Lonely Hearts Club: The Museum of Broken Relationships

Heartbreak in Los Angeles is a pair of silicone breasts—at least to somebody who donated the implants to the collection at the Museum of Broken Relationships LA. “She had felt pressured to get them, and she had three surgeries and her body always rejected the material,” says Alexis Hyde, director of the museum. The new art venue, set to open their doors June 4th, showcases the memorabilia of broken hearts: ordinary objects which are submitted anonymously with brief tales of why they are significant to past relationships. The collection includes a vial of blood, used emery boards and a tiny piece of paper that says “pay attention to me,” all accompanied by the story of how they came to be more than an everyday object.

Moving on from the promotional phase of pop-up events taking place at hip venues across the city this spring, MOBR is set to open a physical location at Hollywood and Highland. Despite being a block away from the kitschy Hollywood Wax Museum and Ripley’s Believe It or Not! Odditorium, there is nothing hyperbolic or dramatic about this museum’s exhibits. When I ask about future exhibits, Alexis says that their mantra is “to just go by feeling.” The original museum opened in Croatia, a project between two ex-lovers Olinka Vištica and Dražen Grubišić. Although the exhibition stems from lost love, the experience of looking at these sad objects can be uplifting. “We are all blood and muscle and heart, trying to make a human connection. We are just trying to do the best we can,” says Alexis. When new objects come in, assistant director Amanda Vandenberg often texts images of potential exhibits to her fiance. “Never us,” he texts back.“We’ll never donate.” But there is no shortage of heartache in this town, and the museum is always accepting new submissions.

The Museum of Broken Relationships opens their doors in Hollywood on June 4th, welcoming past lover’s belongings and mementos attached to exes in a cathartic effort to capture the demise of modern relationships. For more info, check out their website here and don’t forget to snag some cool merch from their gift shop!

All images by Virginia Ibarra for LA CANVAS

Museum of Broken Relationships

6751 Hollywood Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90028