Biography
Ivan Grubanov (SRB, 1976) has enjoyed an intense training as an artist, starting out at the Belgrade Academy of Fine Arts, followed by training programs and residencies at the Rijksakademie van beeldende kunsten in Amsterdam, the Delfina Studios in London, Casa de Velazquez in Madrid and the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven. In 2015, he represented Serbia at the 56th Venice Biennale with his project United Dead Nations.
Ivan Grubanov is constantly trying to innovate the medium of painting. Being born himself in a country with such a turbulent past, he became intrigued by the articulation of historical memory against contemporary conditions. What does his heritage still mean for him today? And in a broader sense how do past cultural values still exist in our current globalised society. His process-oriented painterly method evolves into a podium for knowledge production, persistently posing challenging questions about social and political realities.
Ivan Grubanov has established his international career through numerous solo, group, and biennial exhibitions worldwide, as well as many artistic and scholarly awards. Solo shows include Laboratorio 987 at MUSAC in Leon, Le Grand Cafe Centre d’Art Contemporain in St Nazaire, Gallery of the Belgrade Cultural Center and Salon of the Museum of Contemporary Art in Belgrade, Stroom Center for Contemporary Art in Den Haag, Nogueras Blanchard in Barcelona.
Participations in group shows include the Museum of Contemporary Art in Krakow, Witte de With in Rotterdam, Kiasma in Helsinki, the 3rd International Festival of Contemporary Art of Algiers, the 10th Istanbul Biennial, the 1st Thessaloniki Biennial, Stedelijk Museum CS, SMART Project Space and De Appel in Amsterdam, the Drawing Center and Apex Art in New York, City Gallery in Prague, the 50th Belgrade October Salon, the Spa Port Biennial in Banja Luka, the 3rd Bucharest Biennial of Young Artists, Moderna Galerija in Ljubljana, the 3rd Tirana Biennial, the 3rd Biennial of Quebec, Kunsthalle Bern, Office Baroque and Extra City Kunsthal in Antwerp, Aeroplastics in Brussels, South London Gallery, ARCOS Museum in Benevento, Museum De Beyerd in Breda, Henie Onstad Art Center in Oslo, National Museum of Contemporary Art in Athens, Museu Colecção Berardo in Lisbon, Iaspis in Stockholm.
CV
Education
- 2016 University of Leuven/LUCA School of Arts, PhD in Arts, Leuven, BE
- 2008 Casa de Velazquez, Madrid, Spain
- 2005 – 2006 Delfina Studio Programme, London, UK
- 2002 – 2003 RABK / Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture and Science, Amsterdam, Netherlands
Rijksakademie van Beeldenden Kunsten, Amsterdam, Netherlands - 1996 – 2001 Academy of Fine Arts, Belgrad, Serbia-Montenegro
Solo shows (selection)
- 2019 THE EVIL PAINTER, City Gallery of Contemporary Art, Zrenjanin, RS
- 2019 THE RETURN OF THE NATIONAL, Loock galerie, Berlin, DE
- 2018 SCARS, Novembar Gallery, Belgrade, RS
- 2018 COUNTERPICTURING, Art Brussels (with Ron Mandos gallery), Brussels, BE
- 2017 PAINTING THE NATION, Belgrade Cultural Center, Belgrade, RS
- 2017 THE SUMMER OF NATIONALISM, Exhibition Hall of the University Library Leuven, Leuven, BE
- 2016 COLLECTIVE FRACTURES, Funnel Contemporary, Bucharest, RO
- 2016 SMOKE NATION SCREEN, Ron Mandos Gallery, Amsterdam, NL
- 2015 BEHIND THE SMOKESCREEN, Loock Galerie, Berlin
