Igor Grubić (Zagreb, Croatia, 1969) is a multimedia artist active since the early 1990s whose work spans site-specific public interventions, photography, film, and experimental documentary practices. Rooted in documentary traditions yet marked by a deeply humane, poetic, and empathic sensibility, his practice critically engages with socio-political issues through long-term research, observation, and direct engagement with communities. Grubić’s work explores themes of historical memory, collective identity, post-socialist transition, and the struggles of marginalized and minority communities, examining both past and present political realities. Through an intimate and reflective visual language, he investigates the lasting consequences of social and economic transformation in the former Yugoslavia and beyond. He represented Croatia at the 58th Venice Biennale with a project focused on the country’s post-war transformation and the shift from socialism to capitalism, continuing his sustained investigation into the intersection of art, politics, and social change.
His work has been exhibited in various international institutions/manifestations among which: Tirana Biennial 2 (2003); Manifesta 4 (Frankfurt, 2002); Manifesta 9 (Genk, 2012); 50th October Salon (Belgrade, 2009); Gender Check, MuMOK (Vienna, 2009); 11th Istanbul Biennial (2009); 4th Fotofestival Mannheim Ludwigshafen, Heidelberg (2011); East Side Stories, Palais de Tokyo (Paris, 2012); Gwangju Biennale (2014); Zero Tolerance, MOMA PS1 (New York, 2014); Degrees of Freedom, MAMbo (Bologna, 2015); 5th Thessaloniki Biennial (2015); Heavenly Creatures, MG+MSUM (Ljubljana, 2018); The Value of Freedom, Belvedere 21 (Vienna, 2018); 58th Venice Biennale (2019); Yerevan Biennial – The Time Complex (2020); Bigger than Myself, MAXXI (Rome, 2021); Body and Territory, Kunsthaus Graz (2023); Elefsina Mon Amour: In Search of the Third Paradise, Eleusis European Capital of Culture (2023); Gestures of Activation – Works in Public Space, Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Rijeka and Museum of Contemporary Art Skopje (2024–2025); Personal Stories/Political Realities, MAC LYON – Museum of Contemporary Art Lyon (2025); Why Look at Animals?, EMST – National Museum of Contemporary Art Athens (2025/26); 24th Bienal de Arte Paiz: The World Tree, Fundación Paiz (Guatemala, 2025/26); Gibellina Capitale Italiana dell’Arte Contemporanea 2026.
His work is included in the public collections of: Tate Modern, London; Kadist Art Collection, Paris and San Francisco; FRAC Champagne-Ardenne Collection; Kunsthaus Zürich; Kontakt – The Art Collection of Erste Group, Vienna; Art Collection Telekom – ACT, Bonn; Muzeum Sztuki, Łódź; Wrocław Contemporary Museum (MWW); Museum of Contemporary Art Belgrade; Museum of Contemporary Art Metelkova, Ljubljana; Museum of Contemporary Art Zagreb; Fondazione Morra, Naples; ECB – European Central Bank Art Collection, Frankfurt; ALT Arte Contemporaneo, Bergamo; Pio Monte della Misericordia, Naples; Collezione La Gaia, Turin; Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art Rijeka; National Museum of Montenegro; The Gallery of Fine Arts Split – GALUM; Modern Gallery CZK Lazarevac; Museo Lapidarium, Novigrad-Cittanova; Aksenov FF, Vienna; Arte Fiera Bologna Collection; October Salon Collection, Cultural Centre of Belgrade.