Space is the central aspect in Igor Taritas’ works. To the artist it does not mean physical space only. He rather describes space as a multidimensional being enabling life on our planet which affects our own actions as spiritual beings with a room’s inherent energy. The space in question here is not mere physical area and air, rather it is that whole expanse and dimension of reality in which we move about and have our being. What is its structure? What is its nature? How do we perceive it? Make sense of it? These are some of the issues that emerge when one considers Igor’s works.
Igor Taritaš
Abandoned spaces with open and closed doors
Igor Taritaš is young very talented Croatian painter. Taritas creates mainly empty urban spaces of surreal and melancholic atmosphere. With perspective and geometric surfaces the artist gradually builds paintings that create a surface and third dimensional interaction. The interiors are stripped off inessential elements. Certain exterior components such as modern architecture and abandoned empty halls often dominate the painting. With scraping, expressive colour dripping and stained surfaces on his paintings he creates an illusion of real space intertwined with inner spirits.
Igor's pieces are divided in two categories. Empty industrial rooms and halls in almost monochromatic atmosphere and on the other half, modern architecture where play with colors comes first.
Abandoned spaces are mostly filled with graffiti. Street artists are changing them into small independent museums – monuments of our society that collapses with time. With this work, Taritas sets various questions about human destiny just as Anselm Kiefer and Mathias Weischer did.
On the other side, we are exposed to surreal spaces of modern architecture in which Taritaš explores sumptuous, a little kitschy contemporary way of life. Despite the fact that this spaces seems to show positivism with a lot of color, they infact consist of feeling of alienation and loneliness associated with present-day life.
His process includes a mason approach to creating a textured base, which then gets painted with many layers of acrylic. The intense textures add to the overall raw feel of the works as well as expose the passionate creation process that consists of painting, scratching, sanding, drawing and layering. Further on, using scratching, rubbing or tearing, he achieves the effective juxtaposition of vibrant colors, exact perspective, sharp architectural elements and geo-based compositions, against dark tones, paint splatters and textured surfaces.
By adding these human elements, the artist suggests the existence of people around his work, even though there are usually none present. Thus watching the paintings of Igor Taratish one often comes to think of Edward Hopper, even though Igors paintings often are sterile surroundings stripped of any human presence.
Taritaš have had several solo shows in Croatia, and he have had exhibitions in Germany, Austria, Italy, and Ireland .
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Biography
Igor Taritas (Pakrac,Croatia,1987). After finishing High School of Fine Arts in Zagreb, Croatia. He graduated at The Academy of fine arts Zagreb in the class of Prof. Ante Rašić in 2013. He has exhibited in fifteen solo and several group exhibitions in Croatia and abroad. He has been a member of the Croatian Association of Artists since 2012.He won two prizes on contest of Erste Fragments7, Erste Fragments 10, and his work was purchased by INA Energy 2012. Igor Taritas paintings are part of private collections in Germany, England, Norway, USA and Australia.
Solo Exhibitions:
2018. Museum of Bjelovar –CRO
2018. Gallery Škola – Split- CRO
2017. Alianated space – Gallery – Tales of art – Imola- Italy
2017. Gallery Poola- Pula, CRO
2017. Meštrovićev pavilion, HDLU , Zagreb,CRO
2016. Utopia –Gallery Pikto – Zagreb, CRO
2016. Gallery 2CforArt , The Illusion of Real Space , Salzburg , AUSTRIA
2015. Gallery Fritzy,Museum Lošin j, Mali lošinj, CRO
2014. Gallery SC- Zagreb- Oni dolaze,CRO
2014. Abandoned place ,Bauerova street , Zagreb, Platform P_3, CRO
2013. Gallery Kranjčar, Zagreb, Platform P_3, CRO
2013. Museum of town Pakrac- Pakrac, CRO
2013. Kino grič- Zagreb, CRO
2013. Abandoned place , Hebrangova 5, Zagreb, Platform P_3, CRO
2010. Town Library Hercegovac, CRO
Group Exhibitions
2018. Sola art Gallery – Dublin - IRELAND
2018. Grand salon 2018.- Villa Berberich - GERMANY
2017. Susret u zavičaju 3 , Museum of town Bjelovar,CRO
2017. Kulturoš , Čakovec, CRO
2017. Grand Salon 2017. Villa Berberich , GERMANY
2016. Junge kunst aus Kroatien , Galerie Maringer, St. Polten, AUSTRIA
2016. National Museum Abbot Palace Gdansk , Gdansk, PL
2015. 3. Art Biennale (HDLU) , Zagreb, CRO
2015. Povratak u Budućnost , Lipik,CRO
2015. Artists from Garešnica , Daruvar, CRO
2015. Lighthouse of Palagruža, CRO
2014. Artists from Garešnica , Town gallery Garešnica, CRO
2014. Grisija – Rovinj, CRO
2014. Medika- ANTISALON, Zagreb,CRO
2014. Erste Bank-Fragments 10, HDLU- Zagreb, CRO
2014. Gallery Osmijeha-, Zagreb, CRO
2013. MKC-Nus- Split, CRO
2013. Grisija, Rovinj, CRO
2013. Pasionska baština, Gallery Kristof Stanković – Zagreb,CRO
2012. Baturija , Vis, CRO
2012. NUS, Split,CRO
2012. INA- Energy 2012.Galurija , Zagreb, CRO
2011.Octagon, Komiža- Vis,CRO
2010. Gallery Marisall, Self-portrait , Zagreb,CRO
2010. Gallery ALU , Self-portrait , Zagreb , CRO
2010. Erste bank Fragments 7, Rijeka, CRO
2010. Erste bank Fragments 7. Tvornica, Zagreb, CRO