Sports Forecasting 1971

Mladen Stilinovic created this mixed media piece titled "Sports Forecasting" using found objects and collage techniques. The work includes a Cuban flag and an image of Fidel Castro, alongside what appears to be a betting slip and a playing card. These elements are layered over what seems to be a stylized French flag, creating a multi-layered commentary on ideology, chance, and national identity. Made in Yugoslavia, a socialist state, the artwork subtly critiques the relationship between sports, politics, and chance under such a regime. To better understand Stilinovic's practice, we can look into the history of Eastern European conceptual art and its engagement with political systems, using archives, interviews, and critical texts that explore the social conditions shaping artistic production during the Cold War era. Art like this reminds us that its meaning always depends on historical and institutional contexts.