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Viktor Popović is known for his cross-disciplinary works that examine history, cultural change and the passage of time through the lens of iconic architectural structures. In recent works, he explores the Croatian modernist heritage from the socialist period, recontextualizing 1960s and 1970s architecture. His most recent projects chronicle the evolution of his hometown of Split, Croatia, through the lens of generations of urban planning, with a public installation on the stone edifice of the University of Split Faculty of Philosophy building as well as an exhibition at Kula Gallery, a gallery located within the walls of Diocletian’s Palace, a Roman palace dating from the 4th century. Together, the exhibitions speak to the importance of protecting carefully designed and defined urban units, transcending the passage of time to maintain the essence of a culture.
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Split, Croatia, with a view of Diocletian's PalaceSplit's Development During the Socialist EraAncient remains of Diocletian’s Palace today are integrated into the medieval historic city center that has been included in the UNESCO World Heritage List since 1979. After a public competition held in 1968, the city district of Split 3 was partially built from 1970 to 1979. This new city district was planned in what was then the eastern outskirts of the city. Historically, land division was executed in regular squares, known as centuriation, and the preserved traces of centuriation in the area planned for city expansion were respected by the selected urban design from 1968. The plan was based on two grids: the Roman centuriation grid and the Diocletian’s Palace grid. All buildings and communication networks were placed within these systems. - Popović’s public installation at the Faculty of Philosophy building, Untitled (ST3 Archive: Contents), featured quotes from the 1969 city planning document referencing various aspects of this integrated urban planning effort, affixed to the stone facade of the building in large scale vinyl letters. The installation was on view from January 19th through February 14th.
- The interior portion of Untitled (ST3 Archive: Contents) at Kula Gallery, was extended through today, February 27th. It features a spatial installation formed from large prints of early 1970s archival photos of one of the building sites that was developed in Split 3, mounted on scaffolding, together with sheets of red cloth referencing the process of analogue photography developing, but also symbolically evoking the times of both the ancient and socialistic periods. The lines and shapes of the installation reference the city planning grid, its construction materials, and the symbols and visual elements related to the city’s history and cultural pride.
Viktor Popović Explores the Architectural History of Split, Croatia
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