New York, 15 October 2025 — With the support of the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs of the Republic of Croatia, the exhibition Behind the Sky by Croatian artist Gordana Špoljar Andrašić, dedicated to the missing persons of the Homeland War, was formally opened at the United Nations Headquarters in New York. The exhibition was inaugurated by Hrvoje Ćurić Hrvatinić, Chargé d’affaires a.i. of the Permanent Mission of the Republic of Croatia to the United Nations. The opening was well attended, bringing together numerous representatives of Member States and international organizations.
In his opening remarks, Ćurić Hrvatinić emphasized that Behind the Sky is more than an artistic endeavor - it is an intimate tribute to the missing persons of the war in Croatia. More than thirty years after the end of the Homeland War, 1,744 people remain unaccounted for, and this tragedy continues to profoundly affect families across the country.
He recalled that Croatia has developed a comprehensive model for the search and identification of missing persons, combining forensic science, field investigation, archival research, and victim-centred approaches. Through cooperation with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the International Commission on Missing Persons (ICMP), and by employing new technologies, Croatia remains steadfast in its commitment to pursuing the truth. Today, Croatia co-chairs with Switzerland the Global Alliance for the Missing, an initiative that promotes the exchange of experiences and raises awareness of this global humanitarian issue.
The artist, Gordana Špoljar Andrašić, using fragile materials such as paper, cellulose, and discarded photographs, symbolically explores the delicate line between presence and absence, between memory and forgetting. As highlighted at the opening, her art reminds us that remembrance is both an act of mourning and an act of resistance.
After its successful presentations in London and at the Council of Europe in Strasbourg, Behind the Sky has now found a meaningful home at the United Nations Headquarters in New York. The exhibition is on display from 13 to 17 October 2025.