ETC.: Fever Dream
2. 9.–10. 9. 2023
GMK, Zagreb, Croatia

Artists: Enej Gala, Øleg&Kaśka, The Witch Twins

Waking up in a dream means entering worlds where everything is possible. The topography might look foreign at first glance, but one can quickly realise that the contours are familiar, reminding us of worlds we have already heard of and that we have, in fact, already seen them in a slightly different rendering – perhaps on an evening walk through the city, in old history textbooks or as children, enchanted by puppets in a darkened theatre. It might be the reminiscence of daily events placed among the hills and valleys of dreamlands, soft and welcoming as pink cotton candy. The familiarity of these worlds is kind of soothing, and their abstractness stirs up thoughts of new possibilities, of new stories based on different, magical words for describing already known feelings.

Exhibition Fever Dream opens ports to strange dream-like universes. Selected projects merge elements of the past and current zeitgeist, forming imaginary worlds where even at times when unbearable feelings of anxiety and hopelessness creep upon us, there is at least a promise of a silver lining – an armoured hero, a magical coat, a possible exit door to another world where humanity is not yet doomed but only presented with an epic quest. These stories are implausible and remain anchored in fiction; they are aware that they are not necessarily factual descriptions of real events, yet we can catch a glimpse of the real world reflected on the shiny surface of the dreamscapes.