KONTEJNER | bureau of contemporary art praxis

What KONTEJNER | bureau of contemporary art praxis does

KONTEJNER | bureau of contemporary art praxis is a Zagreb-based non-governmental civil society organization (udruga) founded in 2002 and operating as a curatorial bureau for contemporary art with a focus on the intersection of art, technology, and the body. It serves contemporary art professionals and institutions—curators, artists, museums, festivals, and universities—alongside secondary-school audiences reached through its educational programming. Its portfolio comprises four structural product layers: (1) a triennial festival series (Extravagant Bodies, launched 2007, with editions on disability, mental health, old age, and criminality), (2) a recurring festival program (Device_art, launched in collaboration with MSU Zagreb, and the annual Gibanja experimental sound event), (3) academic and catalogue publications (notably two 2024 monographs by lead curators and the 2022 Arc-hive case-study volume), and (4) the Arc-hive open-source digital platform, developed in a six-partner European consortium for archiving and distributing bioart practices. The technical surface is light: the organization operates its own venue (Odranska 1/1, Zagreb) and runs an open-source platform (arc-hive.zone); it does not develop proprietary technology.

Revenue is assembled from five streams: institutional grants from Croatian public funders (Nacionalna zaklada za razvoj civilnoga društva, Ministry of Culture and Media, City of Zagreb, Zaklada Kultura nova), EU Creative Europe co-funding for consortium projects (Arc-hive, Re-Imagine Europe / New Perspectives for Action), ticketed event income (EUR 5 individual / EUR 40 festival pass for Gibanja), venue rental, and publication sales by inquiry. There is a parallel commercial entity, Izvan kontejnera d.o.o., at the same address handling business-side billing. Go-to-market is event-driven: programming is delivered through curated festivals, exhibitions, performances, publications, and co-productions, with marketing distributed across the organization's own website, Facebook, Instagram, X, LinkedIn, YouTube, Vimeo, and a monthly email newsletter. Customer concentration is structurally low given the multi-source grant stack and distributed transactional revenue, though the organization remains dependent on continued public and EU funding for the bulk of its operating budget.

Name

KONTEJNER | bureau of contemporary art praxis

Legal name

Izvan kontejnera d.o.o.

Website

https://kontejner.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2007

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

KONTEJNER is a Zagreb-based non-profit curatorial bureau producing contemporary and experimental art through festivals (Extravagant Bodies, Device_art, Gibanja), the open-source Arc-hive bioart platform, academic publications, and secondary-school education programs, serving artists, curators, and cultural institutions across Europe.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Contemporary Art Curation and Cultural Programming Services

NAICS

Museums (712110)

SIC

Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731), Services-Mailing, Reproduction, Commercial Art & Photography (7330)

akta.pro primary industry

Fine Arts, Design & Architecture (EDAGABAJ)

akta.pro secondary industry

Arts, Culture, Entertainment & Fan Conventions Organizers (THAHABAN)

Keywords

• Contemporary art curation
• Experimental art festivals
• Cultural publications
• Artistic education programs
• Bioart documentation

Headquarters

HQ city

Zagreb

HQ country

Croatia

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Institutional Support: KONTEJNER receives institutional funding from Croatian National Foundation for Civil Society Development (Nacionalna zaklada), Ministry of Culture and Media of Republic of Croatia, City of Zagreb, and Kultura Nova Foundation for stabilization and development.
2. European Union Funding: Co-funded by Creative Europe Programme of the European Union for international projects like Arc-hive and Re-Imagine Europe.
3. Venue Rental: KONTEJNER offers its venue space (Odranska 1/1, Zagreb) for rental through 'Rezerviraj prostor' (Book our venue) service.
4. Event Ticket Sales: Revenue from ticket sales for events and festivals - individual tickets at 5.00 EUR and full package at 40.00 EUR for Gibanja festival.
5. Publication Sales: Sale of publications including catalogs, readers, and books on contemporary art topics. Publications available by inquiry via email.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

KONTEJNER curates and produces contemporary art festivals, exhibitions, and research publications focused on experimental, bioart, and new-media practices. It also runs a secondary-school educational program (Mapiranje prostora) and operates Arc-hive, an open-source digital documentation platform for bioart and new-media art.

Product overview

KONTEJNER | biro suvremene umjetničke prakse is a Croatian cultural organization operating as a curatorial bureau for contemporary art. The organization functions as a platform-plus-program architecture centered on festival management (Ekstravagantna tijela triennial series, Device_art festival, Gibanja experimental sound events), digital platform development (Arc-hive open-source platform for bio-art archiving), academic publications (books, catalogues, readers on art theory and criticism), and educational programming (Mapiranje prostora for schools). Its portfolio includes both self-organized programs and collaborative projects with international partners, serving the contemporary art community through curation, production, publication, and education.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Extravagant Bodies Festival (Ekstravagantna tijela) Triennial festival of body, digital culture, and contemporary art produced in Zagreb with international partner museums, biennials, and universities; intended for general audiences, partner cultural institutions, and participating artists.
• Device_art Festival Festival dedicated to the use of new technologies in contemporary art; intended for artists, partner institutions, and general audiences.
• Gibanja Festival of experimental sound, music, and movement; intended for artists, partner venues, and general audiences.
• Arc-hive Digital Platform Open-source digital platform that documents and archives bioart and new-media art works; intended for artists, researchers, curators, and partner cultural institutions.
• Mapiranje prostora Educational program for Croatian secondary-school students that uses contemporary art and culture as the basis for teaching materials, artist-led workshops, and access to KONTEJNER's festival programming.
• Realities in Transition XR Camp XR (extended reality) camp delivered as part of KONTEJNER's programming; intended for artists, researchers, and partner cultural institutions working in immersive media.
• Research-driven publications and catalogues Series of research-driven books and catalogues accompanying KONTEJNER's festivals and exhibitions; intended for artists, researchers, curators, libraries, and general readers interested in contemporary art.