- 2015 UNITED DEAD NATIONS, Serbian Pavilion at the 56th International Art Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia
- 2013 CURRENT PASTS (with Vangelis Vlahos, curated by Daphne Vitali), National Museum of Contemporary Art, Athens, Greece
- 2012SMOKESCREENS, Loock Galerie, Berlin
- 2010 HAUNTING MEMORY (associated project of the Architecture Trienale), MARZ Galeria, Lissabon, Portugal
SEVEN STUDIES FOR A MEMORIAL, Loock Galerie, Berlin, Germany - 2009 Solo Projects, ARCO, Madrid, Spain
- 2008 EVIL PAINTER, Loock Galerie, Berlin, Germany
LABORATORIO 987, MUSAC, Leon, Spain - 2007 Le Grand Café, Saint-Nazaire, France
KCB Gallery, Belgrad, Serbia-Montenegro - 2006 Nogueras Blanchard Gallery, Barcelona, Spain
- 2005 Stroom Contemporary Art Center, Den Haag, Netherlands
VISITOR, Salon of the Museum of Contemporary Art, Belgrad, Serbia-Montenegro - 2004 STUDY OF MY FATHER, A RELATION TO THE ORIGIN, Ron Mandos Gallery, Rotterdam, Netherlands
VISITOR, Lawrence O´Hana Gallery, London, UK
CAGES, Expodium, Utrecht, Netherlands - 2001 Dvoriste Gallery of Contemporary Art, Pancevo, Serbia-Montenegro
- 1999 Zlatno Oko, Novi Sad, Serbia-Montenegro
Group shows (selection)
- 2019
WHEN THE PRESENT IS HISTORY, Depo Istanbul, Istanbul, TR
OPEN CEREMONY, Aa29 Project Room, Reggio Emilia, IT
STAYING HERE WITH YOU – MOVING, Cinema Balkan Center for Contemporary Art, Belgrade, RS
THE AUTUMN SALON, Pavilion Cvijeta Zuzoric, Belgrade, RS
SCEPANOVIC, ZDRAVKOVIC, GRUBANOV, PERIC, Gallery Belgrade, Belgrade, RS
- 2018
MARVELOUS CACOPHONY, Belgrade Biennial, Belgrade City Museum, RS
BETWEEN US, Salon of the Museum of Contemporary Art, Belgrade, RS
POST-TRUTH, National Museum, Cetinje, MN
MATERIALITY OF THE PAINTERLY EVENT, Athens City Arts Center, Athens. GR
THE WORLD ON PAPER, Museum Palais Populaire, Berlin, DE
FORM, Belgrade City Museum, Application, Art, , Belgrade, RS
COLOR LUCIDA, Serbian Cultural Center Paris, Paris, FR - 2017
NEW AQUISITIONS, Pancevo Gallery of Contemporary Art, Pancevo, RS
VOYAGE – A JOURNEY THROUGH SERBIAN CONTEMPORARY ART, China Art Museum, Sanghai, CH
FOUR DIRECTIOS, Aa 29 Project Room, Caserta, IT
STAYING HERE WITH YOU, a performance with Katia Schenker,Residency of the Swiss Ambasador, Belgrade, RS
LIMITI – CONFINI, Museo del Duomo, Milan, IT
I TRAVELLED THE WORLD ON SEVEN SEAS, Royal Atheneum Antwerp, Anwerp, BE - 2016
ACH, DIE SIND JA HEUTE SO UNPOLITISCH, Salon Dahlmann, Berlin, DE
17th Pancevo Biennial, SEE Art Gates, Pancevo, RS
Art Brussels, with Ron Mandos gallery
Art Rotterdam, with Ron Mandos gallery - 2015
CONSTELLATION, Serbian Cultural Center Paris, Paris, FR
STUDY FOR A MEMORIAL, Outside Gallery Apolo, Pancevo, RS
BONTON: Dobro odrzavanje i lepo ponasanje, Cultural Center of Belgrade, Belgrade, RS
NEW HORIZONS, Naval Heritage Collection, Porto Montenegro, Tivat, ME - 2014
16th Pancevo Biennial, Pancevo, RS
DIEZ AÑOS DESPUÉS, MUSAC (Museo de arte contemporaneo de Castilla y Leon), Leon, ES
IN BOCCA AL LUPO, CREPI CREPI, Cultural Center of Cyprus in Athens, Athens, GR
ROAD TO EUROPE / I WANT TO SPEAK ABOUT THE WAR, Clovic Castle Gallery, Zagreb, HR
ENACTING PROTEST?, STUK Kunstencentrum, Leuven, BE
THE GOOD CAUSE, Stroom Center for Contemporary Art, The Hague, NL
SQUARES, Francois Ghebaly Gallery, Los Angeles, USA
