Heart image for MoBR Kilkenny poster. Alé Mercado 2009
Museum of Broken Relationships, comes to Kilkenny as part of its world tour 2009
A prosthetic leg, a teddy bear, a mobile phone and a pair of fluffy handcuffs, these are just some of the items that make up a most unusual exhibition which will come to Kilkenny during July and August. It will be unusual because the art on display will not be in painting or sculpture. Instead, at the Museum of Broken Relationships, the exhibits are made up of the fragments of shattered love stories, each one donated anonymously by one of romance’s millions of casualties.
The Museum of Broken Relationships was founded by Olinka Vištica and Drazen Grubišić in Croatia following the break-up of their relationship. In addition to dealing with their own loss, the artists had long been consoling their friends over their failed loves and, as a form of therapy or catharsis; they decided to establish this unique foundation, where the untold stories of doomed relationships could find an audience. And most visitors to the exhibition will be at least a little familiar with the concept of lost love…
Each piece in the exhibition has been selected by Vištica and Grubišić for its unique story - a story which is told via accompanying notes written by the anonymous donors. No editing is done by the “curators”, whose job is to select the exhibits rather than to put their own personal stamp on what is on show. And the museum’s permanent collection is growing all the time – every city it visits, from Split to Singapore and from San Francisco to Stockholm brings with it a new set of “patrons” whose personal bequeathments become part of the travelling show.
“The aftermath of a break-up is one of the strongest emotions that a person will ever experience - but all the advice that people can ever find about how to deal with it is about turning away, destroying and forgetting.” said Drazen Grubišić. “But we are who we are because of our interactions with others. You might have spent five years with a person, so how are you expected to just burn and forget? People should preserve the experiences that they have had, and this museum is a way of helping people to deal with their loss in a different way.”
Your invitation to become part of the exhibition
This is your chance to be a part of this museum dedicated to broken hearts and lost loves! All of us have experienced the end of a loving relationship, whether with a lover, friend, or family member. Most of us have hidden away the objects that remind us of these painful heartbreaks. Have you ever wished there was a meaningful way of letting go of these ‘things?’ this museum is a fantastic way of preserving beautiful, enriching even painful, moments from your past? The Museum is an artistic project in which everyone can participate. It is serving to honour our emotional heritage, offering us the opportunity to preserve those memories collectively. By contributing your own mementos you will become part of the exhibition when it comes to Kilkenny. ‘I am very excited to be bringing this unique show to Kilkenny. I am eager for people to respond to this unique opportunity and to donate items, said Arts Officer, Mary Butler ‘This in turn will further enrich the show and it also offers people the opportunity to anonymously tell their stories of lost love and heartbreak to the Irish audience and beyond as the exhibition continues to tour the world’