Profile

Urtica, an art and media research group, specialises in the development of transdisciplinary projects that merge art, media, social science, and education. The group was founded in 1999 by Violeta Vojvodić and Eduard Balaž. In their work they combine traditional artistic disciplines and ICT. Urtica’s production ranges from Internet based artworks and media actions to art objects and installations. Special focus is put on educational projects such as workshops and web applications.

Urtica was awarded the UNESCO Digital Arts Award at IAMAS Japan in 2003, and participated at numerous international festivals and exhibitions such as Ars Electronica (Linz, Austria), FILE (Sao Paolo and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil), Ogaki Biennial 2004 (IAMAS, Ogaki, Japan), Hilchot Shchenim The Israeli Center for Digital Art (Holon, Israel), “Moirés” at Kunstraum der Leuphana Universität Lüneburg (Germany), among others. Selected solo exhibitions: “Value Quest—Art of Fortune & Economy of Risk”, Salon of the Museum of Contemporary art Belgrade, Serbia (2010).

Violeta Vojvodić-Balaž and Eduard Balaž are living and working in Belgrade and Novi Sad, Serbia.

You can contact us via office@urtica.org

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Urtica’s major art projects include an online artistic-educational platform hoopup.net (launch 2011), a hazard gaming setup Value Quest (2010-11), an interactive database of socio-cultural patterns Social Engine (2004–08), a phonetic database Dictionary Of Primal Behaviour - Mouse says: click! and human says: eek! (2003–2004), an online memory game Lapsus Memoriae (2002), a socially-engaged art campaign under the slogan Urtica Medicamentum Est, which consisted of newspaper ads, radio jingles, and short videos broadcast to the general public on television (1999–2001).

Members

Violeta Vojvodić-Balaž,
artist, born in 1971 in Zrenjanin, Yugoslavia. She graduated at the Academy of Arts, Novi Sad in 1995, received Mag. of Art from the Faculty of Fine Arts, Belgrade in 2000, and a European Diploma in Cultural Management in 2006. Her interests bridge the fields of art, social sciences, and cultural management. Together with Eduard Balaž, she co-founded Urtica in 1999. She was one of the co-founders of New Media Center_kuda.org (Novi Sad, Serbia), where she worked as a project manager from 2001–2002. She also worked as an editor (New Media Expert) at www.labforculture.org from 2005–2007. She has been working as an artist in the group Urtica since 1999.

Eduard Balaž,
artist, born in 1972 in Novi Sad, Yugoslavia. In 1996 he received the annual award for painting at Academy of Arts, Novi Sad, and graduated at the same academy in 1997. He received Mag. of Art from the Faculty of Fine Arts, Belgrade in 2003. Together with Violeta Vojvodić, he co-founded Urtica in 1999. He worked as artistic director at an advertising agency “Hammer Creative” Novi Sad, Yugoslavia. He was also one of the co-founders of New Media Center_kuda.org (Novi Sad, Serbia). His research interests include symbolic communication and interface design. He has been working as an artist within the group Urtica since 1999.

Awards

2010

The finalist of the Henkel Art Award in Serbia

2003

UNESCO Digital Arts Award 2003 at IAMAS, Japan

Award at “MAD 03” 2nd meeting of experimental art in Madrid, Spain

The annual award of the gallery Golden Eye “The exhibition of the year”, Novi Sad, Serbia and Montenegro

2000

Award of IV Yugoslav Biennial of the Youth, Vršac, Yugoslavia

award of The Contemporary Gallery Pančevo at IV Yugoslav Biennial of the Youth, Vršac, Yugoslavia

1999

Award of 28. Novosadskog salona, Novi Sad, Yugoslavia

Award for mixed media at Spring exhibition of ULUS - Association of the Fine Artists of Serbia (Violeta Vojvodić), Belgrade, Yugoslavia

1998

The first award in mixed media category at 5th International Biennial of Miniature, Gornji Milanovac, Yugoslavia

Solo Exhibitions

2019

“Value, Labor and Money” - Urtica’s 20th anniversary exhibition, Contemporary Gallery Zrenjanin, Serbia

2017

“Labor in the Advantageous Dystopia” - participative installation, Remont gallery, Belgrade, Serbia

