Vladimir Novak on Performative Objects and Minimal Sculpture

Zagreb-based sculptor Vladimir Novak discusses his recent work, which explores the physical responses of objects in space through calibrated mechanisms and audience interaction. In an interview with Juliet Art Magazine, Novak explains that performance in his work is not about him performing but about creating conditions for potential performance, activated by the viewer or the object itself. His piece "≈ 30 Steps In Balance" (2018) was initially conceived as a live action—walking a slackline 12 meters high without a safety rope—but was banned for safety reasons; Novak then developed a mechanical system to translate the tension and instability. Another work, "Calm" (2025), exhibited at Salon Galić in Split as part of the Radoslav Putar Award, consists of three nearly invisible steel wires. The piece originated during Novak's residency at Cité Internationale des Arts in Paris, where he found ultra-thin steel wire. He installed a single wire in his studio and observed reactions. For "Calm," he collaborated with Miodrag Gladović to amplify the wire's vibrations via a piezoelectric microphone, so that the wire produces sound when touched, giving the minimal sculpture volume through interaction. The work challenges traditional sculpture principles of presence, volume, and perception. Novak's practice includes pieces like "Day for a Day" (2025), where the building itself becomes the performer. His works have been shown at Gallery SC in Zagreb (2024) and Salon Galić in Split (2025).