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New work produced by John Miličić builds on his previous series of travel paintings featuring mosaic landscape compositions in encaustic on MDF boards. In the visual sequences of various island and urban routes, often repetitive and deliberately extended or condensed in rhythm, the artist skewed his memory and perception to highlight the invisible, sensory, and dynamic material quality of the external world.

Showcased here are three new rhythmic units, each based on the landscapes Miličić observed while driving around his native island of Hvar. The central piece consists of four monumental paintings depicting a sudden curve, a sharp turn where beams of darkness and light collide. The other two units are equally dynamic, one illustrating a fragmented ride uphill, the other a descent. These landscapes in motion place the observer, the artist, in the passenger seat. The absence of a visible figure makes us feel his gaze more intensely, interpret it differently, even question the reliability of the visual information it provides. The limitations of vision are underscored by disjointed scenes that seem to stretch out before finally fading away.

The artist’s perception of his immediate surroundings reflects his inner unrest, as well as his acute sense of the uncertainty of the world. The passenger is inherently powerless, as he is neither in control nor has a clear view of what lies ahead. What he sees instead are only shifting beams of darkness and light, fleeting and fragmented scraps of information that cannot fully reveal the landscape unfolding around him. The partial view triggers anxiety and demands caution; in the few seconds before a sudden turn anything can happen.

The dissonances of the contemporary world have, in recent years, prepared us for uncertainty and dependence on external forces that either grant us power or strip it away. The rugged landscape with its sharp curves recalls the social asymmetries we navigate daily. Yet, Miličić’s landscape stems from a personal perspective. By placing himself in the passenger seat, he reflects on his struggles with a world that suddenly takes control away from him. He often has to make decisions that involve two opposite actions, uncertain of their validity or truth. By prolonging his gaze, he suspends time to provide a brief escape or a dream that a good outcome may after all be possible.  (text Lovro Japundžić)

Juraj John Miličić – born on May 12, 1992, in Split. Graduated in painting from the Academy of Fine Arts in Zagreb, in the class of Professor Zlatan Vrkljan, in 2018.
Selected group exhibitions: 6th Painting Biennale, HDLU, 2021 | Hvar URB art, public spaces of the city of Hvar, 2022 | 7th Painting Biennale, HDLU, 2023 | 37th Youth Salon, HDLU, 2024 | Rebot_1.0, FOMO Art Space, Zurich, 2025
Selected solo exhibitions: Landscape, Matica hrvatska, 2017 | Potemkin’s Guests, Hvar City Gallery, 2021 | Zagreb–Split–Hvar, SC Gallery, 2024
Awards: 3rd Prize at the Youth Salon, 2024 | HDLU Annual Award for Best Young Artist, 2024