Installation of 108 “Tears of Gratitude,” Gallery Alvona, Labin, Croatia, 2003
Tears of Gratitude
Whatever paths I have walked, there has always been a quiet knowing in my heart - a sense of protection, peace, and trust in my destiny. In times of difficulty, I leaned into this knowing more consciously. At other moments, touched by beauty or insight, I felt overwhelmed with gratitude and love.
Tears of Gratitude emerges from this state of thankfulness. The work consisted of 108 teardrops, echoing the number of beads on a meditation necklace. Each teardrop was an offering, holding gratitude for the miracle of life, for being human, for the gift of creation, for love received, for meaningful encounters, for the land of my birth and this beautiful earth, and for spiritual guidance along my path.
After the exhibition, the teardrops were given away as gifts to people who have touched my life. In this way, the installation dissolved into human connection, becoming a living gesture of gratitude carried forward by others..
Presence
The trilogy “Presence,” performances & interactive installation, Labin, Croatia, August 7, 2011.
In 2008, my father passed away. Within the span of a single year, two of my close friends, performer Nataša Stanić Mann and choreographer Žak Valenta, also lost their fathers. As we shared and processed our grief together, we felt a need to reflect these experiences creatively. This led to a collaborative trilogy titled Presence, consisting of two performances and one interactive installation. Each work was presented at a different location in Labin, Croatia, on August 7, 2011. By coincidence, the date marked the third anniversary of my father’s passing.
My contribution to the trilogy Presence was an interactive multimedia installation presented at the Labin Town Gallery. The installation invited viewers into a multi-sensory, contemplative experience, incorporating elements of earth, fire, water, space, and sound, alongside a video projection. For the video work, I invited 64 friends to contribute portraits of themselves together with a photograph of a beloved person they had lost and wished to honor.
Together, we co-created this art ritual as a collective memorial, an invocation of love that transcends the boundaries of time and space.
