When I first visited Istria in 2019, I was overcome by two feelings - a feeling of happiness and a certain familiarity. Much of what I saw, experienced and surprised reminded me of the simplicity of life on the coasts of my native homeland Syria, such as the old castles, towns, vineyards, olives, figs and much more.
My first impression after this visit to Istria was as if I was experiencing a kind of DREAMLAND, a place that is not as far away as my home, but still gives me the special feeling of being at home. Being invited to the Industrial Biennale gave me more time to research and read about the history of Istria.
As I researched more and more about Istria's rich, fast-paced 6000-year history, I noticed that it has always been a place of coming and going, of constant movement of people and ideas. The same is today.
It was and is a place of invention, a place of art, a place of industry and now a place of recreation. A DREAMLAND for people who work all year round to have 20 days of vacation.
But then the question also arises: what about the people who live permanently in Istria? Is it DREAMLAND for them too? Or do thy see this place with different eyes?
Many people think that the grass is greener elsewhere. To challenge this idea with the local residents, my installation DREAMLAND was installed on the roof of the old Cinema  Labin, which has been there for almost a century now. Cinemas have always been a window into another world. Kind of an escape room and more precisely, a DREAMLAND