CELEBRITIES, Loock Galerie, Berlin, DE - 2013WIR ÜBERSCHREITEN DEN RUBIKON, Ostrale ´013, Dresden
GENESIS, 9. Inspiracje Festival, Szczecin, PL
WE ARE EVERYTHING FOR EACH OTHER (curated by Maja Ciric), Lanchester Gallery Projects, Coventry, UK
PRESLISAVANJE 10 (curated by Sasa Janjic, Miroslav Karic, Slobodan Jovanovic), Remont Gallery, Belgrade, RS - 2012 REALITY BITES (curated by Eija Aarnio, Leevi Haapala, Saara Hacklin, Patrik Nyberg, Jonna Strandberg), Kiasma Museum of Contemporary Art, Helsinki, Finnland
A GATHERING (curated by Maria Thalia and Olga Hatzidaki), Macedonian Museum of Contemporary Art, Thessaloniki, Griechenland
REFERENCING HISTORY, Green Art Gallery, Dubai, VAE
THAT PASSES BETWEEN US (curated by Lala Rascic), Good Children Gallery, New Orleans
PRIVATE VIEW, Loock Galerie, Berlin - 2011Apexart, THE WALLS THAT DIVIDE US (curated by Miguel Amado), New York, USA
Kunstforum Ostdeutsche Galerie, DONUMENTA 2011- SERBIEN: VIEWS/ VISIONS, Regensburg, Germany
Extra City, DRAWING DOCUMENTS, Antwerpen, Belgium
The 3rd International Festival of Contemporary Art of Algiers (FIAC), Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Algiers, DZ, (curated by Nadira Laggoune)
MOCAK, HISTORY IN ART (curated by Maria Anna Potocka), Museum of Contemporary Art Krakow, PL
MARZ Galeria, THIN AIR, Lisbon, PT
SELEKTIONSEFFEKTE, Blainsouthern Berlin, DE - 2010DRAWING DOCUMENTS (curated by Anselm Franke), Extra City-Kunsthal, Antwerpen, Belgium
POLITICS OF ART (curated by Anna Kafetsi), National Museum of Contemporary Art, Athen, Greece
MORALITY, ACT 3, AND THE MORAL OF THE STORY IS (kuratiert von Zoe Gray), Witte de With, Rotterdam, Netherlands
MORALITY, ACT 3, AND THE MORAL OF THE STORY IS (kuratiert von Zoe Gray), Apex Art, New York, USA
ALL THAT IS SOLID MELTS INTO AIR: THE SOCIAL AT THE BERARDO COLLECTION (curated by Miguel Amado), Museu Colecção Berardo, Lissabon, Portugal - 2009MONUMENT TO TRANSFORMATION, City Gallery Prague, Prag, Tschechische Republik
COURTISANE FESTIVAL, Film, Video & Media Art, Arts Center Vooruit, Gent, Belgium
PUERTAS ABIERTAS, Casa de Velazquez, Madrid, Spain
CIRCUMSTANCE, Belgrade Cultural Centre, The 50th October Salon, Belgrad, Serbia-Montenegro
The Matrix: An Unstable Reality, 28th Biennial of Graphic Arts, Ljubljana, Slowenien
WHERE EVERITHING IS YET TO HAPPEN, Spaport Biennial, Banja Luka BH, (curated by Antonia Majaca, Ivana Bago, Anselm Franke) - 2008BETWEEN THE IMAGES, Iaspis, Stockholm, Sweden
3rd Bucharest Biennial of Young Artists (curated by Ami Barak), Bukarest, Romania
Spa Port, Banja Luka, Bosnia-Herzegovina
NO LEFTOVERS, Kunsthalle Bern, Bern, Switzerland
WASTELAND, Hattyúház Galéria, Pécs, Hungary
SIGNALS IN THE DARK: ART IN THE SHADOW OF WAR, Blackwood Gallery University of Toronto at Mississauga, Toronto, Canada
HEADLINES & FOOTNOTES, Henie Onstad Art Center, Oslo, Norway
ITALY ITALIEN, WLOCHY, ARCOS Contemporary Art Museum Sannio, Benevento, Italy
SELECTIVE KNOWLEDGE, Institute for Contemporary Art and Thought, Athen, Greece - 200710th International Istanbul Biennial, Istanbul, Turkey
DRAWING TYPOLOGIES (curated by Roel Arkesteijn), Stedelijk Museum CS, Amsterdam, Netherlands
HETEROTOPIAS (curated by Jan Erik Lundstorm), 1st Thessaloniki Biennale, Greece
ALABAMA, Office Baroque, Antwerpen, Belgium EVERY WIND THAT BLOWS, Smart Project Space, Amsterdam, Netherlands
