The work, taking the form of a flag, points to an absurdity of contemporary society: valuable, high-quality, and authentic resources are at times neglected, degraded, and destroyed under the influence of thoughtless practices and trends. The flag is made from raw wool, hand-cleaned in collaboration with the only currently active wool-processing craftsperson in the Republic of Croatia. The wool was subsequently felted, and the banner was sewn by the artist, with its dimensions referring to the standard format of a national flag. The wool surface is intervened upon with a pink neon lacquer spray, establishing a parallel with the practice of marking sheep in livestock farming. Although still practiced in Croatia, such marking has become redundant in view of existing identification systems, such as ear tags and microchipping. At the same time, it permanently degrades the quality of the wool, rendering it unusable at the marked areas. The intervention functions as a visual and conceptual gesture, pointing to a broader pattern of unconscious treatment of natural resources and (collective) heritage.
The work was made with the support of Istria County - The Administrative Department for Culture and Local Heritage Education.
Croatian title
Zastava 2