2012

“Uradi nešto u krugu” - exhibition and web application, SULUV gallery, Novi Sad, Serbia

HoopUp - exhibition and web application, O3ONE gallery, Belgrade, Serbia

2010

“Value Quest - Art of Fortune & Economy of Risk,” Salon of the Museum of Contemporary Art Belgrade, Serbia

“Kommunikation via Symbol”, BBK Ulm (with the support of IFA), Germany

2005

“Social Engine” / computer artwork + prints, within the framework of “Private Investigations” Künstlerhaus Büchsenhausen, Innsbruck, Austria

2004

“Vehicles for the mind” / computer artwork + prints, Künstlerhaus Büchsenhausen, Innsbruck, Austria

2003

“Dictionary of Primal Behaviour” / computer artwork + prints, Gallery Golden Eye, Novi Sad, Serbia & Montenegro, solo exhibition within the Balkan Video&Digital Art Festival

2001

“Urtica Medicamentum est” / installation, Cultural Centre Pančevo, Yugoslavia

1999

“Place for two” / installation, “Dom omladine”, Belgrade, Yu

Festivals and Group Exhibitions

2012

Canarias (Canary Islands), Spain, ESPACIO ENTER - International Festival of Creativity, Innovation & Digital Culture

Montreal, Canada, “Affaires à Risques // Risky Business,” Festival The HTMlles 10

New York City, USA, dystoRpia Project, Place: Queens Museum of Art, Outpost Artists Resource and Local Projects, Curators: Arlan Londoño and Gabriel Roldos

Helsinki, Finland, Open Knowledge Festival, Open Research and Education track / pecha kucha session

memefest.org (Brisbane), “Debt,” Festival of Socially responsive communication and art

Bielefeld, Germany, plakartive.de an exhibition of billboards in the public space Kunst.Stadt.Plakat, Idea/Curator: Uwe Göbel

11th International Biennial of Miniature, Gornji Milanovac, Serbia

2011

Belgrade, Serbia, “It’s Time We Got To Know Each Other,” 52nd October Salon. Curators: Galit Eilat and Alenka Gregorič

Verona, Italy, “LA CASA | HOME Group show of serbian artists,” Curated by Aurora Fonda & Zara Audiello, Galleria d’Arte Moderna Palazzo Forti

2008

Lüneburg, Germany, “Moirés” - International group exhibition in the context of the project “transform”, Kunstraum der Leuphana Universität Lüneburg

Belgrade, Serbia, Play Cultures [svet digitalnih igara] Salon of the Museum of Contemporary Art Belgrade

2007

Prague, Czech, ENTER 3rd international festival - Artistic experiments with new technologies at borders with science

Novi Sad, Serbia, Play Cultures [svet digitalnih igara] Museum of Contemporary Art Vojvodina

Čačak, Serbia, 24th Memorial Nadežda Petrović, Transforming Memory, The Politics of Images

Luxembourg, art4lux, European Forum for emerging creation

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, “FILE RIO 2007” International Festival of Electronic Language

Beograd, Srbija, “PRODOR U REALNOST: Ukidanje javnog prostora”, Salon Muzeja savremene umetnosti Beograd

2006

Oklahoma City, USA, Upgrade! International: Oklahoma City: DIY (Do-It-Yourself)

Saint Étienne, France, Biennale Internationale Design 2006 Saint-Étienne

Sao Paolo, Brazil, “FILE 2006” International Festival of Electronic Language

Belgrade, Serbia and Montenegro, “Disappearing of the public space”, Salon of the Museum of Contemporary Art Belgrade

2004

Belgrade, Serbia & Montenegro, retrospective exhibition “Galerija Doma omladine - četvrta decenija (1995-2004)”, Dom omladine Beograda

Ogaki, Japan, Ogaki Biennale 2004 (IAMAS)

Rotterdam, Nethetlands, “International Filmfestival Rotterdam”, Exploding Cinema-section Power : Play

2003

Holon, Israel, “Hilchot Shchenim”, The Israeli Center for Digital Art

Basel, Switzerland, “Viper”, International Festival for Film, Video and New Media

