Mrgari – Baška’s stone flowers

organizers: Maritime and History Museum of the Croatian Littoral Rijeka, Sinjali Association, Tourism Board of the Baška Municipality in cooperation with the Archaeological Museum in Zagreb
photographer: Sanjin Ilić
opening: Museum’s Atrium, 18 May 2023 at 12 p.m.
the exhibition will remain open until 20 July 2023

After successful guest appearances in Zagreb, Budapest and Split, at the initiative and with the support of the Archaeological Museum in Zagreb, the exhibition “Mrgari – Baška’s Stone Flowers” will now be held in Rijeka.
Mrgari are the loveliest example of the wall construction technique of stacking stones without any kind of binding material. These multi-pen sheep folds with a layout resembling giant stone flowers dominate the karst landscape on the plateaus above the Baška Valley. They are constantly exposed to harsh winds, the sun and sea salt, but their timeless beauty inspires awe, as well as care for their protection and preservation.

So this exhibition is a continuation of efforts tied to the preservation of these exceptionally rare stacked stone structures. The exhibition will be enhanced with new photographs of mrgari, as well as photographs from the Ljubimer mrgari restoration workshops.

A video about the mrgari will also be presented, as well as a compilation of video recordings from past workshops and archival video footage of sheep penning. Ethnographic artefacts from the Baška Valley will also be exhibited.

About the artist
Sanjin Ilić was born in Rijeka in 1967. He has family roots in Jurandvor, next to Baška, so he carries in his genes a connection to the dominant landscape above the Baška Valley. He passionately and tirelessly recorded all of its moods through the lens of his camera. For roughly twenty years he has attempted to convey his fascination with the austere beauty of the Baška plateau. The photographer’s eye not only records the objective reality of stone forms, but also deliberately compiles poetic pictures of the relief created by the interplay of light and shadow, stone and the sea.

 

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