Mirana Zuger and Anna Frlan installing Anna's piece
photo: Antun Kresic

Anna Frlan - Cultural Connections in Croatia
An artist's account of the experience of exhibiting abroad.

John Mlacak, Mirana Zuger and I are Ottawa-based artists whose cultural heritage is Croatian. We applied for an exhibition in Croatia through the Embassy of the Republic of Croatia, and were thrilled when we received news that our proposal, "Tracing Our Heritage," had been accepted. Our exhibition was scheduled to open on November 29, 2007 at Galerija Karas in the capital city of Zagreb, and was to be hosted by the Croatian Association of Artists.

Preparing for an international exhibition was a daunting task. I had dreams of exhibiting one of my large sculptures, but eventually realized that this was not feasible. Instead, I set to creating works that could be disassembled and packaged compactly. I started plasma-cutting sheet steel with patterns inspired by my drawings of vegetation native to Croatia. John selected paintings from works inspired by his plein-air excursions in the landscapes of Quebec and Ontario. Mirana was busy creating a series of large-scale abstract paintings during her four-month residency in Zagreb. The exhibition was starting to materialize.

I had to tackle fabricating a shipping crate. I purchased sheets of 3/4" plywood and was pleased with the sturdiness of the finished crate; however, there was one problem–it did not fit in my car! After using a huge roll of bubble wrap for packaging, I fastened the lid, and remembered to pack a Robertson screwdriver in my suitcase to open the crate in Croatia.

Next, John and I obtained Certificates of Canadian Origin from CARFAC, for the perusal of Canada Customs and GST exemption upon return to Canada. The service at CARFAC was extremely efficient, and my certificates were signed and stamped as I waited. John and I then delivered our crates to Air Canada Cargo with the assistance of my brother and his van. The shipping clerk was surprised by the size of my crate, but moved it onto the weighing scales with a hydraulic pallet. Phew! Our crates were actually on their way to Zagreb.

I arrived in Zagreb on November 27th, and was immediately overwhelmed by the splendour of this nearly thousand-year old city. I could easily imagine its beginnings as a medieval settlement of fortress gates and town squares. The gas street lamps located nearby the 13th century Stone Gate in the Upper Town were still lit by hand at night. During my first evening, I attended a vernissage of Eugen Feller's at Galerija Bacva, located in an extraordinary building designed by sculptor Ivan Mestrovic. Built in 1938, it was the first circular art gallery in the world, and is presently also the home of the Croatian Association of Artists, a 130-year-old organization. The domed roof of this building was created from hundreds of pieces of round glass, stunning in daylight.

Mirana and I spent the next day installing our works at Galerija Karas, located near the central square, Ban Jelacic. The Croatian Association of Artists was very professional, and provided us with the services of a curator and three technicians. They even retained a photographer to document our works for the catalogue, which was printed in one day! The vernissage started at 8 pm, and a television crew interviewed us for the Croatian national television station. I was very touched when presented with a rose by relatives whom I had not seen in over twenty years. Being a visiting artist in the country of my parents' origin was a privilege to me, and it was a moving experience.

I wanted to view contemporary art while in Zagreb, and saw paintings by Ivica Malcic at Galerija Miroslav Kraljevic. This artist had created 365 paintings in one year, and then invited three curators to select ten paintings for exhibition. Two television screens showed the artist placing paintings on an easel and the curators' ensuing discussion. I then viewed Slaven Tolj's exhibition at Galerija Nova, including an installation of photos of men from Dubrovnik killed in the war, complete with disco ball, a commentary on the commercialization of Dubrovnik.

I also visited my parents' home villages of Vuketici and Stojavnice in Vivodina, an area of rolling hillsides of grapes. Sharing delicious food and drink with family, speaking in Croatian, and hearing old stories made me feel connected with my father's spirit. I understood more deeply why he had always been homesick for Croatia. This trip has left an indelible imprint on me, and I intend on creating a significant series of works inspired by my experiences.