Pavel Konečný's entry into the
2019 Raw Vision short film competition
The creator Emil Milan Grgurić (1919–1997) and his "Garden of Eden" sculptural garden, at the Villa Katarina, are still waiting to be fully discovered by art brut admirers. During over 30 years of hard work, he created a real pearl of outsider art on the shore of Croatian island Ugljan, in the fishing village of Kukljica.
In the Garden of Eden (which has an area of about 1,500 square meters) there are approximately 35 concrete statues on the seashore, near the road to the Villa Katarina. This is an original specimen of intuitive architecture, which can also be understood as a sculptural work.
The facade culminates in high attics with a portrait bust of the mother of the creator, Mrs. Katarina, who gave her name to the remarkable building. The interiors are as interesting and impressive as the exterior of the building: the interior is decorated with about 20 large, coloured concrete reliefs. They depict scenes from the bible and Croatian history.
All of the creative works are of high artistic quality and are set in a carefully maintained mediterranean garden full of tall trees and shrubs, with a breathtaking atmosphere.
