Curating Connections : Sasa Bogojev’s Global Influence on Contemporary Art
Sasa Bogojev is a curator and writer originally from Croatia, now based in The Netherlands. His work spans a variety of roles, including being a former contributing editor and European correspondent for Juxtapoz magazine. Bogojev has a rich history of involvement in the art world, contributing to international publications and collaborating with artists on various projects including monographs, books, and catalogs.
He has curated numerous gallery exhibitions globally. Some notable exhibitions include "Melancholympics" at The Wunderwall in Antwerp, "Universes 3" at WOAW Gallery in Hong Kong, and "Domesticity" at Volery Gallery in Dubai. His curatorial work revolves around a wide range of subjects from early interest in skateboarding to technical or theoretical concepts in art, but mostly reflecting his interests in contemporary painting.
Can you describe your early influences and what led you to pursue a career in the art world?
My earliest influence was skateboarding. Board and t-shirt graphics, magazine ads, and the whole vibe around it that got me interested in visual art. I actually never “decided” to pursue a career in the art world, but instead, things just organically developed that way. From being active on online forums, contributing to different blogs, websites, and magazines, to now being a full-time freelance curator and writer.
What are the most significant challenges you face when curating an international exhibition?
Probably toning down my enthusiasm and not overdoing it with the amount of work I’d like to show :) Besides that, ever since COVID-19, shipping expenses got significantly higher, so that often limits what can be included in the presentation.
How has your background in journalism influenced your approach to curating art exhibitions?
I wouldn’t label it as “journalism” to begin with. It’s more reporting or just writing. And I guess it influenced the curation with the amount of work I was looking at and reading/talking/writing about. All that information gets stored somewhere, and you never know when it might come in handy.
What impact has living and working in The Netherlands had on your professional life?
Things have definitely started moving quicker since I moved with my family to The Netherlands. I got to curate a few shows here in the region, but being so centrally located makes it much easier to hop over on a train to Brussels, Antwerp, Paris, Dusseldorf for shows, fairs, museums, studio visits, etc. It feels that art is just more present in everyday life here, and that is definitely something that keeps me motivated.
What inspired you to curate the "Melancholympics" exhibition, and how did you select the artists involved?
Melancholympics was inspired by the general atmosphere in the world during the early months of the Covid-19 pandemic. The artists responded differently to that moment in time, but I felt like melancholy came up to the surface of many works made around that time, so I tried to pick a few examples of where that’s happening.
I wanted to give it a bit more positive undertone, hence the title, which would suggest it's an exciting activity.
Could you walk us through the concept and execution of the "Universes 3" exhibition at WOAW Gallery in Hong Kong?
Universes 3 was part of the Universes series that started with a show in Imola, Italy back in 2018 and had the last iteration with Universes 5 in NYC in 2022.
All those shows revolved around showcasing artists whose work revolves around creating their own universe, either by portraying a distinctive cast of characters or setting or re-creating reality through a particular filter.
What were some of the unique challenges and rewards of curating the "Domesticity" exhibition at Volery Gallery?
Domesticity was the inaugural show of the Volery Gallery in Dubai, and it was also an exhibition influenced by the atmosphere of the pandemic and the shift of life towards domestic environments.
Working in that region for the first time, I was wondering how the work that was produced mostly in Europe or the US would get received there, but it was rewarding to see how well the people responded to it.
Also, in that show, we had Guy Yanai from Israel, which, I was told, was the first time that an Israeli artist was showing in an Arabic country.
How do you approach the narrative or thematic structure of a new exhibition?
As I’m always looking at art at galleries, fairs, and through Instagram, I constantly think about the connecting points between works that resonate with me. Sometimes its a technical quality, sometimes contextual and then I go from there and see how far that idea gets pushed by different artists. For solo shows the approach is somewhat different as I try to develop the concept that would fit with the artist and have them make the work in line with that.
In projects like "The Distance Between" at BC Gallery, what was your primary goal, and do you feel it was achieved?
The theme of The Distance Between was to reflect on the ongoing refugee crisis globally and the different shapes of distance it creates between people.
The artists in that show already worked around that subject so it felt only fitting for them to be part of it. I think they did a fantastic job with the works that were included, particularly with the big installation that was built at the gallery as a collaborative piece between Icy & Sot (Iran), Know Hope / Addam Yekutieli (Israel), and Eron (Italy).
I felt it extra rewarding and meaningful to have artists from Iran and Israel collaborating on a single work and the exhibition as a whole.
Can you describe a project that didn't go as planned and how you handled the situation?
I guess none of the shows go exactly as planned. But luckily, art isn’t an exact science, so there is always flexibility to adjust things to make it work. That being said, I don’t think any of the shows I was involved in had particular problems that significantly changed its course or outcome. Or I just suppressed them from my memory :)
How has your approach to curating changed over the years, especially with the increasing influence of digital media?
