The exhibition presented a kind of hommage and a suggestive presentation of Advent and Christmas customs, which include all parts of Croatia through a visible wealth of traditions, folklore, and ways of living in various geographical areas of Lijepa Naša. The exhibition included about thirty paintings on glass – miniatures, 18 x 13 centimeters, and these works were created in the period from 2017 to the present. The special feature of the exhibition was that it included almost all parts of Croatia (Istria, Susak, Krk, Pag, and Lika, Dalmatia, Podravina, Međimurje…), but also areas outside Croatia where Croats live (such as Vojvodina, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Argentina).
The motives of her works are the blessing of houses and families, caroling, and the author took care to present motives characteristic for a particular place, region or region. For example, Istrian kažun, Paška čipka, Sinjska alka, Šestine umbrella were presented, and the characters of Mary and Joseph were dressed in traditional costumes of these areas, providing insight into the richness and diversity of Croatian cultural heritage and its regions.
Jadranka Relota is a self-taught artist, an Argentine with Croatian roots, who has been living and working in Pula since 2016. Shee makes miniatures on glass in the naive style, miniatures on canvas and wood, Easter eggs, Istrian souvenirs and other handicrafts inspired by Croatian heritage. In addition, she has been studying and affirming Croatian ethnographic heritage for years and has held several workshops on making Easter eggs and painting on glass in Argentina and Croatia.
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