Croatia’s Secret Genius: Sculptor, Artist, Designer…Meet Ivan Midzic

Travel is about discovery and amazement. An “older than time” Buddhist temple in Thailand, a vast and detailed Dubrovnik cityscape, the Taj, the David….the big “aha” moments.

Sometimes though, it’s that random glimpse of genius that commands my attention. Wandering the cobblestone streets of Rovinj, Croatia on a lovely summer afternoon, a stunning display of bracelets caught my eye. Statement pieces every one.

Crafted in a variety of metals, each was a wearable sculpture. A work of art. Of course, I stopped to admire. The shop owner was, as I found all the Croatian people I met, gracious and welcoming, inviting me to view and try on pieces in this collection.

They are the work of brilliant, Croatian-born Ivan Midzic…and sculpture informs his designs.

I had no intention of shopping. I was headed to the Church of St. Euphemia for the recommended ninety-nine precarious step climb and rewarding glorious Adriatic vistas.

But there are those moment of unexpected joy when you pause and marvel. So the Church, and the climb and the view could wait while I savored this unexpected treat.

I had to know more so I contacted the artist.

Ivan Midzic was born in 1976 in Osijek, Croatia. He graduated sculpture at the Academy of Fine Arts in Zagreb in 2002 and mastered arts at the Academy of Fine Arts and Design in Ljubljana, Slovenia in 2007. Besides exhibiting his contemporary concepts and sculptures at many solo and group exhibitions, since 2004 he has been designing jewelry. Incredible jewelry. We’ve since corresponded and I learned that his talents also include music and conceptual art.

I work with different materials and I deal with several themes: artist’s identity, ecology, society… I design jewelry, make contemporary sculptures, works of fine art as well as conceptual art. Therefore, it is difficult for me to unambiguously define the direction of my artistic practice, but I can definitely call it dynamic. – Ivan Midzic

Sculptor, artist, designer and part of my fond memories of Croatia.

His line of jewelry is called Midzo-Jewellry and you can find his designs on Instagram. Although his clientele are European and Balkan specialty shops, his work can be seen by clicking here at Midzo Art.