Scene
Six years after the 2020 Zagreb earthquake, the Academy of Fine Arts, University of Zagreb has reopened another of its major buildings, bringing students and artistic life back to the renovated “Slava Raškaj” facility at Ilica 83.
Officially opened on September 25, the building underwent comprehensive structural, energy and functional reconstruction after suffering significant damage in the earthquake. The project has returned around 3,600 square metres of teaching and workshop space to the Academy, with the renovation valued at approximately €15.14 million and supported by European Union funding.
The renovated building will once again accommodate teaching, studios and specialised artistic facilities, including the Academy’s Department of Animated Film and New Media, reflecting the increasingly close relationship between traditional artistic education, technology and contemporary forms of production.
The reopening is part of a much larger reconstruction of the Academy following the earthquake. Its main building at Ilica 85 was reopened in 2025 after an investment of around €20 million, while reconstruction of the Academy’s building at Jabukovac 10 is expected to be completed by the end of 2026. Altogether, the reconstruction of the Academy’s three locations represents an investment of more than €43 million.
For the Academy’s approximately 450 students and more than 90 teachers and associates, the return represents more than the restoration of physical infrastructure. Teaching had continued in temporary facilities throughout the reconstruction, while the renovated buildings are designed to provide updated conditions for contemporary artistic education and production.
The reopening of Ilica 83 was marked by a public programme featuring performances by the Lela Kaplowitz Quartet, Stampedo and a Porto Morto DJ set, opening the renovated building to the wider Zagreb public as a space for art, education and cultural exchange.
With the Academy approaching its 120th anniversary, the reopening also marks another step in restoring one of Zagreb’s important cultural and educational institutions after the earthquake — while adapting its spaces to the needs of a new generation of artists.
