ENGAGED (March 21, 2007)
My last painting bears the black-and-white logo of Motovun – Eco Town on one side, and a small white cross on a black surface on the other. The stark logo stands for a different future than that associated with golf and polo, the two sports that would bring only a myriad of villas, houses, and apartments to the town’s unspoilt countryside. More important, it stands for a green future connected with wine, olive oil, and fruits, as well as tourism based on these natural delights. And the small white cross symbolizes both the notion that Motovun is the center of the world, and the idea that it is an acupuncture point in the struggle against the two lethal sports that threaten much of Croatia these days. The former is dear to quite a number of enamored newcomers to this town, while the latter comes from Vjeran Piršić, an ardent fighter for green causes along the Adriatic coast, which is under special threat from pernicious development. Just like I do, he believes that Motovun will soon become one of the key battlegrounds in the defense of the entire country. Who says abstract art cannot be engaged?