Walls of Identity, 2013, etchings (234 x 371 cm, 39 x 53 cm – dim. each paper), zinc plates (4 x 3 x 0,5 m – dim. installation / 30 x 40 cm – dim. each zinc plate)
Preservation of customs and bonds and their literal transfer to other generations has inspired me to create the work entitled Walls of identity. It comprises graphic prints placed alongside each other to suggest the idea of walls in bedrooms of bourgeois houses from the beginning of the 20th century. Although the work presents two walls from different backgrounds, Croatian and German, their rationale and attitude are identical, or at least they seem to be. By using etching technique and the grid of 42 graphic prints arranged on each wall, where white margin is aligned with the margin of the next paper, I tried to point out that history shouldn’t be considered from one separate point of view only. Both sides always contribute to the melting pot. The ideas of overlapping, compression and reproduction have been further emphasized by galvanized matrices used in the etchings. Both sides of each plate portray the epoch that is being scrutinized and researched but from different angles.
The work was created while I was staying at Akademie Schloss Solitude in Stuttgart as artist-in-residence. I attempted to compare the design aesthetics of houses in Ilok and those around Ulm. Both towns lie on the river Danube. An interesting fact relating to culture and tradition of walls and interior design, which the Germans brought to Srijem during their eastward migrations, reveals the resulting synergy of customs and culture of living, which is what the work aims to emphasize.
I transferred my observations on the handover of cultural heritage and customs, social, political and historical circumstances that have an impact on all classes in Croatia, onto the ceramic bowls. Employing the silk-screen printing technique, I keep account of current data from the media as well as from my own life experiences. Just like the Greeks and the Romans recorded their everyday events or some important battles on bowls, I wish, on my bowls, to address the daily issues and also illustrate who depends on whom.