GROUND LOST, Forum Stadtpark, Graz, Switzerland
SPEAKERS, Aeroplastics Gallery, Amsterdam, Netherlands - 2006HISTOIRE(S) (curated by Sophie Legrandjacques), Le Grand Café, Saint-Nazaire, France
REMBRANDT: DEATH, DISSECTION & DOCTORS, Lloyd Hotel, Amsterdam, Netherlands
COMMON DESTINATIONS (curated by Katherine Carl), Drawing Center, Selections Fall, New York, USA
Pancevo Biennial, Pancevo, Serbia-Montenegro
AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 DAYS (curated by Margot Heller, Jens Hoffman, Kit Kammonds and Claire Fitzsimmons), South London Gallery, London, UK
SWEET TABOOS (curated by Edi Muka), Apex Art, New York, USA
PSW AR, PIXELS OF REALITY, Amsterdam, Netherlands
Everyday Every Other Day, Blackwood Gallery, Mississauga, Canada
MRKS & SPNCR, Delfina Studios, London, UK
AMBIVALENT TRUTHS, Serious Interests Agency, London, UK
AFFINITY BY CHOICE, KCB Belgrade, Belgrad, Serbia-Montenegro
INTERRUPTED HISTORIES, Moderna Galerija, Ljubljana, Slovenia
VILLA JELMINI, Kunsthalle Bern, Bern, Switzerland - 2005 SWEET TABOOS, Tirana Bienale, Tirana, Albania
INFORMATION/TRANSFORMATION, Extra City, Antwerpen, Belgium
OFF-KEY, Kunsthalle Bern, Bern, Switzerland
20/21, Press to Exit Project Space, Skopje, Macedonia
20/21, Zvono Gallery, Belgrad, Serbia-Montenegro
Manif d’Art, 3rd Biennial of Quebec, Quebec, Canada
VALUES, Espace Culturel Francois Mitterand, Perigueux, France
GALA OF THE YEAR, Ron Mandos Gallery, Rotterdam, Netherlands - 2004THE WORLD IS FINE, WE OURSELVES UNFORTUNATELY SOMEWHAT LESS, De Appel, Amsterdam, Netherlands
CODED CULTURES, Freiraum, Museumsquartier, Wien, Austria
UNTITLED AS YET, The Yugoslav Biennial of Young Artists, Vrsac, Serbia-Montenegro
VALUES, 11th Biennial of Visual Arts, Pancevo, Serbia-Montenegro
SHARE LIKE A RECEIPT, Center in Galerija P74, Ljubljana, Slovenia
VIDEO STUDIO, Museum Beelden aan Zee, Scheveningen, Den Haag, Netherlands
ART Rotterdam, Smart Project Space Stand, Rotterdam, Netherlands
Smart Project Space, ART Rotterdam, Netherlands - 2003MARTHA COLBURN, IVAN GRUBANOV, BAS LOUTER, SERGE ONEN-FUSE, Museum De Beyerd, Breda, Netherlands
RABK, Open Ateliers, Amsterdam, Netherlands
REGIONAL-UNIVERSAL, Gallery of Contemporary Art, Pancevo, Serbia-Montenegro - 2002RABK, Open Ateliers, Amsterdam, Netherlands
VIOLENCE-SILENCE, US Art Gallery, Stellenbosch, South Africa
RENDEZVOUS IN XIAMEN, Chinese-European Art Center, Xiamen, China
VIOLENCE – MEMORY, Goethe Institut, Tel Aviv, Israel
VIOLENCE, N.S.A. Gallery, Durban, South Africa
SILENCE, Nieubethesda, Great Karoo, South Africa
FAKE OR REAL, Outline & Kunstruimte NP40, Amsterdam, Netherlands
GLASS, KCB Gallery, Belgrad, Serbia-Montenegro
INTERNATIONAL WORKSHOP 35 WINTER SALON, Josip Bepo Benkovic Gallery, Herceg Novi, Serbia-Montenegro
PUBLIKUM’S CALENDAR OF NEW ART AND CONTEMPORARY LIFE, Belgrad, Serbia-Montenegro - 2001INTERNATIONAL TRIENNAL OF DRAWINGS, The Modern Gallery, Rijeka, Croatia
RESISTANCES AND CONFRONTATIONS, Museum of Vojvodina, Novi Sad, Serbia-Montenegro
31. SALON OF PANCEVO, Gallery of Contemporary Art, Pancevo, Serbia-Montenegro
OPEN SENSUALITY, Cinema Apolo, Pancevo, Serbia-Montenegro
11th BELEF, Barutana, Belgrad, Serbia-Montenegro
GLASS, Gallery for Contemporary Art, Pancevo, Serbia-Montenegro
UNDER CONSTRUCTION, Center for Contemporary Art Ujazdowsky, Warschau, Poland - 2000SHORT ELECTRONIC FORM FAIR, Rex, Belgrad, Serbia-Montenegro
