The Museum of Broken Relationships

Have you ever had your heart broken? Do you own an object that won’t let you forget? Give it to us, and join a global exhibition of loss and healing.

The Museum of Broken Relationships (MoBR) is an original, internationally acclaimed museum, conceptualised by artists and founders, Olinka Vištica and Dražen Grubišić. Its mission is to provide a virtual and physical public space, with worldwide presence and global reach, to connect people through stories of love and loss.

Every MoBR touring exhibition starts with establishing a link with audience and community. It is truly democratic and anyone can take contribute. On behalf of MoBR, Otago Museum, the only venue in New Zealand to date, is now reaching out to its community calling for submissions.

The objects and stories collected from Otago residents will be curated by Vištica and Grubišić, along with the exhibits from the international collection of MoBR, into an original and unique display. They will become part of a unique archive, and will continue to tell their stories around the world.

Information about how to submit an object or a story to the collection is available at www.otagomuseum.nz/brokenrelationships.

At its core, the MoBR is an ever-growing, community-built collection of objects donated by individuals from all over the world, each one a symbolic memento of a past relationship, accompanied by an anonymous story of its donor. With a collection now numbering around 2800 objects and stories, the MoBR has become a treasury of emotional heritage, an ultimate shrine to the deep human desire to love and connect, despite the apparent complexities, differences, and conflicts that seem to define our world.

MoBR collection taps into the part of human life, which inevitably raises curiosity and voyeuristic interest. At the same time, the collection is treated with care and dignity and presented in a visually beautiful form. It is displayed in the way that stimulates the visitors’ catharsis, and nurtures compassion and fascination by the most sacred and coveted aspect of human experience, love.

The MoBR display prompts people to consider the roles that culture and history play in human experience, and promotes people’s interest in, and respect for, cultures besides their own. Contrary to the suggestive title, the Museum is full of hope, life, resilience, and inspiration, elegantly captured and embodied by its collection that every human being can identify with.

Key dates

Monday 16 September – Call for submissions opens Otago-wide

Friday 1 November – Submissions close

Saturday 21 December – Exhibition opens at Otago Museum

Sunday 15 March – Exhibition closes

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