Kristel Uscocovich and her husband, architect Filippo Merlini Cantatore, have turned their home in Zagreb's foothill zone into a private gallery filled with artworks and family memories.
The Zagreb home of 43-year-old artist Kristel Uscocovich and her husband, architect Filippo Merlini Cantatore, resembles a private gallery more than a classic family house. Every corner is filled with art that carries special aesthetic and emotional value, whether it's a souvenir from travels, a piece of family heritage, or something Kristel made herself. Their family life in the peaceful foothill zone is completed by their children Paolo (16) and Chiara (14), and Rocky, a seven-year-old Boston Terrier adopted in Petrinja.
"Sometimes I find it hard to express myself in words, so I do it through art. Right now, I'm preparing paintings I want to unite into a series, and women's faces are always at the center. Inspired by the extraordinary women in my life-friends, family members, and all those who have shaped and encouraged me-I celebrate their strength, resilience, and interconnectedness in my work," Kristel Uscocovich, a painter and ceramicist, told Gloria. She added that she creates most of her paintings using acrylic on canvas, preferring bright, vibrant colors, and that she is currently launching a project with a friend-a brand of functional ceramic objects-but she doesn't want to reveal details yet.
Kristel doesn't have a strict work schedule, and she finds inspiration in moments when family obligations allow. "Maybe I should have a schedule, but I create when I'm inspired and when family duties permit. I try to paint at least once a week, and if I'm focused enough, I can spend hours at the canvas," she explains. She usually works in the garage, where she has set up both a studio and a small gym. The exception is working with ceramics, where she sticks to a fixed schedule because she attends workshops led by Consuelo Palma, a Chilean artist who has also found her home in Zagreb.
Kristel and Filippo were born in Guayaquil, a bustling port city on Ecuador's Pacific coast. Kristel traces her roots to Croatia. "There is a Croatian community in Ecuador, but it's not as large as in some other South American countries. My great-grandfather Jakov Uskoković, originally from Sustjepan near Dubrovnik, arrived in that part of the world as a sailor on a merchant ship. He fell so in love with Ecuador that he decided to settle there with his wife Marija Ljubičić, who also came from the Dubrovnik area, from Mokošica," Kristel recounts. Her grandfather Blaž was already born in Ecuador, and the family tradition of passing down names has continued with her father and brother.
Her love story with Filippo developed at a dizzying pace after they met on Facebook. "We started messaging in October 2009, and by January of the following year, we had organized our wedding," the artist reveals. They made the decision to move to Croatia in just three months, prompted by a friend's stories and growing insecurity in Ecuador. "We made the decision in just three months and have never regretted arriving in 2013 with two small children in a country we had never visited before. Croatia is safe, so we have more freedom and live much more relaxed," says Kristel, who particularly appreciates the connection to nature that she truly began to value only here.
After initially living in Split, in the neighborhoods of Meje and Žnjan, they moved to Zagreb in 2014, which has been their home for twelve years now. In the house where they've lived for the past five years, they decorated the interior themselves, wanting to create a warm and personal space. "We're always on the lookout for something new. When we travel, we love to step into various spaces to see what's on offer. If we like something, we simply buy it," Kristel says.
Their home is adorned with works by significant artists. A special place is held by a sculpture by American Jeff Koons, whose art impressed her at an exhibition in London eighteen years ago. The collection also includes works by Ecuadorian artists Felix Arauz and Oswaldo Guayasamín, including his bronze sculptures. The artistic spirit is also nurtured on Filippo's side of the family-his father Paolo Merlini also paints, his uncle Domenico Cantatore was a renowned Italian painter, and his great-grandfather Alfonso Gatto was a famous poet.
Although she always wanted to be an artist or interior designer, after graduating and becoming a mother, Kristel devoted herself for about ten years to teaching Spanish and art at an English kindergarten in Zagreb. "From Ecuador, I miss both family and friends, the people I grew up with. On the other hand, I wish that country were as safe as Croatia. That feeling can't be bought with anything," concludes Kristel Uscocovich.
