Looking for Travel Tips in Croatia. Well in the small town of Stari Grad on the Island of Hvar you'll find Fantazam gallery is owned and operated by a good friend Zoran Tadić. I truly love his work. So much so that I own the beauty you see below. As our house is very much still under construction you can still visit her in the gallery for the next few seasons.
Zoran creates these mythical creatures with found objects from the island. Below is his statement taken from his website.
" I was born on July 25, 1966 in Stari Grad on the island of Hvar. I spent my childhood on the island, where I still live. I returned to the island after 10 years spent in different European countries. In 2002, I opened my studio on the island, in the heart of the Old Town.
Science fiction and documentaries from the animal world have filled my imagination and serve as the source of my artistic creation, they serve my expression. I am constantly looking for organic materials, which inspire me and from which I make my artwork, so I spend a lot of time on long walks along the Dalmatian coast looking for them. I collect all kinds of debris, stones, roots, bones, which I then combine into jewelry of a unique, original, tribal shape.
Over the years, I have discovered and developed a special technique of combining different materials that allows me to transform my imagination into the objects I make, and that promotes my creativity. I create art objects that are wearable around the neck or arm. My jewelry incorporates pebbles from the beach, but also semi-precious and precious stones. I use fish bones, seagulls, crows, pheasants, horns and fur. I also use seaweed roots, reeds, seeds, olive wood or any other type of wood. My bracelets and necklaces take jewelry back to the very beginning, when these items radiated personal and collective magic.
My gallery is full of fantastic and unique creatures. In 2001, I made my first object - a sculpture. Sculptures are a mixture of prehistoric and futuristic creatures, so they are difficult to place at a particular time or place. My works are a three-dimensional mixture that represents my vision of the future. Openness is desirable when entering the gallery.
For ten years I have been continuously using everything that nature offers and in that way I give life to creatures that are made of several different organic materials. I believe that it is the material that creates my creatures. All the material was found on the beach, in the woods, or even in restaurant kitchens, where I had the opportunity to get acquainted with the anatomy of various animals. In any case, I use only still life for my work.
Over time, I started getting various materials from all over the world from friends or people who stayed in touch with me after entering my “fantasy world”. These materials are reminiscent of a deep shamanic sense of Earth and Sea, and influence the vision of creation. The power of nature possessed by materials after the end of the life cycle is reborn in my creations."
If you are in town this is a must. The gallery is small but wonderful. If you happen by at the right time you may see Zoran birthing his latest creature. If you can't make it to Stari Grad you can still see these magical pieces on Zoran's website HERE - the site takes a while to load, but hang in there it's worth it.
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