Hana Miletić: Pieces

The solo exhibition of Hana Miletić, one of the internationally most acclaimed young contemporary Croatian artists, is her first major solo institutional exhibition in Croatia. After notable international presentations at both large group and solo exhibitions, such as Kunsthalle Bergen (2021) and WIELS Bruxelles (2018), MMSU will for the first time in Croatia present her new textile artworks.

The exhibition Pieces brings an overview of recent works by Hana Miletić, and will present completely new productions as well as several existing works. The exhibition is conceived with the idea to develop a dialogue with the exhibition space and the context surrounding it, taking into account its past and present, original purpose and subsequent conversions. Moreover, the exhibition space will house a site specific and context specific intervention of the artist.

In her practice, Hana Miletić employs various textile techniques and materials, with a focus on hand-weaving. Miletić’ background in photography informs and supports her weaving work. Her artworks point to contexts inscribed in individual and social processes of transformation. Using the process of weaving and fabric as their central material, Miletić’ soft and light structures are places of recording and inscribing various states, relationships and perspectives, such as fragility, precariousness, relationships to time, transience, absence, the emotional sphere, tactility and materiality, as well as the labours of repairing, replacing, disappearing, and reassembling materials and stories.

With textile artworks such as the large carpet RAD (2019), created in collaboration with the Regeneracija factory in Zabok, or the installation Materials-Knitwear Arena, Pula (2020), Hana Miletić continues her search for producers and places of production of almost completely ruined or extinct textile industries in Croatia. During her stay at the Kamov residency in Rijeka, Hana researched the past and present of the textile industry in Rijeka, and one of her new works – a spatial installation made of tailor’s waste – was created in collaboration with Rio Biz d.o.o.

Curated by: Branka Benčić

Associate curator: Kora Girin

The exhibition is organized in collaboration with Kunsthalle Mainz, opening in October.

Hana Miletić was born in Zagreb (1982), she lives and works in Brussels. Departing from a background in documentary photography, and inspired by the long tradition of handwork in her family, Hana Miletić has developed an artistic language based primarily on the creation of handwoven textile works. She uses the weaving process to reflect on the social and cultural realities in which she lives and works. In her weaving practice, Miletić reproduces public gestures of maintenance and repair, capturing infrastructures and objects in flux, or in various states of transition.
Weaving, which requires practice, time, care and attention, allows her to formulate new relationships between work, thought and the emotional sphere, as well as to counteract certain economic and social conditions at work, such as acceleration, standardisation and transparency.

Selection of upcoming and recent solo exhibitions: Kunsthalle Mainz (2022), MUDAM Luxemburg (2022), Bergen Kunsthall (2021), La Loge Brussels (2021), and WIELS Brussels (2018.).
Selection of upcoming and recent group exhibitions: M HKA Antwerp (2022), Manifesta 14 Prishtina (2022), MAXXI L’Aquila (2022), Triangle Astérides Marseille (2022), Muzeum Sztuki Łódź (2021), Kunsthalle Wien (2020), Metro Pictures New York (2019), S.M.A.K. Ghent (2018-2019), and Sharjah Biennial 13 (2017).
Selection of recent artist residencies and prizes: Jan van Eyck Academy Maastricht (2014-2015), Thread – Josef and Anni Albers Foundation, Sinthian (2019), and Baloise Art Prize (2021).

Photo: Materials (Arena, Pula) 2019-2020. Installation view Hana Miletić: Patchy, Bergen Kunsthall, Bergen, 2021 © Thor Brodreskift