Belgrade, Serbia & Montenegro, “WLI” World, Language, Iconicity - exhibition and symposium, Rex B92 Cultural Center

Madrid, Spain, “MAD 03” 2nd meeting of experimental art in Madrid

Belgrade, Serbia & Montenegro, “POSITIVE / NEGATIVE”, “44th October Salon”

Novi Sad, Serbia & Montenegro, “Balkan Video&Digital Art Festival”

Amsterdam, Netherland, International Festival of Tactical Media - Next 5 minutes, Media Library

Linz, Austria, “CODE - the language of our time”, Ars Electronica - Festival for Art, Technology and Society

Sao Paolo, Brazil, “FILE 2003” International Festival of Electronic Language

Yucatan/Mexico, “[R]-[R]-[F]” InteractivA’03 - Biennial for New Media Art, Museum of Contemporary Art Merida

Vienna, Austria, “Quo, vadis logo?”, Transeuropa, Quartier 21, Museumsquartier

2002

Basel, Switzerland, “Viper”, International Festival for Film, Video and New Media

Belgrade, Yugoslavia, “KEF”, Rex B92 Qltural Lab

Novi Sad, Yugoslavia, “31. Novosadski Oktobarski Salon”

Zagreb, Croatia, “Urban Festival”

Beograd, Yugoslavia, “Znakovito”, Grafički kolektiv

Beograd, Yugoslavia, “Grifon”, Grafički kolektiv

Budapest, Hungary, The MAMU Gallery

2001

Belgrade, Yugoslavia, “Beogradski Oktobarski Salon”

Ljubljana, Slovenia, “Break 21” 5. International festival of young independent artist

2000

Novi Sad, Yugoslavia, “Video Medeja”, Video summit

Portorož, Slovenia, “Golden Drum”, Advertising festival

Vršac, Yugoslavia, “IV Yugoslav Biennial of the Young”

6th International Biennial of Miniature, Gornji Milanovac, Yugoslavia

1999

Belgrade, Yugoslavia, “IV Belgrade’s biennial of drawing and small plastic”

Novi Sad, Yugoslavia, “The Second International Biennial of Sketches and Projects”, Gallery “Zlatno oko”

Novi Sad, Yugoslavia, “28. Novosadski Oktobarski Salon”

1998

5th International Biennial of Miniature, Gornji Milanovac, Yugoslavia

1997

Novi Sad, Yugoslavia, The First International Biennial of Sketches and Projects, Gallery “Zlatno Oko”

Urtica Educational Programme

2012

“Uradi nesto u krugu”, HoopUp, SULUV gallery, Novi Sad, Serbia (December)

“Risk, Greed, and Consequences in the Digital Era,” HoopUp, Eastern Bloc New media center, within the framework of The HTMlles 10, Montreal, Canada (November)

HoopUp Workshop, O3ONE gallery, Belgrade, Serbia

2010

“Workshop: Kommunikation via Symbol”, BBK Ulm, Germany (September)

2009

“Social Engine Workshop”, REX B92 Cultural Center, Belgrade, Serbia (April)

2008

“Social Engine Workshop”, Künstlerhaus Büchsenhausen, Innsbruck, Austria (July)

“Social Engine Workshop”, Department for Educational, Cultural and Social Sciences (group for cultural sciences, course “Moiré”) at Leuphana Universität Lüneburg, Germany (April)

2007

“Social Engine Workshop”, Intermedia Department at Academy of Arts, Novi Sad, Serbia (April)

2006

“Social Engine Workshop”, Communication Department at Ecole Régionale des Beaux - Arts de Saint-Étienne, France (November)

Atrist Talks, Presentations and Lectures

2010

Urtica - Artist Talk, “Artist as a researcher”, moderated by Zoran Erić, Salon of the Museum of Contemporary Art Belgrade, Serbia

2008

Social Engine – The Hybrid Source Book / book presentation, Künstlerhaus Büchsenhausen, Innsbruck, Austria

2006

VIE-SOF 18:42; “Social Engine” / presentation, within the framework of VIE-SOF, 18:42 hour screening and event - Denkarium / Tailoring Thinking, Vienna, Austria

