Croatian avant-garde artist Mladen Stilinović, co-founder of Group of Six Artists, dies at 69

Mladen Stilinović, a pivotal figure in Croatia's art scene and the Yugoslav avant-garde, passed away in 2016. He co-founded the Group of Six Artists in the late 1970s with Vlado Martek, Boris Demur, Željko Jerman, Sven Stilinović, and Fedor Vucemilovic, and was instrumental in the New Art Practice movement. Born in Belgrade, he resided in Zagreb, where he managed the PM Gallery from 1982 to 1991. His artistic career began with experimental film from 1969 to 1976, after initial forays into poetry, and later expanded to include collages, photographs, artist books, paintings, installations, and actions, while maintaining an interest in moving image. Stilinović used art to critique both Yugoslav socialism and Croatia's shift to neoliberal capitalism, infusing his conceptual work with humor and irony to avoid dry seriousness. His legacy as a driving force in challenging political and economic systems through art remains significant.