INSIDE-OUTSIDE, Zacheta Gallery, Warschau, Poland
OPEN SENSUALITY, Cinema Apolo, Pancevo, Serbia-Montenegro
30. OCTOBER SALON, Dvoriste Gallery of Contemporary Art, Pancevo, Serbia-Montenegro
10th BELEF, Belgrad, Serbia-Montenegro
INSTALLATION AT PUBLIC SPACE INTERNATIONAL BIENNIAL OF SCULPTURE, Cinema Apolo, Pancevo, Serbia-Montenegro
NOT A DAY WITHOUT A LINE, Graphic Collective Gallery, Belgrad, Serbia-Montenegro - 1999THE END OF THE EPISODE, SULUJ Gallery, Belgrad, Serbia-Montenegro
International Festival of Young Independent Artists, BREAK 21, Ljubljana, Slovenia
29. OCTOBER SALON, Gallery of Contemporary Art, Pancevo, Serbia-Montenegro
250 EUROPEAN ARTWORKS, Palazzo Piazzoni, Vittorio Veneto, Italy
COLLECTION OF GCA GALLERY PANCEVO, Marko Gregovic Gallery, Petrovac, Serbia-Montenegro
PROJECT AAAAAAAAAAA, KUD France Presern, Ljubljana, Slovenia
BETWEEN TWO AIR-RAIDS, Gallery of Contemporary Art, Pancevo, Serbia-Montenegro
28. DRAWINGS AND SMALL SCALES SCULPTURE EXHIBITION, Youth House Gallery, Belgrad , Serbia-Montenegro
28. OCTOBER SALON, Cinema Apolo, Pancevo, Serbia-Montenegro
Konkordija, 3. Yugoslav Biennial of Young Artists, Vrsac, Serbia-Montenegro
De Valigia-International Travelling Exhibition, Belgrad, Serbia-Montenegro
BREAK 21, International Festival of Young Independent Artists, Ljubljana, Slowenien
9th BIENNIAL OF DRAWINGS, Student City Gallery, Belgrad, Serbia-Montenegro
Scholars / Fellowships
- 2012-2013 Scholarship of the Ministry of Culture of Lower Saxony for Artistic Research, Hannover, DE
- 2008 Scholarship Casa de Velazquez, French Institute in Madrid, ES
- 2005Delfina Studio Trust Award, London, UK
- 2002 – 2003 RABK / Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture and Science, Amsterdam, Netherlands
- 2001‘Award of 31st Salon of Pancevo’ for video, Pancevo , Serbia-Montenegro
- 2000 ‘Award of 30th October Salon for video artwork’ Pancevo, Serbia-Montenegro
- 1999‘Award for poster’ World’s Health Organization, Belgrade, Serbia-Montenegro
- 1997‘Award for best drawing’, Patagonija Magazine, Vrsac, Serbia-Montenegro
Performances
- 2006Affinity by choice, Speech in front of the National Parliament Building, Belgrade, Serbia-Montenegro
- 2003W139, Amsterdam, with Paulina Olowska
- 2004 NEURO, Muffathalle, München, Germany VPRO Television, NL, Smart Project Space selection
- 2001 FLUX 01, Belgrad, Serbia-Montenegro ARTme, Academy of Fine Arts Gallery, Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzegovina Mikrokino Fest, SKC, Belgrad, Serbia-Montenegro
- 2000 VideoGong Festival, Culture House Gorizia, Gorizia hEXPO, Kapelica Gallery, Ljubljana, Slovenia Soldier’s Tale (Performance in Stravinsky’s opera), Beton-Hala Theatre, Belgrade, Serbia-Montenegro
Monographs
Unnation, Kehrer Verlag, Heidelberg-Berlin, as author, 2016
United Dead Nations, Museum of Contemporary Art Belgrade, texts by Lidija Merenik, Ana Bogdanovic, Peter Vermeersch, 2015
The Evil Painter, Verlag Fuer Moderne Kunst Nuernberg, texts by Charles Esche, Philippe Pirotte, Ivan Grubanov, 2008
Documents Grubanov, Rijksakademie van beeldende kunsten, Amsterdam, editor Martijntje Hallman, text by Ivan Grubanov, 2006
Visitor, Museum of Contemporary Art Belgrade/Kunsthalle Bern, texts by Gerardo Mosquera, Marina Martic, Philippe Pirotte, Ivan Grubanov, 2005
