Rajko Radovanović, Croatian plough on an American horizon, photography, 2014

Croats have been present in the New World since the 18th century and New Orleans was a major center for Croatian immigration during the early 19th century. Today, the Greater New Orleans area is a home to several thousand people of Croatian descent. Oyster fishing and citrus farming were their traditional occupations. They left their infertile land, their houses, their livestock and their ploughs and went to the New World.

Unlike them I brought my plough with me to New Orleans. It belonged to my maternal grandparents Stjepan Kralj (3/12/1884 – 26/02/1967) and Ljubica Kralj, born Strok (3/11/1887- 28/10/1974) from the village of Gaber in Hrvatsko Zagorje, in today’s Republic of Croatia. The soil from their village was still on its ploughshare when it was shipped to the USA in 2013. It supported three generations of my family and is therefore directly connected to my own existence.

The three handles indicate that it is a ‘reversible’ plough with two coulters and two ploughshares mounted back-to-back, one turning to the right and the other to the left. While one blade is working the land, the other is in the air. This is particularly suitable for hilly terrain of Hrvatsko Zagorje. The ploughman uses the middle and left handle to go one way and the middle and right handle to go back, working the field in a consistent direction. At the end of each row, the ploughman would turn plough and cattle or horses so the other ploughshare can be used. Furrow is laid against furrow with no interruption. A non-reversible plough can only turn the soil one way therefore working the land in circle.

The photograph of the plough was taken on the bank of Mississippi river with the City of New Orleans in the background on October 11th 2014 with the technical support by Kash Schriefer.

Rajko Radovanović

RajkoRadovanovic (1954, Valjevo) attended the School of Applied Arts in Zagreb and the University of Brighton, UK (the class for alternative artistic practices). He has lived and worked in Zagreb, Brighton, Manchester, London and Istria. He is currently doing the same in New Orleans. He has participated in more than 200 exhibitions in Europe and USA .He uses a variety of media in his work, such as photography, video, performance, painting and installations. He cannot stand excessive hair-spliting in art and false patriotism.

Croats have been present in the New World since the 18th century and New Orleans was a major center for Croatian immigration during the early 19th century. Today, the Greater New Orleans area is a home to several thousand people of Croatian descent. Oyster fishing and citrus farming were their traditional occupations. They left their infertile land, their houses, their livestock and their ploughs and went to the New World.

Unlike them I brought my plough with me to New Orleans. It belonged to my maternal grandparents Stjepan Kralj (3/12/1884 – 26/02/1967) and Ljubica Kralj, born Strok (3/11/1887- 28/10/1974) from the village of Gaber in Hrvatsko Zagorje, in today’s Republic of Croatia. The soil from their village was still on its ploughshare when it was shipped to the USA in 2013. It supported three generations of my family and is therefore directly connected to my own existence.

The three handles indicate that it is a ‘reversible’ plough with two coulters and two ploughshares mounted back-to-back, one turning to the right and the other to the left. While one blade is working the land, the other is in the air. This is particularly suitable for hilly terrain of Hrvatsko Zagorje. The ploughman uses the middle and left handle to go one way and the middle and right handle to go back, working the field in a consistent direction. At the end of each row, the ploughman would turn plough and cattle or horses so the other ploughshare can be used. Furrow is laid against furrow with no interruption. A non-reversible plough can only turn the soil one way therefore working the land in circle.

The photograph of the plough was taken on the bank of Mississippi river with the City of New Orleans in the background on October 11th 2014 with the technical support by Kash Schriefer.