Top Secret, installation (light boxes, 2 video works, photographs, graffiti inscriptions on the wall), Nano Gallery, 2011.

Contrary to the idealized image of a "land of a thousand islands, untouched nature, and local cuisine," the world actually sees us as noisy and primitive Balkans prone to warfare, brawls, and lamb roasting, while describing our beautiful coastline as a polluted dumping ground for old cars and washing machines. Therefore, the artist utilizes these common clichés or prejudices as the main component of the work, applying them to light-boxes in the blue color of the European Union.On the path to EU accession, the artist also warns about the six types of mafia that Croatian society is currently stratified into, inscribing them in graffiti on the wall in a handwriting style reminiscent of threatening letters. These include political, banking, construction, medical, tobacco, tourist, and sports mafia, with a symbolic red background accompanying these inscriptions like a backdrop. Particularly intriguing is the fact that Davor created this work last year, anticipating the WikiLeaks affair. Its founder, Julian Assange, simultaneously controversial and revered, was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize for his unwavering struggle for truth. Because the people have the right to know what fate is being determined for them by a handful of powerful individuals! With this project, Davor significantly sharpens his criticism towards socially engaged art. Socially conscious and irritated by the catastrophic socio-political situation in the country, this artist has decided to react in his own way, using his characteristic new media artistic toolkit. The turbulent transitional period, rife with malfeasance, corruption, domestic economic decay, illegal privatizations, asset sell-offs, and enrichment at the expense of citizens, leaves an indelible mark on every individual. Trying to find his place in such a disjointed and distorted system of brutal capitalism, consumerism, and materialism, Davor comments on the situation with two video works. In the first, he subtly critiques the situation by filming three visibly intoxicated Croatians pontificating about the political situation, offering their 'ingenious' solutions. A scene we can witness daily in the early hours in obscure suburban, as well as more upscale cafes. The second video work depicts the workers of the collapsed 'Sljeme' company who, in their quest for their rights, have been staging round-the-clock protests outside the Parliament, sleeping in tents. The bitter and painful image of laid-off workers is frequently repeated this year, culminating in the current protests. Nearly every day, several thousand citizens of all backgrounds gather demanding the government's resignation. From the image of a country with heavenly beaches, a mild climate, and 'forbidden beautiful buttocks', to the image of a country where pensioners regularly rummage through garbage, is just a small step, depending on one's perspective. The author has chosen his perspective, and it's up to us to determine our own.

Ivana Gabrić