibition design, museum displays, and artefacts themselves as creative material, experimenting with modes of perception, and conceiving exhibitions as integrated experiential environments.

Under Koščević's direction, the Gallery of the Student Centre became an experimental and open laboratory for deprofessionalised artistic practice. Subsequently, he extended artistic activity into the public space of the city, thereby contributing to the deinstitutionalisation of art. Alongside experimental, critical, and participatory exhibitions, he organised public discussions and debates, while actively cultivating audiences through the Gallery's educational programmes and later through those of the Gallery/Museum of Contemporary Art.

The book was co-published by the Croatian Section of AICA and Durieux (Zagreb, 2026).

Editor: Suzana Marjanić, PhD, Senior Research Associate

Peer reviewers: Professor Sonja Briski Uzelac, PhD, and Professor Krešimir Purgar, PhD

Language editor: Maja Trinajstić

Design and graphic layout: Petra Milički

Publication details

445 pages
15 × 21 cm
Hardcover

ISBN 978-953-50937-0-1 (Croatian Section of AICA)

ISBN 978-953-188-609-3 (Durieux)

The publication was produced with the financial support of the City of Zagreb and the Ministry of Science, Education and Youth of the Republic of Croatia.