Mlaka

Posljednja mlaka u Bukovlju najnoviji je projekt o selu pokraj Duge Rese koji Andrew Norris naziva svojim drugim 'domom'. Posljednje dvije godine autor je obnavljao mlaku i učinio je slikarskom i filmskom temom. Važnost ove mlake nije samo u podsjećanju na agrarnu prošlost sela, već je ona jedini preostali izvor otvorene vode unutar sela koji koriste divlje životinje. Slike s izložbe predstavljaju kronologiju opažanja koja su nastala u različitim godišnjim dobima i u različitim svjetlosnim uvjetima.

The Last Dew Pond in Bukovlje is the latest project from the village near Duga Resa that Andrew calls his second 'home'. He has documented the lives of the villagers and their culture over the past 17 years in over 200 videos, poems, music and especially paintings. This project Andrew dedicated to Her Majesty the Queen to commemorate her 2022 platinum jubilee. The importance of this dew pond is not simply as a reminder of the village's agrarian past but is the only remaining source of open water within the village for the benefit of wildlife. In the summer of 2022 he commissioned a JCB digger to restore the pond to its original shape after workers laying the adjacent road, several years earlier, pushed the excess aggregate into the pond. These paintings represent a chronolgy of observations made over the past 18 months in different seasons and under different conditions of light.
 
Andrew's paintings and accompanying film look at the world of nature as it can be observed under the water, on the water, above the water and reflected in the water, and which bring to mind a graphic by the Dutch artist, M.C.Esher. In this small corner of the village a whole world exists that continues to inspire Andrew's paintings. In the meantime he is eagerly anticipating the return of frogs to the pond.
 
Andrew Norris was born in London in 1961 and studied at Epsom School of Art and Design. Since then he has developed an international career. He has exhibited across the world, in Europe, America and South Korea and in most of the major institutions in England, including the National Gallery, Tate Gallery, the Victoria and Albert Museum, Coventry City Museum and Art Gallery and the Building Centre. In 2019 he was the subject of a 40 minute documentary produced by HRT.

MLAKA represents his 7^th solo exhibition in Zagreb and is mounted to commemorate International Water Day on the 22^nd March 2023.