© Matej Celar
Artist statement
Association Thirdspace was founded in 2009. in Zagreb, as a non-profit association working in the field of independent culture and contemporary art. Thirdspace activities include research on innovative forms of artistic expression, production and distribution of programs within the broader spectrum of an independent cultural sector, educational program of workshops and seminars and access to new tendencies in performing arts.
In addition, within the organization, the performance collective Thirdspace operates for the creation, production and distribution of performance works in the field of contemporary performance theatre (performance art, live art, bioart, visual theatre) and transdisciplinary projects that brings performing arts into relation with various forms of sustainable development, ecological social action and new multimedia technologies.
Performance collective has had numerous notable appearances at foreign festivals (“Rome International Art Fair”; “Cittadella Fluxus Art Parade”, 2022; Itinerant Performance Art Festival NYC, New York; 2019, “London contemporary”, London; “The Body Language”; “Anima Mundi”, Venice, 2019, “Performing art 3days”, Pisa, 2018.) and residencies (CCA Contemporary Performance Practices – Jan Fabre/ Troubleyn i SITI Company Anne Bogart New York, Rijeka, 2019; Performance Art Research Ljubljana PARL by performance group VIA NEGATIVA).
Representatives
Roko Nakić is a legal representative of organization, project manager and performing artist in contemporary theater performances. He had realized a number of performances, among others ‘Displacement of Animals and Humans’ (2018) and ‘Flydowns-The Swarm Intelligence’ (2016), produced by residential programme for artists ‘Pogonator – Incubator for Contemporary Theater and Dance’. He combines different performative practices such as acting, mime and visual art and has participated in numerous domestic and international theater and performance festivals (Zagreb, London, Casablanca etc.).
He holds a master’s degree in Performing Arts, (Academy of Arts and Culture, University in Osijek) and master’s degree in Political Science. He also has an extensive experience in international youth work in field of sustainability; community development; cultural events organizing and activist performance. He was project manager in several Erasmus+ projects and projects from GLCS Global Chalenges Local Solution fund.
Irena Boćkai is project manager in Thirdspace association and performing artist in contemporary performance and crossdisciplinary art projects with broad spectrum of disciplines (bioart, performance lectures and interdisciplinary projects which are related with ecology, sociology, animal issues, human and non-human relationship, relation between art, science and health, theoretical researches in bioethics, natural sciences and misperformance studies). She is artistic director of the “Third Goat” festival, which provides an artistic response to climate change and the ecological crisis, which brings together performing arts with social and environmental action, as well as new technologies. She performed in many performance art projects throughout Croatia and abroad. She was a scholar of the CCA Contemporary Performance Practices program (Rijeka, 2019) by Jan Fabre/Troubleyn and SITI Company Anne Bogart New York and the resident of Performance Art Research Ljubljana (PARL) program by performing group VIA NEGATIVA.
She holds a master’s degree in Performing Arts, (Academy of Arts and Culture, University in Osijek) and PhD in Literature, Performing Arts, Film and Culture (Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Zagreb). In 2022, she participate in the Life on Mars cultural training program (Bologna and online, organizers: Living Live Internationalization Gateway, organization Creative Scotland, the On the Move network and the “Kultura nova” Foundation). Currently, she’s participant of the “ASH MA – Art, Science and Health Master of Arts” Online Pilot Course. She’s a member of The Croatian Association of Drama Artists (HDDU).