Mia Akrap's 'Stronger Than Bone' at Trotoar, Zagreb

Mia Akrap's solo exhibition 'Stronger Than Bone' opened at Trotoar gallery in Zagreb, Croatia, in 2026. The show features ceramic vessels and a fountain, 'Spring of Phantoms' (2026), which consists of three stacked female heads releasing water streams into a basin lined with aquamarine tiles. The fountain's white noise isolates the gallery from external sounds, creating an immersive atmosphere. Akrap's work draws on interviews with her grandmother, born in eastern Croatia in the mid-20th century, to explore the memories and trauma of three generations of Croatian women in her family. The artist declines to reveal specific family details, instead using imagery on the vessels to preserve these stories. The ceramics, such as 'Stronger Than Bone #5, or Metamorphosis' (2026), depict a bride with a grasshopper and scissors over a red thread, referencing the Fates and foreshadowing separation. 'Stronger Than Bone #6' features a woman's face on a deer pierced with arrows, echoing Frida Kahlo's 'The Wounded Deer' (1946), and includes four hanging breasts, invoking the she-wolf of Romulus and Remus. Akrap's visual language incorporates Surrealist elements, blending figuration with symbolic narratives. The exhibition suggests that women endure pain but possess resilience and capacity to create and protect life. The show is documented with photographs by D. Žižić, ©Trotoar.