22/04 2025
Golden Watermelon 9.0 Award for Young Artists finalists exhibition has been officially opened at the Museum of Contemporary Art of Istria
On Friday, April 18, 2025, the Metamedij Association officially opened the exhibition of the finalists of the ninth edition of the Golden Watermelon Award for Young Artists at the Museum of Contemporary Art of Istria. This year’s edition, organized in collaboration with the Museum, is held under the theme “accelerate.exe”. During the opening, the winner of the award was announced – Pavle Mijuca, who stood out with his work Endless Becomings of Seaside Resorts.
(Photo: Studio11)
Congratulations to Pavle Mijuca on winning the Golden Watermelon 9.0, and to all the finalists for their outstanding and thoughtful works, which integrated seamlessly into the thematic framework of this year’s exhibition. Their pieces represent a wide range of approaches and poetics – from personal narratives to critical reflections on the socio-political phenomena of the contemporary era. Alongside Pavle Mijuca, the finalists are Sara Bilić, Dora Križnik, Filip Kočić and Dominik Višnjić, Morana Mandac, Lucija Marin, Stela Mikulin, and Leo Subanović.
(Photo: Studio11)
The formal opening began with a performance by Pavle Mijuca, who presented an imaginary project titled Arena Living – Heritage and Resort. Through the character of an investor presenting an ambitious vision for the future development of the Valelunga area in Pula to potential stakeholders, the artist humorously and critically addressed the rhetoric of the real estate market and the marketing illusions of urban development. This performance exemplified the breadth of thought surrounding the concept of progress – the central question of this year’s competition theme.
The audience was welcomed on behalf of the hosts by Iva Gašparić from the Museum of Contemporary Art of Istria, Head of the Department for Culture and Local Identity of the Istrian Region Vladimir Torbica, and Metamedij representatives Marin Jurcan and Marijeta Bradić. Bradić, the author of the competition theme and curator of the exhibition, explained that the idea of accelerationism, which forms the foundation of the theme accelerate.exe, invites critical reflection on the acceleration of social, technological, and economic processes, particularly through the lens of artistic production.
Marin Jurcan emphasized that the exhibition marks only the beginning of future collaborations between Metamedij and emerging artists, and expressed gratitude to all partners and donors who recognized the value of this program, particularly the Museum of Contemporary Art of Istria for their close curatorial collaboration, as well as the City of Pula, the Istrian Region, and the Ministry of Culture and Media of the Republic of Croatia. He also extended thanks to all of Metamedij’s collaborators, volunteers, and to the artists whose works were not selected for the final round, but who nonetheless contributed to the richness of the selection with their submissions.
It was especially noted that, in cooperation with the Lapidarium Museum in Novigrad, one of the finalists will also be presented at the Rigo Gallery, selected by the museum’s director, Jerica Ziherl – an initiative that further expands the award into new exhibition spaces and contexts.
Visibly moved by the recognition, Pavle Mijuca thanked the Metamedij Association, the Museum of Contemporary Art of Istria, and the jury members for their support and the professional production of the exhibition, as well as his fellow artists for the shared experience.
The Golden Watermelon 9.0 exhibition remains open at the Museum of Contemporary Art of Istria until May 18, 2025, concluding on International Museum Day with an accompanying educational program. Once again, the Golden Watermelon has affirmed its role as a platform that supports young artists, fostering dialogue, critique, and collaboration – thereby continuing to shape the contemporary art scene in Istria and beyond.
