'What, How & for Whom' (WHW) is a non-profit organization for visual culture and curators' collective formed in 1999 and based in Zagreb, Croatia. Its members are curators Ivet Ćurlin, Ana Dević, Nataša Ilić and Sabina Sabolović. Since May 2003 WHW has been directing the program of Gallery Nova - non-profit, city owned gallery in Zagreb.

What, how and for whom are the three basic questions of every economic organization that also concern the planning, concept and realization of exhibitions, as well as the production and distribution of artworks or artists' position at the labor market. These questions, which were the title of WHW's first project dedicated to the 150th anniversary of the Communist Manifesto, in 2000 in Zagreb, became the motto of WHW's work and the title of the collective. Instrumentality of social capital in constituting the social post-socialist reality turned out to be a matrix for the development of WHW's projects and their internal and external operations.

All WHW projects have been conceived as a platform for discussing relevant social issues through art, theory and media, as well as a model of collaboration and exchange of know-how between cultural organizations of different backgrounds. Besides exhibitions, WHW projects encompass lectures and public discussions conducted by international artists, curators and cultural theoreticians, publications and a book edition on contemporary cultural practice and cultural theory, radio broadcasts and interventions, screenings and live acts.

Exhibitions (selection)

2007

1. 'All Dressed-up With Nowhere to Go' (Danica Dakić, Sanja Iveković, David Maljković, Roman Ondak, Katerina Šeda), TranzitDisplay Gallery, Prag
2. 'Ground Lost' (Ben Cain, Jeremiah Day, Ivan Grubanov, Tina Gverović, Vlatka Horvat, Runo Lagomarsino, David Maljković, Nasan Tur), Forum Stadtpark, Graz, and Gallery Nova, Zagreb
3. Temporary Services Motherfuckers, Gallery Nova, Zagreb
4. Vojin Bakić, Gallery Nova, Zagreb
5. Slaven Tolj: 'Patriot', Gallery Nova, Zagreb
6. 'Contemporary American Art', in collaboration with Museum of American Art-Belgrade (MoAA)

2006

1. Mladen Stilinović, 'WUFF-WUFF', Gallery Nova, Zagreb
2. 'Normalization, dedicated to Nikola Tesla', Gallery Nova, Zagreb
3. 'Here and Now Real, Not Yet Concrete' (Johanna Billing, Ben Cain & Tina Gverović, Vlatka Horvat), Mala Galerija, Ljubljana
4. David Maljković, 'These days', Gallery Nova, Zagreb
5. 'Final exhibition', in collaboration with Zagreb Cultural Kapital of Europe 3000, Gallery Nova, Zagreb
6. Milan Trenc, Gallery Nova, Zagreb,
7. Andreja Kulunčić, 'A place under the sun', Gallery Nova, Zagreb

2005

1. 'To Be Put up for a Public Debate', Operation: City, Badel Factory, Zagreb
2. Graciela Carnevale: 'Tucumán Arde Archive', Gallery Nova, Zagreb
3. Vlatka Horvat: 'Wrong Way', listopad 2005.
4. 'Collective Action' (Etcetera..., Grupo de Arte Callejero, Revolution Will Not Be Televised, ŠKART, What Is to Be Done), Gallery Nova, Zagreb
5. 'Collective Creativity', (3nos3, AA Bronson, Allegoric Postcard Union, Pawel Althamer in collaboration with Arthur Zmijewsky, Art & Language, B+B, Bankmalbekrau, Joseph Beuys, Bijari, Bokhorov/Gutov/Osmolovsky, Collective Actions, Contra file, Escape program, Etcetera..., flyingcity, Freud's Dreams Museum, General Idea, Gilbert & George, Gorgona, Group of 6 Artists, Grupo de Arte Callejero, Gruppo parole e immagini, Guerilla Art Action Group, Dmitry Gutov, John Hendricks, IRWIN, kleines postfordistiches drama, MAJ 75, Moscow Portraits, Neue Slowenische Kunst, Oda Projesi, OHO, Pages, Radek Community, The Revolution will not be televised, Mladen Stilinović, ŠKART, Superflex, Taller Popular de Serigrafia, Temporary Services & Angelo, Tucuman Arde Archive, Urucum, Zagreb Cultural Kapital 3000, What is to be done), Kunsthalle Fridericianum, Kassel
6. Vlatko Gilić: 'In Continuo', Gallery Nova, Zagreb
7. Toni Meštrović: 'Psychotic', Gallery Nova, Zagreb
8. Platforma 9,81 & BLOK: 'Temporary Office of Invisible Zagreb', Gallery Nova, Zagreb

