You have a project in Tanzania?

My brother Drazen, with two others, is a missionary in Tanzania. They invited me to come for a holiday around 1998/9 and to create a small sculpture. So I did. We were often going hunting in the bush. I came across some amazing shapes of granite. I decided to make much bigger sculpture. When I went next, I was bringing some tools and my brother organised heavy machinery to excavate the granite.

The project is half-way finished. I plan to go to soon for 4 or 5 months, together with my assistant Anton Vuko from Croatia who has helped me before.

I intend to make a sculpture of Alojzije Stepinac [Croatian Cardinal imprisoned by Yugoslav communists] which will be 4 metres tall, and Julius Nyerere which is 3 metres.

The reason I chose Stepinac is that he is a historical character from the Croatian church and Croatian national history. Primarily, he was inspiring especially what he did during Kingdom of Yugoslavia, the Second World War and afterwards at the beginning of [communist] Yugoslavia.

Nyerere I chose to do as he also a national hero for Tanzania as he made a peaceful transition from colonial
rule to a republic. He was a writer and poet. He also did something for the language, uniting 120 tribes to
speak the Swahili language.

As it’s a Croatian Mission, its good to have something from Croatia and something local.

I’m finding the Tanzanian sculpture very inspiring.

On the Stepinac sculpture, I am using Glagolitic script [script used in Croatia’s past]. I am inscribing a
sentence of what he said from his trial in former Yugoslavia. I am using Glagolitic but using Swahili.

So it will translate from Glagolitic into Swahili?

Yes. So its some kind of symbiosis.

Ivan’s work will be seen at the London Art Fair, in the Roman Black Gallery on 17-21 January 2007 see
www.londonartfair.co.uk for details.

Ivan’s work also features in a new book by Amy Dempsey,
‘Destination Art’ published by Thames and Hudson.

.......................................................................................................................................................Glagolitic on the Stepinac sculpture

In the Media

Brian Gallagher, Editor of Croatia Business Report, appeared as a guest this month on the Buy Association’s property radio show on Croatia and Montenegro, hosted by veteran consumer broadcaster Adrian Mills. You can listen/download the show here: http://property.buyassociation.co.uk/radio/montenegro/montenegro_show.html

Go to page two - Interview: Branko (the bold) and Branka (the beautiful)

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