Hybrid sculpture • Gajeva Street / Ban Josip Jelačić Square
OKOLOAROUND Festival, Zagreb Croatia
YEAR 2025
CURATOR Lea Vene
PHOTOS Samir Ceric
Trophilia envelops a lamp post and infiltrates like a parasite into the urban space. Fleshy red
petals conceal the incandescent inside which discharges untamed tongues. The somewhat
threatening body of the flower critically comments on the world of cruel hunting culture and sale of animal trophies and exotic species. The floral parasitical form thus grows as a
critique of the normalisation of this brutality. The inflamed tissue of the flower attracts with
its appearance and smell, but we are prohibited from accessing the floral organism. The
bulging surfaces irresistibly evoke sight and touch, but at the same time they are Trophilia’s
defence mechanism. It resists adaptation to the environment and unwanted interaction.
Important information: My sculpture was stolen on the third day of the exhibition. After the
festival, it was supposed to be displayed in another public space in Zagreb. The perpetrator
has not yet been found, and both the audience has been deprived of experiencing the work,
and I have been left without my piece.