Nikola Vrljić

Nikola Vrljić (1980, Zagreb) studied sculpture at the Academy of Fine Arts in Zagreb, graduating in 2007. His artistic practice primarily focuses on figuration. Through the mediums of sculpture and drawing, he explores the complexities of the human condition and its place in society, often infusing his work with humour and (self)irony. He employs classical techniques and works with various materials, frequently making the deliberate choice to reveal not only the original material but also the procedure of its primary manipulation, thereby enhancing the raw believability of his works.

He has exhibited his work at solo exhibitions at various galleries and museums, including a retrospective at the 15^th Ivo Kerdić Memorial at the Museum of Fine Arts, Osijek (2025) and solo exhibitions at the Božidar Jakac Gallery, Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Kostanjevica na Krki, Slovenia (2024); Trotoar in Zagreb (2023); the Meštrović Gallery in Split (2022); the Meštrović Pavilion in Zagreb (2021); Poola Gallery in Pula (2021); the Josip Račić Gallery, the National Museum of Modern Art in Zagreb (2018), the Museum of the Town of Kaštela (2017), the HAZU Glyptotheque in Zagreb (2014), and the basement halls of Diocletian’s Palace in Split (2014). His group exhibitions include Panorama40+ at Bažato Gallery in Ljubljana (2023), the 12^th Triennial of Croatian Sculpture in Zagreb (2018-2022), and the HT Award exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Zagreb (2015).

In 2021, he received the Croatian Association of Fine Artists’ Best Exhibition of the Year Award for The Siege of Oz at the Meštrović Pavilion in Zagreb. His works are part of the permanent collections at the National Museum of Modern Art in Zagreb and the Vukovar City Museum, and are also held in private collections. Vrljić currently teaches at the Academy of Fine Arts in Zagreb, Croatia.