Still-life with Venus de Milo, Broken Plant, Modem and Bubbles

Maker Slovenc, Hrvoje Croatian, b. 1976

Date2016

MediumInkjet print

Dimensionsimage: 20 in x 15 13/16 in; mat: 30 in x 40 in; paper: 24 in x 20 in

Credit LineMuseum purchase through the 2018 Fine Print Program

Object number2018:2

About the ArtistIn the series Partners in Crime, Hrvoje Slovenc creates mannered portraits of same sex couples who have been partnered for an average of eighteen years. Each scene is staged to mimic late nineteenth-century wedding portraiture. Slovenc arranges his couples in their homes as if they were appearing on their wedding day, something that was a legal impossibility in this country at the time. “I am trying to capture the public face that society mandates for same-sex couples," Slovenc explains, "The couples appear to be both physically and emotionally disconnected because in many ways, both subtle and overt, that is how they are told they should behave." The physical distance and body language of each couple suggests the emotional toll same sex couples endure when dealing with outside scrutiny, as well as the legal distance imposed on their relationships.

His project Croatian Rhapsody: Borderlands underscores the turbulent past of Slovenc’s homeland during the Croatian War of Independence and its aftermath, as well as his experiences as a young, queer Croatian immigrant in New York City. Using three-dimensional and video components and various materials, Slovenc’s work grapples with dislocation, identity, and ultimately, the permeable borders that govern nations—and ourselves.

Slovenc is a native of Croatia currently residing in the United States. He holds an MS in biochemistry from the University of Zagreb (2000), a BA in photography from the City College of New York (2006), and an MFA in photography from Yale (2010). He was included in the 2018 Museum of Contemporary Photography exhibition, Traversing the Past: Adam Golfer, Diana Matar, Hvroje Slovenc.

http://hrvojeslovenc.com/