2004

1. Goran Trbuljak: 'Tr. Goran will show many things 1973-2004', Gallery Nova, Zagreb
2. 'Side-effects' (egoboo.bits, Felix Gmelin, Igor Grubić, Sharon Hayes, Vlatka Horvat, Kristijan Kožul, Andreja Kulunčić, Aydan Murtezaoglu, Serkan Ozkaya, Kirsten Pieroth, Bulent Sangar, Marko Tadić, VERSION), Salon of the Museum of Contemporary Art, Belgrade
3. 'I need a radical change', contemporary art from Kosovo, Gallery Nova, Zagreb
4. 'Normalization' (Johanna Billing, Phill Collins, Goran Dević, Gruppo Parole e Imaginni, David Maljković, Dan Perjovschi, Platforma 9,81, Marjetica Potrč, Jasmila Žbanić), Gallery Nova, Zagreb
5. 'START', Galerija Karas, Zagreb
6. 'On Nature and Society', Exit Gallery, Peja, Kosovo
7. Vedran Perkov: 'Circus', Gallery Nova, Zagreb, 2004

2003

1. 'Looking Awry' (Maja Bajević, Igor Grubić, Aydan Murtezaoglu, Adrian Paci), apexart, New York
2. 'Repetition: Pride and Prejudice' (Sharon Hayes, Pierre Huyghe, Sanja Iveković, Aydan Murtezaoglu, Anri Sala, Andreas Siekmann), Gallery Nova, Zagreb
3. 'START', Mestna Galerija Ljubljana, Slovenia
4. Tadej Pogačar & P.A.R.A.S.I.T.E. Museum, Anja Planišček: 'CODE:RED Sektor Zagreb', Gallery Nova, Zagreb
5. Marko Tadić: 'Household', Gallery Nova, Zagreb
6. 'Inventura' (Mladen Stilinović, Sanja Iveković, Vlado Martek, Željko Jerman, Goran Trbuljak), Gallery Nova, Zagreb

2002

1. 'Project: Broadcasting, dedicated to Nikola Tesla' (Marina Abramović, Robert Adrian X & Norbert Math, Jože Barši & Apolonija Šušteršić, Marianne Bramsen, Braco Dimitrijević, Tomislav Gotovac, Aleksandar Battista Ilić, Sanja Iveković, Ivana Keser, Yuri Leiderman, Deimantas Narkevičius, Dalibor Martinis, Marko Peljhan, Tomo Savić Gecan, Scanner, Mladen Stilinović, Superflex), Technical museum, Zagreb

2001

1. 'What, How & for Whom, on the occasion of the 153rd anniversary of the Communist Manifesto', Kunsthalle Exnergasse, Vienna, Austria

2000

1. 'What, How & for Whom, on the occasion of the 152nd anniversary of the Communist Manifesto' (Cristian Alexa, Damir Babić, Richard Barbrook, Jože Barši and Maja Licul, Eldina Begić, Emese Benczur, Bertold Brecht, Boris Buden, Geoff Cox, Marijan Crtalić, Atilla Csorgo, Boris Cvjetanović, Sandro Đukić, Charles Esche, Darko Fritz, Jean-Baptiste Ganne, Tomislav Gotovac, Igor Grubić, Brian Holmes, Aleksandar Battista Ilić, IRWIN, Sanja Iveković, Frederic Jameson, Žiga Kariž, Ivana Keser, Krištof Kintera, Ivan Marušić Kliff, Marek Kohn, Rassim, DEjan Kršić, Igor Kuduz, Andreja Kulunčić, Kurt and Plasto, Matthieu Laurette, Yuri Laiderman, Kristina Leko, Zbigniew Libera, Vlado Martke, Kobe Matthys, Eben Moglen, Ivo Moudov, Edi Muka, Ola Pehrson, Marko Peljhan, Tadej Pogačar, Renata Poljak, p.RT, Oliver Ressler & David Thorne, Renata Salecl, Tomo Savić Gecan, Mladen Stilinović, Branimir Stojanović, Anela Šabić, Nebojša Šerić Šoba, Slaven Tolj, Milica Tomić, Igor Toševski, Goran Trbuljak, Vasily Tsagolov, Slavoj Žižek), Association of Croatian Artists, Zagreb

Books & publications

WHW published several books in collaboration with designer and publicist Dejan Kršić "Against Indifference" selected essays by Renata Salecl, "Hieroglyphs of the Future" selected essays by Brian Holmes, "Zagreb, 16/6/01" book of interviews by Hans Ulrich Obrist with Croatian artists, reader for the "What, How and for Whom" exhibition with essays by Slavoj Žižek, Richard Barbrook, Boris Buden, Fredric Jameson, Charles Esche..., and "Dataesthetics", reader edited by Stephen Wright, with essays by Nataša Petrešin, Naeem Mohaimen, Gregory Sholette etc. WHW edited Collective Creativity, catalogue of the exhibition, published by Kunsthalle Fridericianum and Revolver. WHW regularly publishes Gallery Nova Newspapers.

