All the Broken ShipsGrowing Green

Text / Xing Zhao Photo / Museum of Broken Relationships

A Margaret Atwood book he left behind. A train ticket he used when coming to visit me from Liverpool. A Uyghur hat I bought for him in Xinjiang. A DVD we once watched together. A green hoodie that still has his smell...

Do I keep them, do I throw them away, or do I simply destroy them now that he's gone? Many people find it painful to be reminded of the ones they used to love, of the relationships that are broken. Yet there are always things popping up now and then to remind us of someone we try so hard not to think about. In the Almodóvar film Talk to Her, Marco sleeps on the couch instead of his bed for months after his girlfriend leaves him. In Croatia, after their own four-year long relationship ended, artists Olinka Vistica and Drazen Grubisic decided to set up an art project together, displaying objects from people's "failed" romances and the stories behind them. The Museum of Broken Relationships is dedicated to broken hearts.

During our interview with Olinka and Drazen, they seemed calm and humorous. When asking whether they still felt the pain from their previous relationship, Drazen smiled and said, "You are the person who you are also because of who you have been with. Every relationship shapes and defines you as who you are." Despite their romantic history, they said doing this project together had helped them maintain their relationship and move on with their lives.

Olinka Vistica is a 40 year old art and film producer from Split, Croatia and Drazen Grubisic is a 40 year old artist from Zagreb, dedicated to participatory art. They both live and work in Zagreb now.