SUR*VIVER

visual artists, different media – from performance,
graphics, video.., male & female, Zagreb, active since 1997

PRODUCTION COSTS
We do everything in our apartment, costs for production differ from exhibition to exhibition, sometimes 500 kuna/70 €, sometimes 15.000 kuna/2080 €. We haven’t invested any money in equipment since a couple of years, since we don’t need to. Computer we bought maybe 4 years ago, camera
3 years ago, we don’t need more.

PRIVATE LIFE
2000 kuna/280 € costs, 2000 kuna/280 € food. Between 5.000 and 10.000 kuna/700 – 1390 €, on average. We inherited the apartment; before, when we started the business with greeting cards, we decided we will earn for an apartment even if we can only start engaging in art in 50 years. But then this with the apartment happened.
It’s easier because we are two, that we understand each other in being an artist. If she would have a completely other profession, like a lawyer or economist, she could have wanted a husband with heeps of money and like this we both know what the situation is like and that’s ok.

WORKING TIME
we work 15 h/day
35% art, 55% for money the rest is washing the dishes, clothes..
Mara is translating from German, Ivo is preparing candidates for the academy in drawing, also teaching English, sometimes designing, Ivo sells computer graphics sometimes.
Vacation yes, we always treat ourselves.

INCOME
20-25% we earn with art, the rest is from other jobs. Only exceptionally, now for example we have a commission. For an exhibition we sometimes get production covered and also sometimes a fee, more and more actually. For years we invested in production, saving. Recently however it is covered in part or in whole. In Zagreb it is usual more and more that the catalogues get covered.

SOCIAL SECURITY
Yes, we have the artist status with health&pension insurance.

GENDER ISSUE
No, not in Croatia. Not if the work is good, the situation is favourable, a lot of young female artists exhibit.

FINANCIAL SITUATION SECURE?
Partly secure, it is unpredictable and uncertain
but we got used to it, we accepted it. I hope it will get better, it is better every year, not harder, but not secure. We don’t know now if we will have enough jobs, business in the fall, although the tendency is going up in the last 3-4 years.

EMOTIONAL ASPECT
Panic, uncertainty, for years. Always having this feeling you’re on the edge; when you get some money, it all goes into production.
During the studies and some following years had been exceptionally hard, frustrating. So in a certain period we started a private business, we started producing greeting cards and we realised you can make money out of that but then you’re left with no time for art. After three years the ‘film broke’ and decided we will become artists – bye bye business.
The academy doesn’t prepare you for life. You ask yourself how you would make money if you would make art, take on jobs.. Private galleries are great. In Zagreb there are maybe two. If our society is ready, I don’t know. I don’t have anything against the market, if I can work independantly, autonomous. It turned maybe after 2 or 3 years. When it turns in your head, when we decided.. We managed to connect it, opening to the market but there are colleagues who didn’t make it and are living on the edge.

Zagreb, July 10, 2007