A SPLENDID FUTURE (August 12, 2007)

Ivan Hrvatin likes to tell a story about the onset of his appreciation of contemporary art. The one and apparently only time he “got” it was when someone slipped him a joint, but he still remembers it with relish. “Right then and there,” Ivan beams every time he tells the story at Klaudio’s, “everything started making sense to me.” And then his face breaks into a big grin, which quickly spreads around the crowded table: “The odd splotches of color suddenly became not only beautiful, but also quite meaningful!” Judging by the effect Ivan’s story has each and every time he tells it, he is definitely onto something. Contemporary art has a splendid future, after all.