ABOUT – MOON Martina Zelenika

A big interview published by CLOT magazine, April 2020 > LINK

BIO

MOON Martina Zelenika is a Croatian-born and Berlin-based interdisciplinary artist, a founder, and a meditation facilitator at Vibrations Matter (www.vibrationsmatter.com). Through innovative methods, Martina explores and creates art projects which are related to the theme of post-humanism. Martina advocates a deep sense of freedom in all people, based on her lifelong sensitivity for the environment and exploration of life. The artist investigates and works with energies and vibrations while inviting her audience to join her in the blissful unity as planetary patriots in rising the world frequency together. Her alchemical approach of creating a work of art with integrated positive vibrations (i.e. #healingArt) stems from spirituality, ancient and modern philosophy, and her conclusions based on life practice. By creating sophisticated content with abstract narrative and motives without strict meaning, she invites her audience to take a moment for introspection, thus finding their own emotional and mindful reflection. She establishes a direct and profound connection between the audience and her artworks by sharing her knowledge through Vibrations Matter (Berlin, summer 2020).

Inspired by cosmology, ecology, frequencies, and language, her interest is focused on materializing entities such as image sonification of her drawings (6th SENSE MSSS, 2018), real-time data sonification from the Earth’s magnetic field (ChORUS MSSS, 2020), data sonification from X-ray laboratory analyses of minerals (NEW EUROPE, 2017), and data sonification from brain waves and motion sensors (Receptilium MSSS, 2018). Her work is marked by her example of creating the practice of reconciliation and balanced integration of natural/digital, human/non-human duality with the use of traditional techniques and the latest digital technologies as tools. Martina has created art projects with Augmented Reality technology, 6th SENSE with mobile app MSSS (2018), and La Petite Mort with mobile app MoTHA (2019).

Her strong interest in ecology and geophilosophy is evident in the highly produced short art film Mountan (2019) and the art video Introversion (2019) where she was in the position of film director, editor, and music composer.

By deconstructing sound and meta-language through the practice of meditation, the artist tests out the modern communication space resulting with the artistic project cycle Meta_Signal Sonar System (2017), or MSSS for short, which generates a visualization of universal sound (the human blueprint) through the point of departure of handmade drawing by using body movements as an oscilloscope. The shapes of her drawings are identical to attractors – physically focused on repetitive lines and exclusively created during a positive emotional state (i.e. positive emotional attractors). The same meditation practice she uses on a deeper level for transcendent experience, or inner alchemy, to express sensations with the same drawing technique resulting in the artistic project cycle Metaprogramming of The Human Algorithm (2019) or MoTHA for short.

In addition to the theme of dark matter and the question “who and what we are?” from the art project NEW EUROPE, Martina provides a multisensory experience including 5 senses to the viewer: audible, touchable, visible, vibrational, and meta-sensory senses. The art project NEW EUROPE consisting of large reliefs coated with mineral stones with metal properties is an example of how she integrated a research approach into handmade work of art.

MOON Martina Zelenika is graduated at the Printmaking Department of the Academy of Fine Arts of the University Zagreb and took a master’s in 2006 in the area of Video and New-media at the Academy of Visual Art and Design of the Ljubljana University. She has been awarded more than 14 well-regarded grants and several scholarships, and has participated at international conferences dedicated to digital and multimedia art: RE:SOUND Aalborg Denmark; ZIP-SCENE Budapest Hungary; RIXC Art SciFestival, Riga Latvia … She has more than 17 solo exhibitions and participated at new media festivals, and international exhibitions. In addition to holding lectures and workshops by invitation of art institutions and universities, she is a founder and a driving force at Vibrations Matter based in Berlin and a founder at Nagon – interdisciplinary laboratory of arts in Zagreb. The artist MOON Martina Zelenika is a member of the ADA-database of virtual art, and SALOON – Network for Women of Berlin’s art scene.

