Only the dead have seen the end of war. The portentous thought, attributed to Plato, suggests that, despite the world’s efforts to move away from the imposed paradigm of violent human nature, the essence of war will continue to elude our perception, and war will always have the last word.

This topic, which has been occupying everyone’s attention these days, is being explored by the exhibition at Flora Gallery, the second in a series of exhibitions designed by Slaven Tolj. Eleven artists: Mara Bratoš, Boris Cvjetanović, Mario Cvjetković, Marko Ercegović, Stanko Ivanković, Stjepo Kaleb, Marojica Mitrović, Marta Pendo, Ana Opalić, Petar Šantić and Slaven Tolj, including some of the elements of the first exhibition in the series – the exhibition of Lav Paripović – are going to combine their efforts and mix a MEDITATion COCKTAIL, which is the title of this exhibition.  Personal meditations, reflections and conversations, as methods of overcoming traumas, including the traumas of war, are tools that help our bodies and minds mitigate the consequences of this complex phenomenon. Some of the exhibited works were created during the war that marked the entire last decade of the twentieth century, and some of the works, namely of young authors, are more recent and speak of another kind of traumas, caused by new problems such as the pandemic and its effects.

The overlapping and superimposing of the works, the introduction of organic elements from the garden into the gallery space, the use of all rooms of the gallery, are the characteristics of this exhibition, too.

Chaotic at first glance, this is fact a carefully designed and meaningful cosmos that dissolves the conceptions of the past and the present and their mutual links. It brings us back to the way things used to be, to help us better understand new situations. Or, to use the lyrics from the song by Shirley Bassey:

And I've seen it before
And I'll see it again
And I've seen it before
Just little bits of history repeating.

Unfortunately, things are happening again, things we selfishly thought could never happen again, not in this part of the world. Wars are our everydayness, but we do not seem to show interest unless they occur in our closest environment, or unless they pose an apocalyptic threat, which brings us back to the ominous saying from the beginning of this text: Only the dead have seen the end of war. It has caught up with us, paradoxically: the fear of the ultimate end of all wars. The fear of the ultimate end.

And there are more portentous themes running through this exhibition – a painful account of years of child abuse, images of alienation and emptiness. Yet, a glimmer of hope is always on the horizon, carrying the essence of life and optimism. Whether we would change the established patterns of behavior or we would continue, in political terms, “with minding our own business”, depends on our shared resources of strength. This is what MEDITATion COCKTAIL is all about. It encourages people not to stand by and observe but to actively participate, building togetherness and exchanging the views... ( Helena Puhara )