Vandalized Art Restored: Ivana Mrčela's 'Our Sisters' Wins Top Zagreb Salon Prize

Artist Ivana Mrčela's textile installation "Naše sestre" (Our Sisters), a powerful symbol of female solidarity, faced vandalism and theft shortly after its unveiling in August 2025. The artwork, displayed in Varšavska Street, was damaged, and one of its five figures was stolen, just days after its initial installation.

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Vandalism did not bypass the textile installation 'Our Sisters,' designed by Ivana Mrčela, displayed in Varšavska Street. After a part of the artistic installation was destroyed, and a part was stolen, 'Our Sisters' soon reunited in full and continued to convey their message.

Despite the setback, Mrčela demonstrated resilience. She managed to salvage and reinstall the remaining parts of the "Naše sestre" installation. The stolen fifth sister was meticulously recreated by the artist, allowing the work to be presented in its complete form once again. The installation visually represents interdependence through intertwined, leaning figures of women dressed in pink.

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It was a great and completely unexpected surprise for me. The mere fact that my works were selected for exhibition at the 61st Zagreb Salon represented a great recognition for me, so I didn't think about the award at all.

This perseverance has been recognized with significant acclaim. "Naše sestre," alongside Mrčela's 2024 work "Tekstilna djeca" (Textile Children), was awarded the Grand Prize at the 61st Zagreb Salon of Applied Arts and Design. Mrčela, an artist, designer, and professor at the Faculty of Textile Technology, expressed surprise and honor at receiving the award, noting it marks a significant milestone in her artistic development, especially eight years after winning the award for Best Young Artist at the 52nd Zagreb Salon.

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The Zagreb Salon, founded in 1965, is one of the longest-standing and most respected national manifestations of contemporary artistic creation, so it is an exceptional honor for me to receive the highest recognition.

Mrčela described both award-winning works as stemming from her core artistic interests: the female experience, labor, and social responsibility. She views textiles not merely as a material but as a medium capable of conveying personal and collective narratives, providing a platform to question societal inequalities. "Naše sestre," she explained, explores female solidarity as a historical force for community survival, highlighting mutual support, shared knowledge, and the often-unseen connections binding women's lives.

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Both works are executed in textiles and stem from themes that are at the center of my artistic interest – the female experience, work, and social responsibility. Textiles for me are not just a material but a medium that carries personal and collective stories and opens up space for questioning social inequalities.