LECTURES, CONFERENCES, SYMPOSIUMS, WORKSHOPS

2020 Artist talk, at Gorgona Hall of Museum of Contemporary Art Zagreb, Croatia EU; MOUNTAIN a film premiere

2019 University of Applied Arts Vienna, Digitale Kunst; my lecture AUGMENTED REALITY – CONTEMPORARY (DYS)UTOPIA, presentation of an Augmented Reality artistic project 6thSENSE and my artistic and research practice.

2019 RE : SOUND – 8th International Conference on the Histories of Media Art, Science and Technology at Aalborg University, Denmark; paper title “The sound of mineral stone: Chemical properties of civilisation“

2019 Center for Innovative Media (CIM) at the Academy of Applied Arts of University of Rijeka, semester program of Virtual and Augmented Reality projects; my lecture title AUGMENTED REALITY (AR) – CONTEMPORARY (DYS)UTOPIA

2018 ZIP-SCENE Conference. Analogue & Digital Immersive Environment (Perspectives on Digital Interactivity and Narrative in Performing Arts and VR) @ Moholy-Nagy University of Art and Design, Budapest; zip-scene.comDates: 8-10 November, 2018; paper abstract title “The Perfect Language”

2018 GLOBAL CONTROL Conference, RIXC Art Science Festival 2018 September 13–15, 2018 Riga Latvia; speech and presentation – paper abstract title “A secret way of communication: The perfect language that the global control system can not control”

2017 Risk Change EU Project, Contemporary Museum Novi Sad Serbia, presentation

2017 Symposium TOUCH ME Festival, Zagreb Croatia, the fifth edition entitled – “The Invisible Arround Us”, curated by Mónica Bello, Head of Arts at CERN; artwork NEW EUROPE and a sound of mineral stones

2014 Art Workshop Summer in Kutina 2014, Kutina CRO, educational painting workshop by DRUID Eco fashion brand
2014 WATER DAY week, Cultural Center Pešćenica and Primary School Vinko Žganec, Zagreb CRO
/educational drawing workshop
2013 Symposium, New Media Cross Border, Multimedia center KIBLA
2013 Art Workshop ECO Festival, Zagreb CRO / educational drawing workshop by DRUID Eco Fashion Brand
2011 Art Workshop FASHION.HR Industry 2011, Zagreb CRO
2011 Art Workshop Islington Arts Factory, London UK /drawing and painting workshop
2004 MFRU Festival of Coputer Arts, Maribor SLO, Oral presentation
2004 Summer Programme Cultural Center Pešćenica, Zagreb CRO / drawing and painting workshop
2003 Summer Programme Cultural Center Pešćenica, Zagreb CRO / drawing and painting workshop

STIPENDS, GRANTS, REWARDS, FUNDINGS, NOMINATIONS

2019 Ministry of Culture Croatia, a production grant for development and production of new artistic work – ChORUS (MSSS), real time generative light-audio installation of Earth’s Magnetic field

2019 ISEA2019, Penumbra:In-between / a finalist with Augmented Reality Art project “6th SENSE” at Special Exhibition, Asia Culture Center Gwangju, Republic of South Korea, 22 June – 28 July 2019

2019 MADATAC X Festival / a finalist with Augmented Reality Art project “6th SENSE” for “Residence prize for the production of an audiovisual work”, Madrid Spain

2017 Croatian Audiovisual Centre – HAVC, government-backed strategic agency for the audiovisual sector in Croatia: a majority production grant for her first experimental movie “Mountain”

2015 Croatia House Foundation (member of EUNIC), grant for her solo exhibition abroad

2013 Multimedia center KID KIBLA Maribor, New Media Cross Border programme, Art Residency SLO, residency stipend

2011 Institute of International Visual Arts INIVA, Art Residency UK, production grant

2003-2006 Stipend provided by the Ministry of education, science and sport of Republic Slovenia

