Visual Arts Department

The Visual Arts Department of the Public Open University Poreč, through its exhibitions, programs and publications, establishes a dialogue between different periods in time, broadens knowledge and understanding of visual art and the time in which it is created, and encourages the audience’s creativity, enjoyment and critical thinking.

The backbone of its visual/gallery activities is the Poreč Annale, a group exhibition of contemporary art and, due to its importance and continuity, a unique visual arts event. By its nature, Annale has an institutional status and is the only event of its kind to have been held continuously since 1961. Over time, the most representative figures of the former Yugoslav, and later Croatian, art scene have exhibited there, along with a large number of international guest artists.

The Visual Arts Department has three exhibition spaces (galerija Zucato, Mala galerija, Istarska sabornica) where exhibitions by Croatian and international authors and artists are presented to the citizens and guests of Poreč.

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Galerija Zuccato, a Gothic palace from the 13th century, is the most representative exhibition space, hosting established artists, winners of prestigious awards and professors at art academies, recognised by the art profession as creators of contemporary trends on the visual arts scene.

With the renovation of Galerija Zuccato in 2004, the City of Poreč-Parenzo largely responded to the need for a contemporary gallery space. By networking the galleries with similar regional and (Central) European institutions, joint programs based on museum collections and contemporary artistic production are exchanged or produced.

One of the department’s more recent projects is Photodistorzija, a photographic biennial of a multimedia character that has been held since 2001.

Since 2007, a visual arts project titled Profutura has been taking place – a group amateur exhibition of a competitive character. Year after year, the exhibition arouses increasing interest among both amateur authors and visitors, with the aim of presenting a broader panorama of amateur visual art. Works are selected through an open call, regardless of medium/technique or theme, and in addition to the initial selection, the jury also chooses an award-winning author. The prize is a solo exhibition (Mala galerija).

Since 1991, Montraker, an international student sculpture school in Vrsar, has been taking place, organised by POUP. Every September, students from fine arts academies (Split, Zagreb, Rijeka, Ljubljana), under the supervision of their mentors and the artistic director, acquire stone-carving knowledge and skills. Over time, the school has produced numerous sculptures that have been placed at various locations in Vrsar, thus presenting newly created sculptural works beyond the boundaries of the Montraker quarry.