'Work in Progress' was inspired by artists personal situation, but also the general problem of contemporary artists, who make art in their free time, after they have finished with the jobs that secure their material existence.

The project was moreover triggered by the fact that in Croatia it is extremely hard to get financial support for research based projects; it's rarely possible to even cover the production costs, not to mention taking care of the author's existential problems while working on the project.

Unlike artists working in the field of performance art or music, visual artist in most cases do not get any fee for their work and their presentation. Budgets donated by the state are usually too small and the money usually comes late, so the process of producing a new work is always prolonged, which is additionally complicated by the obligation to realize the financed projects by the end of the same year. At the same time, the market for this kind of production is still undeveloped. For the reasons above, it is not unusual that, with time, even affirmed artists become frustrated and give up on making art.

Lara Badurina's research deals with this dichotomy: how big is the gap between labour (which secures the everyday existence) and work (art practice) on the local art scene, how much is it related to the existing art chain (art practice) and the dynamic of the (non-existent) market, is there a distinction between labour and work – or has the selection, presentation, distribution of the artist's work become just another job... In order to more easily distinguish between different aspects of the issues that interested me I talked to artists, curators, critics, gallerists, as well as representatives of the independent cultural scene.

Work in Progress is truly a work in progress: it's a launching of a long-term research for me and a beginning in dealing with a more extensive issue of exploring the way the art system functions. Information resulting from the research and differing perspectives of the participants I interviewed refer to practical problems which are reflected on the whole artistic process and, finally – on the very quality of artistic production