I don’t think the influence of digital media changed my approach in any way. If anything, Instagram is an important tool for me to keep an eye on what's going on, but besides that, there isn’t much digital media present in the process or the finished product (the presentation).
How do you measure the success of an exhibition, both in terms of audience reception and artistic fulfillment?
That Is a good question. My first measure is how I feel about it. About the selection of the works and names we get to include and the way it looks in space.
Then there is the whole process of putting it together and how smoothly it went with everyone involved. Then there is the response we get from the visitors, collectors, media, artists, and everyone that might have noticed the show and felt like responding to it in some way.
Finally, there is the financial side of selling the work, which isn’t a popular subject to speak about, but it’s an essential part of the whole ecosystem as it fuels its dynamics. All of those combined will add to how I “measure” the success of an exhibition.
What do you look for in the artists you choose to work with, and how do you foster collaboration among them?
First of all, I look at the work. If the work is exciting, done well, and fits the concept, that’s the start.
Then, it’s the communication, the openness for collaboration, and availability. If all those things align, then we proceed. As for fostering collaboration with the artists, I don’t put any special emphasis on that; I just let things go their way. Sometimes I end up doing multiple things with a certain artist and sometimes its a one-time thing.
Things happen quickly, so I’m happy to see people I worked with pursuing their careers and making moves, and I’m not expecting anyone to “stick with me,” or however you want to call that.
Have there been any particularly influential or transformative collaborations with artists that have shaped your curatorial practices?
Yeah definitely, some of the solo shows I curated with Julio Anaya Cabanding or Evgen Čopi Gorišek were especially rewarding. Or the museum show I did with Tilo Baumgartel at the Drents Museum in The Netherlands.
Also, with time, I’m getting more interested in breaking away from “just” hanging paintings in a white cube space, so the installations like Universes 5 at The Hole or the recent Objecting Reality at WOAW in HK were particularly exciting.
How do you incorporate feedback from artists and audiences into your curatorial process?
Yeah, another good question. I’m not sure if I’m doing it consciously or calculated, but certain positive or negative feedback surely sticks with me. I remember people responding well to the first time I displayed works in a slightly unorthodox way, and that really boosted my confidence to keep doing that. Also, early on I wasn’t sure how much people REALLY care about the concept, but the more I tried to make it obvious in the presentation, the more response I got, which was also very satisfying.
What upcoming projects are you most excited about, and what can we expect from them?
Well, Im definitely very excited about the 3rd iteration of our CAN art fair in Ibiza. We set the bar pretty high from the start, so the expectations keep growing year by year, and this year is shaping up to be our strongest yet. Also, I’m working on a first exhibition in my homeland, so in November, I’ll be curating my first show in Zagreb, Croatia, which is an exciting “homecoming”. For that one, I’m bringing some major painting names from around the world to Croatia for the first time in hopes to inspire the young generation of artists there.
What is the significance of location when you plan an exhibition, and how did this influence shows like "High on Stress" in Tokyo?
Sometimes, the location can add a little bit to the way the show looks or feels, but for Sean Norvet’s Japan solo debut, that wasn’t the case. Perhaps he was influenced by it to some extent, but it was never something we discussed or expressed.
How do you think the role of the curator will evolve in the next decade, especially in the context of global art movements?
That is a difficult one. I’ve been in the curating world for under a decade, so it wouldn’t be fair of me to speculate about what's going to happen in the next one. I do hope to see more projects where the curator's hand and involvement are more evident, and also for curators to navigate instead of following global art movements.
What attracted you to the CAN Art Fair in Ibiza, and how does this setting influence the type of art and artists you select?
I’ve been the curator of the fair since its start in 2022 and was initially attracted by the challenge and the opportunity to work on a project of such scale. Also, being surrounded by a motivated and capable team was definitely something that won me.
As for for the artist selection, the setting of an art fair provides a chance to speak to the galleries directly about their roster and choose the right combination that would fit what the gallery wants to present and what the fair wants to present. If you meant the setting of an island, I don’t think that is influencing the selection of art or artists that we’re showing.
Can you discuss any standout moments or particular challenges you've faced while curating for the CAN Art Fair?
One of the challenges is actually what I mentioned above—aligning the gallery's ideas with my ideas. But also, the logistics of building up the lineup always end up taking way longer than anticipated. For me personally, a standout moment would be seeing a queue of visitors during our inaugural edition or seeing all the other art events taking place on the island as part of the Ibiza Art Week last year.
Looking ahead, how do you see the CAN Art Fair evolving, and what role do you hope to play in its future development?
I’m hoping that CAN keeps growing by bringing more relevant galleries to present their most relevant artists, especially in the field of painting. I hope to be able to put together fair presentations that make this potential obvious and make the fair increasingly interesting both for the participants and the visitors.