2005

Urtica: eine brennnessel mit sozialem gewissen / lecture series, within the framework of the network digitalbrainstorming Swiss: Kunstraum Walcheturm, Zürich; Media Gallery [plug in], Basel; Kornhausforum - Forum fur Medien und Gestaltung, Bern; zfm phtg, Kreuzlingen)

“Social Engine - Great minds think alike” / lecture, within the framework of "Private Investigations" Künstlerhaus Büchsenhausen, Innsbruck, Austria)

2004

Urtica - Artist Talk, within the framework of RISD “Media Lecture Series Fall 2004”, Rhode Island School of Design, Digital Media Department (Providence, USA)

Urtica - Artist Talk, The School of Visual Arts, the Master of Fine Arts Computer Arts Department, Contemporary Voices, New York (USA)

“Vehicles for the mind”, lecture, Künstlerhaus Büchsenhausen, Innsbruck, Austria

2003

“Dictionary of Primal Behaviour” / presentation, “Viper” Basel, Switzerland

“Dictionary of Primal Behaviour” / presentation, “Balkan Video&Digital Art Festival”, Novi Sad", Serbia & Montenegro

“Dictionary of Primal Behaviour” / presentation, Ars Electronica - Festival for Art, Technology and Society , Linz, Austria

2002

“K. und K. / Kraft und Konfekt” / presentation, Vienna, Austria

“Lapsus Memoriae” / presentation, Viper, Basel, Switzerland

“Urtica medicamentum est” / presentation, Urban Festival, Zagreb, Croatia

“Gray Game” / lecture, Prva Kragujevačka Gimnazija, Kragujevac, Yugoslavia

“Lapsus Memoriae” / presentation, Media Education Center kuda.org, Novi Sad, Yugoslavia

2001

CD-ROM “Urtica medicamentum est” / presentation, Video summit “Video Medeja” in Novi Sad, Yugoslavia

Presentation of WEB site Urtica, Club “Izba”, Novi Sad, Yugoslavia

2000

CD-ROM “Urtica medicamentum est” / presentation, “Medija Centar” Belgrade, organized by independent artistic association “Remont”

TV and Radio Broadcasting

2002

TV B92, Belgrade, Yu / “Lapsus Memoriae - TV ad”

radio 101, Zagreb, Croatia, / “Omnigenus - radio ad”

2001

TV Politika, ART channel, TV Pink, SOS channel, YU info, TV B92, Yugoslavia / “Omnigenus TV ad”

radio B92, radio INDEX, Poslovni radio, Belgrade, Yugoslavia / “Omnigenus radio ad”

radio Student, Ljubljana, Slovenia / “Ratioremedium radio ad”

TV channel Pančevo, Pančevo, Yugoslavia / “Ratioremedium TV ad”

2000

TV B92 and radio B92, Beograd, Yugoslavia / “Ratioremedium radio & TV ad”

Press Actions

2002

Danas-daily newspaper, Belgrade, Yugoslavia / “Lapsus Memoriae - print ad”

Plavi Oglasnik, Zagreb, Croatia, / “Omnigenus - newspaper ad”

2001

Nin-Weekly Informative Newspaper, Belgrade, Yugoslavia / “Omnigenus - print ad”

Remont-art magazine, Belgrade, Yugoslavia / “Omnigenus - print ad”

AIR, Fellowships and Grants

2012

Visiting Artist (Grant: Canada Council for the Arts), Festival The HTMlles 10, Studio XX feminist artist-run centre for technological exploration, creation and critique, Montreal, Canada (Novembar)

2010

Visiting Artist (Grant: Institut fur Auslandsbeziehungen), Bundesverband Bildender Kunstler Ulm, Germany (Septembar)

2006

MAPXXL programme at Ecole Régionale des Beaux-Arts de Saint-Étienne, Communication department, Saint Étienne, France (September - November)

2004

ArtsLink Residency Program: Rhode Island School of Design, Digital Media Department, Providence, USA (October - November)

Fellowship program for visual art and theory at Künstlerhaus Büchsenhausen, Innsbruck, Austria (July - September)

2002

“KulturKontakt guest studio program”, Vienna, Austria (October-December)

Gulliver Connect Programme, AIR at C3 Center for Culture and Communication, Budapest, Hungary (March)