Zagreb is a city rich in museums and galleries. When I visited the city in mid, I was drawn to the latter, wondering if it related in some way to the perennial tragedy of Balkan politics. Far from it. The content of the museum is intensely personal and, at the same time, universal in reach. Others contributed their own objects, and the stories that went with them, sufficient to put together an exhibition in a shipping container at the Zagreb Salon art show.
In the collection acquired a permanent home on the ground floor of a baroque former mansion in Zagreb, comprising several rooms with walls, ceilings and plinths painted white, so that nothing detracts from the objects and stories.
Those on display comprise a small percentage of the overall collection, and have evidently been selected for their visual and thematic diversity, and to represent the range of donors, including gender, age, sexuality and country of origin.
The game is up. Contributors remain anonymous; their words are translated, where necessary, into English and Croatian, but left unedited, except to exclude offensive or discriminatory material. Some donors tell poignant, often painful stories of separation, rejection and unrequited love.
Some are bitter and resentful, even after the passage of many years. But the prevailing tone is philosophical, perhaps sardonic. There is a lot of wry humour here, in the choice of objects, the stories, and the way they are expressed. The curators frankly speculate in an opening panel on why so many people are ready to donate their objects and expose their personal stories to public view: sheer exhibitionism or therapeutic relief?
