It is through philosophy that I develop the idea itself as the crown of thinking, and thus define the presented and visually processed motif.
Neven Tudić
Artist Statement
I find inspiration and a wellspring of ideas in the indissoluble connection between theology, philosophy, and art. Theology is founded on the existence of God, but also on absolutely undefined love—love without relation, as philosophy would define theology. Philosophy itself was once grounded in “philos,” in love, and this full and complete foundation has fortunately been preserved in theology. Philosophy, with its questions about the absolute, origin, creation, birth, and death, provides answers to these primary questions, and through it, I develop the idea itself as the crown of thinking, and thus define the presented and visually processed motif.
Art is based on the feeling of the individual, the subject who also searches for the universal, for what characterizes all of us, but art based on feeling provides a vision of the universal through the senses of the individual, and is therefore partial. The politician also thinks about this common interest, but to realize this solution needed by all, the politician has various means at disposal: punishments, police, military—if peaceful methods fail.
My Work
The installation at The Bank of Split (Splitska banka), Tudić creates a philosophical dialogue between opposing forces through the strategic placement of an inverted wooden boat suspended from the skylight and a see-saw positioned on the floor below. This vertical arrangement establishes a compelling axis that transforms the bank's interior from a mere functional space into a contemplative environment. The suspended vessel—rendered decorative rather than functional—creates a visual paradox that disrupts our perception of both the object and its institutional context, inviting reflection on equilibrium, navigation, and the precarious balance of contemporary economic relationships.
In this powerful work, Tudić creates a philosophical collision between structured order and chaotic intervention. A precise geometric grid in navy, white, gray, and red establishes a rationalist framework, while explosive splatters of paint violate these boundaries in what Derrida might call a "deconstruction" of modernist certainty. This tension between control and spontaneity visualizes Heidegger's concept of "thrownness"—human existence as simultaneously constrained by pre-existing structures yet defined by disruptive action. The partially obscured circular elements introduce organic forms that resist rectilinear logic, suggesting Nietzsche's eternal recurrence—cyclical patterns emerging within apparent chaos.
In "Series 5," Tudić transforms human anatomy into landscape through an ingenious visual metaphor, creating what Merleau-Ponty might term a "phenomenological cartography." The recurring grid-patterned turquoise pools amid flesh-toned elevations establish a dialectical relationship between geometric rationality and organic bodily existence. Fragmented views of hands and feet create a philosophical commentary on synecdoche and partiality in human understanding, while the high-angle perspective places viewers in an omniscient position that simultaneously invites and frustrates voyeuristic desire—embodying Sartre's concept of "the look" that objectifies yet cannot fully capture another's subjectivity.
In this abstract series, Tudić explores the philosophical boundary between chaos and cosmos through dynamic painting techniques that balance intentional gestures with material contingency. The explosive white spatters against dark backgrounds evoke primordial creation events, positioning viewers between microscopic and macroscopic perspectives. Circular motifs emerging from apparent disorder suggest Nietzsche's eternal recurrence—the inevitable formation of patterns within chaos. Through layers of splattered paint, drips, and gestural marks, these works materialize Heidegger's concept of "unconcealment," where truth emerges not through representation but through the revelation of the medium itself engaging with chance operations.
In this remarkable series, Tudić transforms sacred architectural spaces into philosophical battlegrounds through the strategic insertion of hyperrealistically rendered animals, mechanical elements, and human fragments. The works operate through visual juxtaposition rather than traditional collage, creating powerful dialectical tensions between nature and culture, sacred and profane. By placing biological elements—gorillas, fish, chicks emerging from eggs—into spaces traditionally reserved for religious iconography, the artist interrogates anthropocentric hierarchies and reveals the constructed nature of institutional authority. These meticulously executed paintings don't merely shock; they enact a profound philosophical questioning of the boundaries that organize Western cultural understanding.
In "Abstract Geometry," Tudić creates cosmic cartographies where precision meets spontaneity. Geometric fragments in vibrant colors establish structured universes disrupted by splattered white constellations, while animal-like silhouettes and extending twine challenge the canvas's physical limitations. This visual dialectic embodies Hegel's philosophical framework alongside Nietzsche's Apollonian-Dionysian tension—mathematical order confronting expressive chaos. The threads that both segment the compositions and dangle beyond their edges serve as metaphysical connectors, questioning where art ends and viewer space begins, suggesting these works exist in a state of perpetual becoming rather than fixed being.
The series challenges the way we form ideas and make sense of things. The Cyclops represents a mental journey that moves beyond egocentric thinking and subjective views, encouraging us to reflect on the origins of thought and how it shapes our reality. It’s a meditation on the idea that understanding comes from an ongoing process of self-examination and reflection.
This work forms part of Tudić's broader philosophical investigation into systems of perception, authority, and freedom. The work extends beyond aesthetics to examine how similar limiting frameworks operate in politics, technology, and science—domains where we mechanically adopt established determinations without questioning their origins or necessity.
Blurring the line between ritual and satire, “Brainwashing” questions the mechanisms of obedience, surveillance, and ideological conformity. The performance invites the audience to reflect on the nature of control—who enforces it, who submits to it, and whether true autonomy can exist within such a framework. Tudić's work resonates with themes of power, resistance, and transformation, ultimately suggesting that no system, however rigid, is immune to decay and subversion.