1998-2001 Stipend provided by the Sisacko-moslavacka County, Croatia

2001 2nd YOUTH SALON, Sisak CRO, first prize

2001 Academy award for exceptional accomplishment work during the Study Program at the Academy of Fine Arts University Zagreb Croatia EU

EDUCATION AND ART RESIDENCES

2017 Risk Change (EU Project) Sound Art Residency, Museum of Contemporary Art Novi Sad, Serbia, by invitation

2017 Future DiverCities, Instagram Art Residency, Creative Europe, by innvitation

2013 Multimedia center KID KIBLA Maribor, New media cross border programme, Art Residency SLO

2011 Institute of International Visual Arts INIVA, Art Residency UK

2011 Islington Arts Factory London, Art Residency UK

2006 M.A. diploma from the Academy of Fine Arts and Design of the University of Ljubljana, Slovenia EU, Video-New Media course (two years programme)

2002 Diploma from the University of Zagreb Teachers Academy (one year of Pedagogic-psychological training)

2001 BA/MA diploma from the Academy of Fine Arts of the University of Zagreb CRO/artistic orientation – graphic department (four years programme)

1997 Graduated from the High School of Applied Arts and Design in Zagreb, scenography and arrangement department. (four years School programme)

SOLO EXHIBITION

2020 MOUNTAIN a film premiere and an exhibition of a unique art kimono “Mountain”, at Museum of Contemporary Art Zagreb, Zagreb Croatia EU

2019 INTROVERSION video installation, a series of curatorial exhibitions on the theme of silence, Gallery 90-60-90 at POGON Jedinstvo Zagreb Croatia EU

2019 Art and Science expressed in Lines: Extended Realities, curator dr. Phil. Penesta Dika, at Mz* Baltazar’s Laboratory Vienna Austria; has presented a new project cycle Metaprogramming of The Human Algorithm, artwork La Petite Mort with Augmented Reality technology – mobile application MoTHA and a short video about RECEPTILIUM performance

2016 ABSOLUTE IDEALISM a concept for healing, curator and producer MOON Martina Zelenika, at Institut Français de Croatie Médiathèque, Zagreb; interdisciplinary exhibition presents a TAB_Letter project and its implementation of the poem ”Ode to Humanity” in French language and a series “Projections Beyond”; music performance with percussion, contrabass, vibraphone, guitar and violin, and a singsong recital in French language

2015 METAPERSPECTIVE a concept for healing, curators MOON Martina Zelenika and Ira jeza, at Multimedia center KID KIBLA Maribor Slovenia EU; interdisciplinary performanse and multimedia exhibition; TAB_Letter priject and a series of large darwings “Projections Beyond”

2013 TAB_LETTER implementation of the poem “Ode to Humanity” in the Slovenian language, music performance by clarinet and Turkish oud, at Multimedia center KID KIBLA, Maribor Slovenia, producer MOON Martina Zelenika and Media-Art-Cross-Border programme.

2013 Point of (de)CREATION, a part of an exhibition concept; a visual-audio installation of TAB_Letter project, at The cellars of the Diocletian’s Palace UNESCO, Split Croatia EU; curator MOON Martina Zelenika

2012 TAB_Letter, 1st phase: “Ode to Humanity” in Croatian language, music performed by string trio: viola, violin and cello, at Multimedia Gallery Nano, Zagreb, Croatia EU; curators MOON Martina Zelenika and Martina Mezak

2011 ÐABALESKO (eng.meaning-work without meaning-for FREE) a mini-retrospective exhibition, curator and producer MOON Martina Zelenika, at Gallery Kristofor Stankovic Zagreb, “Cycle of Young Artists” organised by Croatian association of Visual Artists Zagreb, Croatia EU

2008 SIZE DOES (NOT) MATTER, video and sculpture-light interactive installation of human brains, curators MOON Martina Zelenika and Željko Marciuš, at Josip Racic Studio of Zagreb Modern Gallery, Zagreb Croatia EU

