About Horseland

Carefully bringing together art and nature, Hrvoje Dumančić, a prominent Croatian sculptor born and based in Zagreb, created a series of works entitled Horseland.

Each peice renders the image of a horse, a key figure of Dumančić's world. An iconic creature that historically connects humans and nature, it is treated by Dumančić in a highly personal, even intimate way. A professional rider and a devoted horselover since his childhood, Dumančić is quite far from seeing horses as animalistic symbols of power and pride, but rather reveals what can be called an infinite soul of a horse, which is as sensitive and as fragile as a soul of a man. This personal philosophy lies behind each and every element of Horseland.  

Breaking away from the standards of postindustrial production of art and just with the conditions of the high-tech and fast-paced world, Dumančić creates Horseland in an authentic way, using only natural materials and following the forgotten traditions of classic, timeless masters. Each piece of Horseland is hand made in Dumančić's studio in Zagreb, as if the artist animates every sculpture not only by his own energy and emotions, but also by the energy of the place where he lives, works and, last but not least, takes care of his horse Etoile.

Why only horses? According to the artist, it's neither a special choice nor a safe limitation that he has set for himself. It's rather a free journey taken spontaneously and with an ultimate will, as if there has not been any choice at all. It's just like life itself, and the life of a horse as well - something that you follow and that follows you at the same time.

About The Artist

Hrvoje Dumančić (born in 1975, in Zagreb, Croatia) has been a passionate enthusiast of horses ever since his childhood, when he began to ride at the age of seven, and later continued riding as a competitor in show jumping. In 1992, he was vice-champion in the Junior Equestrian League of Croatia. He remains active in the equestrian sport even today, at a non-professional level. Parallel to his love for horses, his sensibility towards art was developing throughout his childhood. He graduated from The School of Applied Arts and Design, followed by The Academy of Fine Arts in Zagreb, with a major in sculpture. Ever since his student days, his inspiration has been found in horses, an undying fountain of ideas and the main motif in his work. He is currently finishing his doctoral thesis “Horse sculpture as a visual representation of a childhood memory”.

His birth as an artist and his full artistic affirmation happened in Saumur, France, where he received the first prize for his sculpture Aramis, at the international salon Artcheval.

His private and professional life is entirely devoted to horses. Hrvoje uses his art work to make equestrian art more popular. Both as an artist and an athlete, horses have always helped him find new ways and ideas to transfer his thoughts and views into a work of art.

Hrvoje often mentions that, both as an athlete and an artist, horses have always helped him find new ways and new ideas to transfer his thoughts and views into a work of art. Hrvoje also adds: “I have come to realize that, for me, the body of a horse represents a media which allows me to introduce so much more: my life, emotions and reactions, something not even I can put into words, but need to integrate into the material, consciously or subconsciously, and tell a story.”