Quantifiable outcome

• 4 editions of Extravagant Bodies Festival (2007, 2010, 2013, 2016)
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Cultivamos Cultura (Lisbon, Portugal)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Lead organization in the Arc-hive project consortium. Cultivamos Cultura leads this EU Creative Europe funded initiative to create an open-source digital platform for documenting and archiving bioart practices across Europe. KONTEJNER serves as one of six partners developing this pan-European resource.
• Zavod Kersnikova (Ljubljana, Slovenia)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in Arc-hive project focused on digitization and documentation of bioart. Contributes to platform development and knowledge sharing within the European bioart network.
• Hangar.org (Barcelona, Spain)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in Arc-hive project. Barcelona-based visual arts center contributes expertise in digital archiving and artist residency programs to the consortium.
• SOLU / Bioart Society (Helsinki, Finland)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in Arc-hive project. Finnish bioart organization brings expertise in biological media and sustainable practices to the European network.
• RBINS / Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences (Brussels, Belgium)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in Arc-hive project. Contributes natural science collections, digitization expertise, and museum archiving methodology to the bioart documentation platform.
• Re-Imagine Europe networkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEuropean network for contemporary art. KONTEJNER participates through 'New Perspectives for Action' project contributing experimental sound programming and artist exchanges.
• NEXT festival (Slovakia)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSlovak contemporary music festival. Co-kustos collaboration with KONTEJNER on Gibanja program for cross-border festival programming.
• Elevate Festival (Graz, Austria)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAustrian festival focused on artistic interventions. Co-commissioned work by Andreas Trobollowitsch with KONTEJNER for New Perspectives for Action.
• Muzej suvremene umjetnosti (MSU) ZagrebcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMuseum of Contemporary Art Zagreb. Host venue and co-organizer for Device_art festival. Main institutional partner for large-scale contemporary art exhibitions.
• Pogon JedinstvocoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorZagreb Center for Independent Culture and Youth. Primary venue for Gibanja experimental sound festival and other performances.
• University of RijekaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partner providing 'Umjetnička baza' (Art Base) at the university. Supports academic engagement with contemporary art practices.
• Universalmuseum Joanneum - Institut für Kunst im öffentlichen Raum SteiermarkminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAustrian museum for contemporary art. Cooperation partner for Andreas Trobollowitsch commission within New Perspectives for Action.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Haus der Kulturen der Welt: Berlin institution for contemporary art and discourse with international exhibitions and events. Comparable in curatorial ambition and European contemporary art positioning, though at significantly larger scale.
• ZKM | Center for Art and Media Karlsruhe: Major German institution for art and media technology with permanent museum, exhibitions, and research programs. Comparable thematic focus on art-technology intersection at significantly larger scale and scope.

Direct peers

• Transmediale: Berlin-based annual festival and exhibition platform for contemporary media art. Closely comparable in curatorial approach, festival cadence, and focus on experimental digital/technological art practices.
• Laboral Centro de Arte: Gijón-based contemporary art center with exhibition programs at the intersection of art, technology, and industry. Comparable as a Spanish institution producing curated contemporary media art programming.
• Zavod Kersnikova: Ljubljana-based institute for contemporary art production and presentation. KONTEJNER's Arc-hive partner; comparable as a small Slovenian non-profit producing experimental art programming and exhibitions.
• MU Hybrid Art House: Eindhoven-based contemporary art space presenting exhibitions on technology, design, and society. Directly comparable as a mid-sized European venue producing curated contemporary/new media art programming.
• Ars Electronica: Linz-based organization curating art, technology, and society festivals and exhibitions. Comparable to KONTEJNER as a European institution blending contemporary art curation with technology-focused programming and festivals.
• Cultivamos Cultura: Portuguese cultural association focused on arts, science, and technology. Lead partner of KONTEJNER's Arc-hive consortium; comparable as a Southern European experimental art non-profit.
• Hangar.org: Barcelona visual arts center supporting artist residencies and contemporary art production. KONTEJNER's Arc-hive consortium partner, directly comparable in scale and artistic mission.
• Bioart Society (SOLU): Helsinki-based association promoting bioart and biological arts practices. KONTEJNER's Arc-hive partner; directly comparable as a European specialist in bioart curation and documentation.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/kontejnerorg
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCF4zWGDP_DvPnybpZTsgkWg
• Facebookfacebook.com/kontejner.bureau
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/kontejner-bureau-of-contemporary-art-praxis
• Instagraminstagram.com/kontejner_org

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about KONTEJNER | bureau of contemporary art praxis