2007 PLANET MAR, video installation and Net Art artwork Virtual Station, at Multimedia Gallery Nano, Zagreb Croatia EU, curators MOON Martina
Zelenika and Martina Mezak

2006 PLANET MAR, artistic research of energy phenomenon No#2, multimedia and interactive exhibition, artwork Virtual Station and a series of digital collages (UV prints on canvas and photo paper), at Gallery of Matrix Croatia, Zagreb; curators MOON Martina Zelenika and Vanja Babić

2006 CONTACT, artistic research of energy phenomenon No#2, digital collages, UV digital prints on photo paper and canvas, from a series Planet Earth, at Bol Gallery Branislav Deskovic; curator MOON Martina Zelenika

2005 PLANET MAR, video installation and Net Art artwork Virtual Station, at Subgallery MUL of Multimedia Centre Luka, Pula Croatia EU

2005 THE DAY AFTER, artistic research of energy phenomenon No#1, photography exhibition, at Gallery Camera obscura, Rijeka Croatia EU; curator Nadežda Elezović

2003 X – FILES artistic research of energy phenomenon No#1, multimedia exhibition ambient installation (sculpture flying object and light), series of digital prints on UV transparent foils and kapa boards, at Gallery Vladimir Nazor, Zagreb Croatia EU; curator Olga Majcan and MOON Martina Zelenika

2002 PURGATORY- FORM IN INFORMATION artistic research of energy phenomenon No#1, space ambient multimedia installation (large sculptural objects made of mix media, light, music), at Student Center Gallery Zagreb Croatia EU; curator MOON Martina Zelenika

COLLECTIVE EXHIBITIONS, SELECTION

2019 Glowing Globe:Science-Fiction-Art, the international exhibition, Gallery Kortil, Center for Innovative Media from the Academy of Applied Art, November 2019; presenting “6th SENSE” Augmented Reality app art project with analogue drawing-collages black-gold sonar series

2019 MADATAC X Festival / a finalist with Augmented Reality Art project “6th SENSE” for “Residence prize for the production of an audiovisual work”, Madrid Spain

2018 BAM Festival – international digital Art, Liège Belgium, 19-20 October; art installation of an Augmented Reality app art project “6th SENSE”, exhposition of the silver series (3 art works)

2018 Sounded Bodies Festival, Zagreb Dance Center; 1st demo performace “RECEPTILIUM”, a sensory interactive audio-visual show with eeg and gesture data transmitted in music § coded visual from free hand drawing process

2017 TOUCH ME Festival, POGON Gallery, Zagreb Croatia, the fifth edition entitled “The Invisible Arround Us”, a project curated by Mónica Bello, Head of Arts at CERN; work: research project NEW EUROPE, sounds of mineral stones, interactive audio-visual ambinet installation

2016 GANZ new festival, international festival of developmental theatre, &TD Theatre Zagreb, semicircular hall / “The cabin of delicious wonders”

2016 Empeduja Art Kamp 2016 Rijeka, performance art week, Museum of contemporary Art Rijeka

2014 Zagreb Design Week 2014, LAUBA Gallery, competition work, presentation of a furniture concept BOREALIS

2013 11th ART STAYS international exhibition of contemporary art, Ptuj Slovenia; TAB_LETTER proejct, audio- video installation

2013 KIBLA PORTAL, MATERIALITY international exhibition of contemporary art, Maribor Slovenia

2012 Islington Arts Factory’s Summer Salon 2012, London UK; work: Crater, drawing, black ink on paper

2012 Laval Nugent Gallery, LN360°, promotion of young Croatian artists, Zagreb Croatia; work: HORIZON 1, computer collage, digital print on photo paper

2011 INIVA Social Archive One: An Economic Forecast (Shoreditch), Guillaume at La Maison video recording, London UK; work: video recording and presentation