"Od glave do tjemena" (From Head to Crown) transforms the Šibenik City Library into a philosophical landscape through fragmented anthropomorphic figures crafted from styrofoam and black nylon. Tudić's installation creates a physical manifestation of philosophical dualities—body and mind, part and whole, inner and outer—inviting viewers to navigate the tensions between completeness and fragmentation. The scattered yet harmonious arrangement of forms evokes both Hegelian dialectics and Nietzschean dynamic tension, while the progression suggested in the title implies both a circular journey and hierarchical ascension of consciousness. Through this work, Tudić continues his exploration of harmonizing apparent disharmony within a distinctly materialized philosophical inquiry.
The installation at The Bank of Split (Splitska banka), Tudić creates a philosophical dialogue between opposing forces through the strategic placement of an inverted wooden boat suspended from the skylight and a see-saw positioned on the floor below. This vertical arrangement establishes a compelling axis that transforms the bank's interior from a mere functional space into a contemplative environment. The suspended vessel—rendered decorative rather than functional—creates a visual paradox that disrupts our perception of both the object and its institutional context, inviting reflection on equilibrium, navigation, and the precarious balance of contemporary economic relationships.
In this powerful work, Tudić creates a philosophical collision between structured order and chaotic intervention. A precise geometric grid in navy, white, gray, and red establishes a rationalist framework, while explosive splatters of paint violate these boundaries in what Derrida might call a "deconstruction" of modernist certainty. This tension between control and spontaneity visualizes Heidegger's concept of "thrownness"—human existence as simultaneously constrained by pre-existing structures yet defined by disruptive action. The partially obscured circular elements introduce organic forms that resist rectilinear logic, suggesting Nietzsche's eternal recurrence—cyclical patterns emerging within apparent chaos.
In "Series 5," Tudić transforms human anatomy into landscape through an ingenious visual metaphor, creating what Merleau-Ponty might term a "phenomenological cartography." The recurring grid-patterned turquoise pools amid flesh-toned elevations establish a dialectical relationship between geometric rationality and organic bodily existence. Fragmented views of hands and feet create a philosophical commentary on synecdoche and partiality in human understanding, while the high-angle perspective places viewers in an omniscient position that simultaneously invites and frustrates voyeuristic desire—embodying Sartre's concept of "the look" that objectifies yet cannot fully capture another's subjectivity.
In this abstract series, Tudić explores the philosophical boundary between chaos and cosmos through dynamic painting techniques that balance intentional gestures with material contingency. The explosive white spatters against dark backgrounds evoke primordial creation events, positioning viewers between microscopic and macroscopic perspectives. Circular motifs emerging from apparent disorder suggest Nietzsche's eternal recurrence—the inevitable formation of patterns within chaos. Through layers of splattered paint, drips, and gestural marks, these works materialize Heidegger's concept of "unconcealment," where truth emerges not through representation but through the revelation of the medium itself engaging with chance operations.
In this remarkable series, Tudić transforms sacred architectural spaces into philosophical battlegrounds through the strategic insertion of hyperrealistically rendered animals, mechanical elements, and human fragments. The works operate through visual juxtaposition rather than traditional collage, creating powerful dialectical tensions between nature and culture, sacred and profane. By placing biological elements—gorillas, fish, chicks emerging from eggs—into spaces traditionally reserved for religious iconography, the artist interrogates anthropocentric hierarchies and reveals the constructed nature of institutional authority. These meticulously executed paintings don't merely shock; they enact a profound philosophical questioning of the boundaries that organize Western cultural understanding.
In "Abstract Geometry," Tudić creates cosmic cartographies where precision meets spontaneity. Geometric fragments in vibrant colors establish structured universes disrupted by splattered white constellations, while animal-like silhouettes and extending twine challenge the canvas's physical limitations. This visual dialectic embodies Hegel's philosophical framework alongside Nietzsche's Apollonian-Dionysian tension—mathematical order confronting expressive chaos. The threads that both segment the compositions and dangle beyond their edges serve as metaphysical connectors, questioning where art ends and viewer space begins, suggesting these works exist in a state of perpetual becoming rather than fixed being.
The series challenges the way we form ideas and make sense of things. The Cyclops represents a mental journey that moves beyond egocentric thinking and subjective views, encouraging us to reflect on the origins of thought and how it shapes our reality. It’s a meditation on the idea that understanding comes from an ongoing process of self-examination and reflection.
This work forms part of Tudić's broader philosophical investigation into systems of perception, authority, and freedom. The work extends beyond aesthetics to examine how similar limiting frameworks operate in politics, technology, and science—domains where we mechanically adopt established determinations without questioning their origins or necessity.
Blurring the line between ritual and satire, “Brainwashing” questions the mechanisms of obedience, surveillance, and ideological conformity. The performance invites the audience to reflect on the nature of control—who enforces it, who submits to it, and whether true autonomy can exist within such a framework. Tudić's work resonates with themes of power, resistance, and transformation, ultimately suggesting that no system, however rigid, is immune to decay and subversion.
"Od glave do tjemena" (From Head to Crown) transforms the Šibenik City Library into a philosophical landscape through fragmented anthropomorphic figures crafted from styrofoam and black nylon. Tudić's installation creates a physical manifestation of philosophical dualities—body and mind, part and whole, inner and outer—inviting viewers to navigate the tensions between completeness and fragmentation. The scattered yet harmonious arrangement of forms evokes both Hegelian dialectics and Nietzschean dynamic tension, while the progression suggested in the title implies both a circular journey and hierarchical ascension of consciousness. Through this work, Tudić continues his exploration of harmonizing apparent disharmony within a distinctly materialized philosophical inquiry.