The exhibition Izložba Staying Here With You , organized at the Swiss residence in 2017, featured performances, installations, and videos by Swiss artist Katja Schenker and Serbian artist Ivan Grubanov. The exhibition explores global issues such as identity, corporeality, duration, territory, and nation to define the human need for freedom and individuality. The performances introduce zones of uncertainty and the need to define space. Grubanov used Yugoslav flags placed on the floor, which cleaners would sweep and move from one side to another. These discarded flags, having lost their meaning and symbolism, served as canvases for paint, transforming into works of art. This cycle from abandoned object to creative process also reflects the artist’s role as a mediator between society and meaning.
Ivan Grubanov – Biography
Ivan Grubanov was born in 1976 in Belgrade, where he graduated in painting from the University of Arts. He then pursued two years of advanced studies at the Rijksakademie in Amsterdam, followed by residencies at Delfina Studios in London, Casa de Velázquez in Madrid, and the University of the Arts in Braunschweig. He earned his doctorate in art from the University of Leuven. Grubanov has held solo exhibitions in numerous prestigious museums and contemporary art galleries across Europe. His works are part of several prominent collections, including those of Kunstmuseum Bern, the Museum of Contemporary Art in León, the Museum of Contemporary Art in Belgrade, the National Museum of Contemporary Art in Athens, and the Deutsche Bank Collection in Frankfurt and Berlin.
