My mural in Croatia last year @zen_opuzen . The Mural depicts a croatian woman in national costume holding an eel - a local delicacy in Opuzen and a symbol of abundance. The tattoos she bears are also significant as they depict symbols of protection that croat women would tattoo onto themselves using breast milk and soot to protect themselves against rape during times of war. The 3 hands references the holy trinity. The red ribbon represents the war between Croatia and Bosnia. She wears an embroidered apron (ogrnjač) and traditional lace hat worn by the women of the Island of Pag which is renound for their lace makers. I alsomade a trip to a local gypsy market to buy some authentic lace of which I used as a stencil to incorporate the genuine patterns of the lace into the work. This mural is the first of a series of murals im painting around Europe depicting disappearing indigenous cultures & celebrating traditional values.