Conferences, workshops, screenings, seminars, lectures (selection)

1. "Can art change politics, does politics determine art?", Van Abbemuseum, Eindohoven, 2007
2. "The Post-Yugoslav Condition of Institutional Critique" organized by eipcp, Centre for Cultural Decontamination, Belgrade, 2007
3. "Independent Initiatives", within the framework of 10th İstanbul Biennial, "Not Only Possible, But Also Necessary: Optimism in the Age of Global War", Santralistanbul, İstanbul, 2007
4. CIMAM's 2007 Annual Conference "Museums and Universal Heritage: Contemporary Institutions as Producers in Late Capitalism", Generali Foundation, Vienna, 2007
5. "Is it possible to be a great (and) Eastern European artist?", apexart, New York, 2007
6. 'On Normalization' video screening, 16 Beaver, New York, 2007
7. "Do you know these artists: Bakić, Picelj, Srnec?", Le Plateau, Paris, 2007
8. "What, How & for Whom", San Francisco Art Institute, San Francisco, 2007
9. 'On Normalization' video screening, Los Angeles Contemporary Exhibitions, Los Angeles, 2007
10. ARCO'07, 5th International Contemporary Art Experts Forum, What is to be done?, ", ARCO, Madrid, 2007
11. Maquinas, seminar at Museum of Contemporary Art Barcelona, 2007
12. "Normalization and its Discontents", IUAV University Venice, 2007
13. "OMITTED HISTORY", Political Practices in (post-) Yugoslav Art, kuda.org, 2006
14. "Art, Life & Curating", 47th October Salon, Belgrade, 2006
15. "Exhibiting normalization", three-day seminar organized by tranzit.hu, Budapest, 2006
16. "What does art do in public space', National Academy of the Arts (KhiO), Oslo, 2006
17. "Collaborative praxis", Basekamp, Philadelphia, 2006
18. "Normalization", Rooseum, Malmoe, 2006
19. "Collective Curating", Gallery Rum 46, Aarhus, 2006
20. "On Collaboration", Trafo Gallery, Budapest, 2006
21. "What, How & for Whom", Gallery Display, Prague, 2006
22. "ARCO'06", 'Between Forgetting and Getting / New (im)possiblities in Eastern Europe", ARCO, Madrid, 2006
23. "Magical world", Gallery Marabou, Stockholm, 2006
24. "Rethinking relationality", MACBA, Barcelona, Spain, 2006
25. "Normalization and its discontents", Homeworks - 3rd Forum for Arabic Culture, Beirut, Lebanon, 2005  
26. "What, How and for Whom", Mess Hall, Chicago, 2005
27. "What, How and for Whom", Insea Art Space, Seul, 2005
28. "What, How & for Whom Exhibition Strategies", Goldsmiths – University of London, MFA Programme in Curating, London, 2005
29. "What, How & for Whom Exhibition Strategies", Royal College of Art, London, Curating Contemporary Art Programme, 2005
30. "Normalization", Austrian Cultural Forum, London, 2005
31. "Collective Creativity", Museum of Modern Art, Ljubljana, 2005
32. "To Be Put Up for a Public Debate", Taking Matter Into Common Hands Seminar, IASPIS, Stockholm, 2005
33. "Collective Creativity", Projektraum Deutscher Künstlerbund, Berlin, August 2005
34.  "What, How & for Whom", Rijksakademie van beeldende kunsten, Amsterdam, 2004
35. "Middle South East – events", Rotor, Graz, 2004.
36. "What, How & for Whom", Artists' Association, Sao Paolo, 2004.
37. "What, How and for Whom", Mestna galerija, Nova Gorica, 2003.
38. "Looking Awry", apexart, New York, 2003.
39. "What, How and for Whom", Galerija ŠKUC, Ljubljana, 2002.
40. "Middle South East – events", ŠKUC Gallery, Ljubljana, 2000.

Texts by WHW (selection)

"To be put up in a public debate", Taking the matter into common hands, On Contemporary Art a Collaborative Practices, Black dog publishing, 2007

"What, How and for Whom: 'Interiors of the Planit'", exhibition catalogue IRWIN, Culturgest, Lisbon, 2007

"Magical World, These Days", in "Potentialities Beyond Political Sadness", What Is to Be Done? Newspapers #16, St. Petersburg, 2007

"We are all autodidacts", exhibition catalogue 10th International İstanbul Biennial "Not Only Possible, But Also Necessary: Optimism in the Age of Global War", İstanbul, 2007

"ARTISTS' BOOKS IN (what was formerly known as) EASTERN EUROPE", Printed Matter, New York, 2006, http://printedmatter.org/researchroom/essays/whw.cfm

"A Place Under the Sun", "A Place Under the Sun", exhibition catalogue, Gallery Nova, Zagreb, 2006

 "Mladen Stilinović: 30=0", exhibition catalogue, Gallery Nova, Zagreb, 2006

The Game of Naming Each Other, BankMalbekRau, Kopenhagen, 2005

"Here, Tomorrow", Parachute 109, Jan/Feb/Mar 2003

"Aperto Zagreb" Flash Art International, October 2002