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On Thursday, May 29 at 6 PM, an exhibition by the renowned Rijeka-based artist, muralist, and academic painter Vladimir Tomić Mosk, titled Common Ceremonies, will open at the Botanical Garden of the Faculty of Science in Zagreb. This special exhibition consists of nine paintings and one mural, placed in a space that perfectly complements the atmosphere of the works – the peaceful and inspiring setting of the Botanical Garden.
Mosk, known as a versatile artist–painter, muralist, graffiti artist, musician, and set designer – returns to figurative painting in this series. After years of working with abstraction and monochrome murals, he now leads us into a world of silence, unusual landscapes, and symbolism.
The Common Ceremonies series – or statements about the world from dream-like visions – does not depict everyday scenes. Instead, the viewer enters quiet, slightly surreal worlds where a human figure – often small and in the background – merely observes strange situations. The paintings portray combinations of natural and artificial elements: electric poles in the middle of the sea, waterfalls plunging into emptiness, or a forest growing on an abandoned bridge.
The artist uses a tripartite composition: architecture, nature, and the void between them. This tension among the elements evokes a sense of unease, but also curiosity, as if we are witnessing something important, though we don’t quite know what it is.
The Common Ceremonies cycle is based on a previous work titled Melancholion – a series of 52 drawings created between 2020 and 2022. From these drawings emerged murals that Mosk painted in Rijeka, and now also new color paintings. The visual language of Mosk’s works merges street art with classical painting, creating a unique style that fits equally well in gallery spaces and on building walls.
The titles of the works, written in English, are often long and unusual, written in the first person, such as: “I used to think about the difference between being lazy and doing nothing, but I don’t care anymore.” These titles further contribute to a sense of confusion and detachment, while simultaneously creating the illusion of a personal confession. This interplay between image and text enhances the enigmatic nature of the entire series.
The exhibition is further enriched by an original soundtrack composed specifically for the occasion by Rijeka musician Vlado Simčić Vava.
Sound and image, together in an environment that ideally complements Mosk’s enigmatic and surreal visions – among century-old plants and in the green silence of one of Zagreb’s most beautiful locations – create a space for reflection, quietness, and perhaps an inner dialogue.
The opening begins with a gathering at the main entrance to the Botanical Garden (Trg Marka Marulića 9A), after which the visitors, together with the artist, proceed to the mural and then to the exhibition pavilion. The exhibition will remain open until June 4, 2025. Visitors are kindly asked to arrive no later than 6:45 PM, when the Garden gates close.
