izv. prof. dr. art. Darko Masnec

He was born in 1985. He graduated in 2009 from the Faculty of Education in Maribor, majoring in Fine Arts, and in 2012 he completed his MA studies in animated film at the Department of Animated Film and New Media at the Academy of Fine Arts. In 2017, he received his PhD with the thesis "Zagreb School of Animated Film - Artistic and Market Practices in the Context of Video Games" at the Academy of Fine Arts. He has received several national and international awards for his work in the field of animated film. More on www.darkomasnec.com

His work encompasses a range of animated films and video games that combine classic animation and gags with abstract, modernist aesthetics. He often focuses on play and movement as a way of expressing emotions, exploring different types of atmospheres and visual storytelling. In the same vein, his conceptual artwork often deals with the deconstruction of the material objects of play and how they represent the systems from which they emerge. He has also worked on several short animated film projects in various roles, as an animator, prop maker and in post-production. A key element of his research process is flexibility, which achieves openness to new concepts, ideas and media.

Theory, aesthetics and analysis of animated film in general and in the context of the Zagreb School of Animation combined with mentorship of animated films at the graduate level of animated film studies. At the same time, she teaches the theory and part of the practice of video games on the elective module. The main fields of lectures are animated film and video games, which are studied in the context of movement, art and communication with the audience.

2022 – Salute to the Sun, animated film 2022 – "Second hand connections", video installation 2020 – "Navigator B, video game 2019 – "Byl-ka", video game 2019 – "Sailing", video installation 2017 – "Makh", video game – I already know what I hear, animated film – "Stillstand: Persistent Control", video installation – "Elevator", video installation – "Circle", installation