SOMNIO, ERGO SUM

Lucija Mrzljak’s artistic world is built from personal feelings and gentle phantasmagoric lines. It does not explain, conclude, or seek the ultimate. Instead, it offers space: for a look, for a feeling, for a question that leaves room for your version of the world. Each work seems to come from somewhere in between – between waking and dreaming, play and melancholy, lines and silence, and invites the viewer to dialogue.

In the exhibition _SOMNIO, ERGO SUM_ – _I DREAM, THEREFORE I EXIST_ – the drawings are imagined episodes from a world that does not need to be real to be convincing. Lucija’s illustrations seem familiar, but never literal; in them, the characters lean towards illogicality, perspectives bend, and humor hides in the detail that slips by at first glance. These are drawings that speak quietly, but remain for a long time.

The works were created by a combination of classical and graphic techniques – graphite and pastel pencil, lithography, drypoint, and etching – with occasional digital interventions. But regardless of the medium, the same manuscript certainty is present: a gentle and precise line that wanders but never loses its way. Everything is measured, told in a whisper.

This exhibition is not a chronological overview or a rounded narrative – it is a trace of dreams in fragments. There is no imposition in these vignettes – only an invitation: to pause, to feel, to write your own story.

“Somnio, ergo sum” is not a statement, but a state. A look inside.

Lucija Mrzljak is an animation director and illustrator living between Zagreb and Tallinn, Estonia. She studied animation at esteemed art academies in Zagreb, Krakow, Prague, and Tallinn, completing her MA under Priit and Olga Pärn at the Estonian Academy of Arts. Her student films, Shuma and Corner (2016), gained festival attention. She has co-directed short films with Estonian director Morten Tšinakov, including _A Demonstration of Brilliance in Four Acts_ (2018) and _The Stork_ (2020), both awarded at numerous international festivals. Their latest short, Eeva (2022), premiered at Berlinale 2023, was shortlisted for the 2024 Academy Awards, won over 30 awards globally, and received
the Emile Award for Best Visual Design. In addition to her film work, Lucija is also an accomplished
illustrator, her work spans political satire, poetic children’s books, and poster design. Since 2019, she has taught at the Estonian Academy of Arts and has been a visiting lecturer at institutions including Aalto University in Helsinki, Turku Arts Academy, Lusófona University in Lisbon, and Aichi University of the Arts in Japan.

GALLERY st. NIKOLE TAVELIĆA, Interpretacijski centar Civitas Sacra

8:00 – 20:00