Title: Special Feelings
Artist: Damir Očko
Venue: Galerija Manuš, Zagreb
Galerija Manuš is proud to present the exhibition Special Feelings by Damir Očko. The pivot of the exhibition is Rudy, Očko’s rude animatronic parrot, whose clever mechanism transforms toxic internet comments into short, fragmented phrases that resonate like nonsense verse, functioning as both a witty deconstruction and critical commentary on how the body and voice convey meaning, are coded and manipulated – a recurring theme in Očko’s work.
Rudy is a therapeutic device of sorts for alleviating doomscrolling, trained to sift through and process the content the artist himself can no longer stomach, establishing a unique dynamic with collages from the Dragforms series – anagrams of specific phobias whose forms, visual fragments, and materials from unusual sources mutate into complex, multilayered meanings.
This same spirit is echoed in the Spirits series: vibrant and playful sculptural forms covered in makeup and glitter leftovers from queer parties bear recall the artist’s personal experiences of togetherness, tenderness, and care. These fragile works are both intimate and universal; through them, as well as through Dragforms, the artist weaves a thread of connection with his community, broadening the sense of belonging beyond rigid boundaries.
In Očko’s artistic process, shapes are transient, forms are in drag, voices refract, and boundaries become porous, allowing new, elusive spaces of freedom to emerge from what escapes strict structural definitions.
