Work by Fine Art Alum Exhibited in CNN s Online 9/11 Remembrance

University of Cincinnati alumnus and artist Zdenko Krtic has made use of his own personal history in creating art work and now that work is part of a CNN.com exhibit recalling 9/11.

Krtic, a native of Croatia (once part of Yugoslavia), recalls the violent break up of Yugoslavia in the early 1990s, and events then are still reflected in his work – including a photographic print that is part of CNN’s online “9/11: Ten Years Later Project,” which features work where artists reflect on the ripples and effects of 9/11.

As part of that exhibit, Krtic is showing a photo, coated in beeswax, that is titled “Sediments.” It’s part of his Recovery series. “The development of my Recovery series stems from my own experiences of a war-torn land, the tragic events of 9/11 and my life as an ex-pat in what is a self-imposed but real exile from my homeland.”

Krtic actually came to Cincinnati and earned his master’s of fine arts degree from UC’s College of Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning (DAAP) as something of an accident.

In the late 1980s, he was enrolled in an MFA program in Zagreb, Croatia. That academic program was suspended in the middle of the semester due to lack of funding.

And so, shortly thereafter, he was briefly visiting a Croatian friend then studying in UC’s College-Conservatory of Music. He recalls, “During that visit, I stopped by DAAP’s art studios out of curiosity to see what kind of work was being produced.” And then, he ended up pursuing a degree here, as did his wife, Magdalena Garmaz Krtic, who earned a master’s in architecture from DAAP. Both of them graduated in 1990.

He says, “I’m still in contact with DAAP, with my teacher then and now, dear friend and colleague

Frank Herrmann

(UC professor of fine art). I also remember with fondness the late Robert Knipschild, who at the time, was in charge of the MFA program.”

Today, Krtic is an associate professor of art at Auburn University.

His photograph, “Sediments,” can be found in

CNN’s online exhibit

. Look in the “symbolism” category for the image.