top of page
L
I
N
A
F
R
A
N
K
O
Lina Franko is a Croatian artist and curator based in Düsseldorf, working at the intersection of painting, architecture and spatial practice.
Her work engages with the structural conditions of space. Line, colour and form are treated as operative systems that interact with architectural frameworks, circulation and perception. In her site-specific works, painting expands beyond the image plane and becomes a spatial dispositif that reorganises orientation, movement and visual hierarchies.
A central focus of her practice lies in the investigation of temporal and spatial continuities. Franko approaches space as a layered and dynamic field in which historical, political and perceptual dimensions intersect. Her work proposes structures that unfold through the viewer’s movement and resist fixed viewpoints.
Franko studied painting at the Academy of Fine Arts in Zagreb and at the Kunstakademie Düsseldorf, where she studied with Rissa and Albert Oehlen and completed her Meisterschüler degree in 2004. She was nominated for the Förderpreis für junge Kunst in Düsseldorf in 2007 and 2011.
Her work has been presented in numerous museums and institutions in Croatia and internationally, including the Beijing International Art Biennale, the Triennial of Croatian Sculpture in Zagreb, Museum Lazareti in Dubrovnik, IKOB – Museum of Contemporary Art in Eupen, and institutions in Düsseldorf, Hamburg, Zagreb and Rijeka. Recent exhibitions include participation in DIE GROSSE 2023 at Museum Kunstpalast Düsseldorf, as well as presentations at the National Museum of Modern Art (NMM) in Zagreb, the Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art (MMSU) in Rijeka, Weltkunstzimmer Düsseldorf, Kunstverein Malkasten, and Kunstverein RIZOM [ K ] at Frankopan Castle in Kraljevica.
In 2018 she founded the art association RIZOM [ K ] in Kraljevica. Together with the Düsseldorf-based association RHIZOM [ D ] and Andi Slawinski, she has led the long-term European project 3RD-SPC./RP since 2019. This transdisciplinary platform brings together exhibitions, performance, film, music and literature, as well as residency programmes, and constitutes a central framework of her artistic and curatorial practice.
Lina Franko lives and works as an independent artist in Düsseldorf, Zagreb and Rijeka.
Fundings & Grants | curator & artist
2026 KOOP-Funding from the Ministry of Culture and Science from the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany
2026 Funding for Allgemeine Vorhaben/Visual Arts from the Kunststiftung NRW, Germany
2026 Project Funding from the Cultural Office from the City of Kraljevica, Croatia
2025 Funding of international projects from the Ministry of Culture and Media of the Republic of Croatia
2025 Export-funding from the Ministry of Culture and Science of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany
2025 Project Funding from the Cultural Office from the City of Kraljevica, Croatia
2024 KOOP-Funding from the Ministry of Culture and Science from the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany
2024 Funding for Allgemeine Vorhaben/Visual Arts from the Kunststiftung NRW, Germany
2024 Funding of international projects from the Ministry of Culture and Media of the Republic of Croatia
2024 Project Funding from the Cultural Office from the City of Rijeka, Croatia
2024 Project Funding from the Cultural Office from the City of Kraljevica, Croatia
2024 Project Funding from the Cultural Office from the City of Kraljevica, Croatia
2023 Funding for Allgemeine Vorhaben/Visual Arts from the Kunststiftung NRW, Germany
2023 KOOP-Funding from the Ministry of Culture and Science from the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany
2023 Funding of international projects from the Ministry of Culture and Media of the Republic of Croatia
2023 Project Funding from the Cultural Office from the City of Kraljevica, Croatia
2022 NEUSTART KULTUR-Grant from Stiftung Kunstfonds, Germany
2022 KOOP-Funding from the Ministry of Culture and Science of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany
2022 Funding of international projects from the Ministry of Culture and Media of the Republic of Croatia
2022 Project funding from the Cultural Office from the City of Kraljevica, Croatia
2022 Project funding from the Foundation „Kultura Nova“, Croatia
2021 Grant from the Ministry of Culture and Science of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany
2021 Export-funding from the Ministry of Culture and Science of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany
2020 Grant from the Ministry of Culture and Science of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany
2020 Project funding from the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany in Croatia
2020 KOOP-Funding from the Ministry of Culture and Science from the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany
2020 Project funding from the Cultural Office of the City of Kraljevica, Croatia
2019 Grant for an Exhibition in NMMU from the Ministry of Culture and Media of the Republic of Croatia
Exhibitions / Selection
2026
3RD-SPC./RP – no. 6 | Još ne. – In Absence of a Map, Kunsthaus NRW, Kornelimünster (G)
2026
3RD-SPC./RP – no. 6 | Još ne. – In Absence of a Map, Frankopan Castle, Kraljevica (G)
2026
CHIMERA, RAW LEMMON Gallery Leipzig (G)
2026
CHIMERA, Haydens Gallery, Melbourne (G)
2025
3RD-SPC./RP – Δ. A Tipping Point, Frankopan Castle, Kraljevica (G), (C)
2025
3RD-SPC./RP - no.5 „Tišina vjetra – The Poetry of Multilingualism“, Weltkunstzimmer, Düsseldorf (with Andi Slawinski) (G)
2024
3RD-SPC./RP - no.5 „Tišina vjetra – The Poetry of Multilingualism“, MMSU - Museum for Contemporary and Modern Art, Rijeka (with Andi Slawinski) (G)
2024
3RD-SPC./RP - no.5 „Tišina vjetra – The Poetry of Multilingualism“, Kunstverein RIZOM [ K ], Frankopan Castle, Kraljevica (with Andi Slawinski) (G)
2023
3RD-SPC./RP – NO. 4, „Time Dilitation and EU/ropa – a Matter of Perspective?“, Areal Breuer Höfe, Wuppertal (with Andi Slawinski) (G)
2023
3RD-SPC./RP – NO. 4, „Time Dilitation and EU/ropa – a Matter of Perspective?“, Art Association RIZOM [ K ], Frankopan Castle, Kraljevica (with Andi Slawinski) (G), (C)
2023
DIE GROßE 2023, Die Grosse Kunstausstellung NRW, NRW Forum, Kunstpalast, Düsseldorf (with Andi Slawinski) (G)
2022
Das kleine Format, Malkasten, Düsseldorf (G)
2022
Jump into another World – Sequence of Transition, Kaiserstrand, Kraljevica (S)
2022
3rd-SPACE.EU/rope - p r o j e c t n o . 3, "Parallelaktion [ D ]", Art and Exhibition Space - THE POOL , Düsseldorf (with Andi Slawinski) (G)
2022
"Parallelaktion [ K ]", Filodrammatica Gallery, Rijeka (with Andi Slawinski) (G)
2022
3rd-SPACE.EU/rope p r o j e c t n o. 3 "l.D.entität und EU/ropa – wer ist das ICH das spricht", Art Association RIZOM [ K ], Frankopan Castle, Kraljevica (with Andi Slawinski) (G), (C)
2021
"EU/rope", Project Space "WANDt", Düsseldorf (G)
2021
"EUROPA - Consonance as an answer to a dissonant world", Projektraum "das odradek", Düsseldorf (with Andi Slawinski) (S)
2021
3rd-SPACE.EU/rope p r o j e c t n o. 2 "E U/ rope - Consonance in Response to a Dissonant World", RIZOM [ K ] Art Association, Frankopan Castle, Kraljevica (G)
2020
"Europe", Malkasten Artists' Association, Düsseldorf (with Susanne Ristow and Andi Slawinski) (G)
2020
3rd-SPACE.EU/rope p r o j e c t n o. 1 "An opening without events - A European artifice in corona times", National Museum of Modern Art, Zagreb (with Andi Slawinski) (G), (C)
2019
"Rhizome", RIZOM [ K ] Art Association, Frankopan Castle, Kraljevica (S)
2019
"Synthesis", Studio Jägerhof Castle, Düsseldorf (with Bahar Batvand) (G)
2019
"House Ethiopia", PARKHAUS, Düsseldorf (G)
2018
"Halftone", Greta Gallery, Zagreb, Croatia (S)
2018
"House Ethiopia", PARKHAUS, Düsseldorf (G)
2016
„Abstract", Dubrovnik Contemporary, Dubrovnik, Croatia (S)
2016
"Erinnyen" Studio Let 777, Dubrovnik, Croatia (S)
2015
"Mental War", Bomb Gallery, Berlin in Otok Gallery, Museum Art radionica Lazareti, Dubrovnik (G)
2013
"The Quarantine", Gallery Otok, Museum Art radionica Lazareti, Dubrovnik (S)
2012
"The Sleeper", Xl Triennial of Croatian Sculpture, Glyptotheque of the Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts, Zagreb (G), (C)
2011
"Dialogue", Glyptotheque of the Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts, Zagreb, Croatia (with Izvor Pende) (C)
2010
"Joachim Blank, Franko Zeitz", dok 25a, Düsseldorf (G)
2009
"Relief, Painting", Gallery Hengevoss-Dürkop, Hamburg (with Izvor Pende) (S)
2008
"MC Birdy", Hengevoss-Dürkop Gallery, Hamburg (S) 2008 "Rochade", Biennale of International Art, Beijing (C)
2007
"Artists", B.O.P. Gallery, Zagreb, Croatia (C)
2007
"Rochade", B.O.P. Gallery, Zagreb, Croatia (S), (C)
2006
"Interim", Hengevoss-Dürkop Gallery, Hamburg (G)
2006
"The Mini Bar goes Datscha", Minibar, Düsseldorf (G)
2005
"Neue Bilder aus Düsseldorfer Ateliers", Museum for Contemporary Art, Eupen (G)
2005
"Neue Positionen in der figurativen Malerei", Gallery Acht P, Pravatto, Bonn (G)
2005
"Gang-Bang", T40 Gallery, Düsseldorf (S)
2004
Ruwitt and Weiss Gallery, Düsseldorf (G)
2004
"Junge Figurative Malerei", Kultur Bahnhof Eller (G)
2004
"Nero", Theatermuseum Düsseldorf (sculptures for the play "Nero lässt grüßen", directed by Philipp Zeitz)
2004
"Szenenwechsel", Dorotheum, Düsseldorf (S)
2004
"public.private.intimate.", Kunstraum plan b, Hamburg (G)
2003
"Show of the Master Classes", Hengevoss Dürkop Gallery, Hamburg (C)
2003
"40 Daughters", University of Bonn Glyptothek, installation (G), (C)
1999
"Miss Lolly", The Seventh Triennial of Croatian Sculpture, Zagreb (G), (C)
(S) solo exhibition, (G) group exhibition, (C) catalogue
bottom of page