An iron used for a wedding suit, a rear-view mirror broken in a jealous fit and a lower leg prosthesis — at first it’s hard to find any link between the items on display at a new museum in Croatia.
But every exhibit in the Museum of Broken Relationships has one thing in common — it tells the story of a lost love.
These material remnants of failed romances down the years are sometimes mundane, sometimes bizarre, sometimes funny, sad or even kinky.
The prosthesis is laid out on a white pillar, tastefully lit. It belonged to a Croat war invalid who had an affair with a social worker.
“The prosthesis lasted longer than our love. It was made of sturdier material,” says the caption.
Others exhibits include a tool used to axe an ex-girlfriend’s furniture, a red wig from New York and garterbelts from Sarajevo.
“I never put them on. The relationship might have lasted longer if I did,” laments the donor.
The idea for the museum came five years ago when artists Olinka Vistica and Drazen Grubisic, who broke up after four years together, discussed how to preserve the heritage of a broken emotional relationship.
“Inspired by our own situation we discussed the idea that everything that was nice once and has changed should not be destroyed but rather preserved in a certain way,” Vistica said.
“So in 2006 we launched the project, calling it the Museum of Broken Relationships, in which people could kind of store their feelings. The concept is that people have a sort of cathartic experience, getting rid of the burden of a failed relationship by donating items from their personal stories.”
Although some may baulk at revealing such personal details, Grubisic believes the main motive of donors, who remain anonymous, is to symbolically close a chapter in their life.
The newly-opened exhibition in Zagreb has provoked lively interest in both Croatia and abroad.
Over the past four years, it has toured around 20 locations in Europe, North America, Asia and Africa.
Exhibits are displayed in rooms with themes such as “Rage and Fury” and “Whims of Desire.”
Each is accompanied with a caption giving the length of the relationship, place of origin and donor’s explanation.