2011 Islington Arts Factory’s Summer Salon 2011, London UK; work: Antifear balloon, photograph on paper

2010 International triennial expanded artistic media, Belgrade Serbia; work: mixed digital collage HOMO NOVUS, video projection combined with 3D glasses

2008 Gliptoteka HAZU, 100 years of Academy of Fine Arts, rewarded students, Zagreb Croatia; work: HORIZON 1 and 2, computer collage, digital prints on photo paper

2006 MAGMART International Art Festival, 2nd edition, Milan Italy; Autoportraits, photographs and video presentation

2005 Marganovo Hartera Hall FONA New Arts Festival, Rijeka Croatia; work: PLANET MAR video isnatllation

2005 Croatian Association of Visual Artists, 39th Zagreb Salon, Zagreb Croatia; work: “Virtual Station” Net Art interactive project

2005 MAMA Center Art Net Lab, Zagreb Croatia; work: “Virtual Station” Net Art interactive project

2005 11. International fest of computer arts, Maribor Slovenia; work: “Virtual Station” Net Art interactive project

2004 10. International festival of computer arts, Maribor Slovenia; work: computer collage, digital print on transparent foil

1996 Croatian Association of Visual Artists, 24th Youth Salon, Zagreb Croati; work: Metamorphose, sculpture installation, combined technique

FILMOGRAPHY & VIDEOGRAPHY

INTORVERSION, experimental video

2020 Earth Day, in collaboration with CLOT Magazine; 24 hours online streaming

2019 A series of curatorial exhibitions on the theme of silence, Gallery 90-60-90, at POGON Jedinstvo Zagreb Croatia EU

MOUNTAIN, a debut short experimental documentary film

2020 Museum of Contemporary Art Zagreb, Gorgona Hall, Zagreb Croatia; a film premiere

PLANET MAR, art video

2005 Subgalery MUL, MMC Luka, Pula Croatia; video installation
2005 11th International Festival of Computer Arts, Maribor Slovenia; a part of an interactive art project – Virtual Station
2005 Art-Net-Lab, MAMA Multimedia Center Zagreb, Croatia; a part of an interactive art project – Virtual Station
2005 39th Zagreb Salon, Croatian Association of Visual Artists, Zagreb Croatia; work: Virtual Station, Net Art interactive project
2005 FONA Festival of New Art, Marganovo Hartera, Rijeka Croatia; video installation
2006 Galery Matrix of Croatia, Zagreb Croatia; PLANET MAR solo exhibition, Planet Mar series
2007 Galerija Nano, Zagreb Croatia; solo exhibition, interactive audio-video installation Virtual Station

9 EMOTIONS, short video autoportraits, duration 3 – 4 sec

2005 11th International fest of computer arts, Maribor Slovenia; a part of an interactive art project – Virtual Station
2005 Art-Net-Lab, MAMA Multimedia Center Zagreb, Croatia; a part of an interactive art project – Virtual Station
2005 39th Zagreb Salon, Croatian Association of Visual Artists, Zagreb Croatia; work: Virtual Station, Net Art project
2006 PLANET MAR solo exhibition, Planet Mar series, Galery Matrix of Croatia, Zagreb Croatian EU

PUBLIC COLLECTIONS

Multimedia center KID KIBLA Maribor SLO

Institute of International Visual Arts INIVA London UK

Museum of modern Art Zagreb CRO

Gallery of the Moslavina Museum Kutina CRO

MEMBERSHIPS

Founder and Artistic ledaer at NAGON – interdisciplinary laboratory of arts www.nagon.org

Associate member at The Centre for Innovative Media at the Academy of Applied Arts of University of Rijeka Croatia www.cim.apuri.hr

ADA, The Archive of Digital Art – database of virtual art www.digitalartarchive.at

CFAA, Croatian Freelance Artists Association (HZSU) hr.hzsu.hr

FASHION DESIGN

2011 as an author, creator, designer and activist she become an owner of 1st eco fashion brand in Croatia under the name DRUID www.druid-style.com