“Perfection of Evolution – Unveiling” on Display in Poreč
The Croatian Natural History Museum’s Exhibition “Perfection of Evolution – Unveiling” at the Small Gallery of the Public Open University in Poreč
Small Gallery of the Public Open University in Poreč
20 February – 16 March 2019
The exhibition Perfection of Evolution – UNVEILING is on display at the Small Gallery of the Public Open University in Poreč from 20 February to 16 March 2019, marking the beginning of a collaboration between the Croatian Natural History Museum and the Public Open University in Poreč.
The exhibition features 24 large-format photographs depicting beetles from the exceptionally valuable Mikšić Beetle Collection alongside minerals from the collections of the Croatian Natural History Museum.
The Mikšić Beetle Collection is one of the museum’s most valuable collections. Due to the fragility of the specimens, it is preserved under special conditions and is not generally accessible to the public. Through photography, the collection has been made available to a wider audience. The exhibition is complemented by thirteen beetle specimens and eight mineral samples featured in the photographs.
The worlds of insects and minerals contain almost every colour and shade imaginable, and the exhibition presents some of the most fascinating combinations. Mineral specimens from the museum’s mineralogical and petrographic collections were photographed together with beetles from the Mikšić Beetle Collection whose colours and patterns most closely resemble one another. Some beetles blend so perfectly with the minerals that they are difficult to detect at first glance. These similarities are expressed not only through colour but also through surface texture, body structure, and the combination of several visual characteristics.
Exhibition credits:
- Exhibition authors: Nives Borčić, Petar Crnčan, Dr. Iva Mihoci and Dr. Ivan Razum
- Photographer: Nives Borčić
- Photography composition: Nives Borčić and Petar Crnčan
- Specimen preparation: Nives Borčić, Petar Crnčan, Marin Šoufek, Višnja Lisičar, Silvana Sušić
- Exhibition leaflet design: Nikša Martinac
Authors
Nives Borčić, Petar Crnčan, Iva Mihoci, Ivan Razum