Lucija Marin / Rejected
Solo exhibition
FROM THE PREFACE OF THE EXHIBITION
"The glitter of glass ornaments and the luxurious scents of pine or fir have occupied our senses since early childhood, and accompany us once a year for the rest of our lives. These Christmas trees, under which we leave colorful gifts in the same way that red fly agarics grow in the forests under the canopy of pine trees, have over time become a symbol of the period of sharing and gathering of loved ones. Traditionally, Christmas trees are associated with Christianity, but modern use is mostly secular. However, the idea of decorating an evergreen tree and placing it indoors dates back to the time before Christianity, from the ancient Egyptians, Chinese and Jews, when it acted as a symbol of eternal life. This durability presented as immortality was manifested in the durability of the leaves and the incorruptibility of the resin of such trees. Around the winter solstice, evergreen trees were used to decorate interior rooms to mark the return of the sun and the greenery that would return with it. Today's tradition of Christmas trees, on the other hand, originates from West Germany in the 16th century, when it represented the paradise tree of Adam and Eve. Decorated with apples, the paradise tree was placed in homes on Christmas Eve, the memorial day of the progenitors of Adam and Eve.
In the context of modern climate change of threatening proportions, which we are constantly reminded of by the news of melting glaciers, devastating fires around the world and the extinction of numerous animal species, the question arises whether the symbolic function of the Christmas tree is worth the mass felling that affects our environment and extinguishes the lungs of the Earth. A common argument for further decoration with felled trees is that these trees are grown for felling anyway. However, there are too many repercussions that the planting of monoculture leaves on the ecosystem. During planting, a large number of herbicides and pesticides are used, which affect both humans and the environment by entering the water, filling the air and poisoning the soil. Such plantations are not real forests – they do not have a network of wild life that grows and connects animals, fungi and plants as a forest does. Moreover, plantations occupy fertile soil that could be used for the manifold benefit of many versus the negative effects they do. Research has shown that plastic Christmas trees are not a better solution, given that the materials from which they are made come from fossil fuels. Their decomposition can take hundreds of years, and the very process of transporting such trees from China is a huge pollution – a cost that is ultimately paid by third world countries.
This clash of nature and culture, in which our civilizational powerlessness to adapt to the changed conditions of life is manifested, marks the artistic work of Lucija Marin. By exhibiting discarded Christmas trees and their photographs in the gallery space, her intention is to cause an empathetic impulse within the observer, who remains overwhelmed by the collected amount of dead trees. In this way, the massiveness of the short-term consumption of trees becomes visible and the generally accepted custom that has been nurtured for centuries begins to be questioned. Consumerism, which has penetrated the management of natural resources, means our distancing from nature, but also distancing ourselves from ourselves, of which thrown Christmas trees are only one of the symptoms. Lucija Marin's exhibition directs us to a deeper reflection on the impact we have on the environment and the consequences that affect our lives and the lives of our descendants over time. It reminds us of the cause-and-effect relationships that leave a mark on the Earth that we all have in common. We came from it, and we will return to it. It is up to us to remember that we are also the work of nature, but we are also a part of it."
Maja Flaissig
BIOGRAPHY OF THE AUTHOR
Lucija Marin was born in 1995 in Zagreb. She began her artistic education at the School of Applied Arts and Design in Zagreb, at the Department of Sculpture, where she graduated in 2014. In the same year, she enrolled at the Academy of Fine Arts of the University of Zagreb, where in 2018 she completed her undergraduate university studies at the Department of Sculpture, specialization Small Plastics and Medal Making under the mentorship of Prof. Dalibor Stošić. She is a member of the Student Union of the Academy of Fine Arts of the University of Zagreb, and is currently studying graduate university studies in Sculpture in the class of Prof. Neven Bilić. She has exhibited at more than 30 group exhibitions throughout Croatia, the most important of which are the 5th, 6th and 7th edition of the group exhibition of students of the Academy of Fine Arts "ArtiParti" in Klovićevi dvori, Zagreb; "The Magical World of Fossils", Croatian Museum of Natural History in Zagreb, "Art and Beauty Against Prejudice", Veliki Tabor Castle, "Pay and Carry", HDLU House, "VGA 01", Kazamat Gallery, Osijek. This is her first solo exhibition.
The exhibition is financed by the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Croatia and the City Office for Culture of the City of Zagreb.
The exhibition at the Šira Gallery can be viewed during the Gallery's working hours (Mon-Fri: 9 a.m. – 4 p.m., 6 p.m. – 8 p.m., Saturdays: 11 a.m. – 4 p.m.) until January 20, 2020.