The Ca’ Bon Gallery in Motovun was set up in 2004, less than a year after my arrival in Croatia, but only as a website (“Ca’ Bon Gallery,” February 18, 2004). It offers my paintings and books for sale, and it even cites their prices. The gallery’s address is that of my house and home. My paintings are indeed on all the walls, and my books can be found in the study, but nobody has ever contacted me in connection with the gallery, let alone bought anything from it. My books are available on the site for free, but I have no idea how many of them have been acquired that way over the years. Now, I have just received a survey from the Croatian ministry of finance in connection with a law that is supposed to curb money laundering and financing of terrorism, of all things. Apparently, all galleries in the country have received the same survey. I am supposed to complete it and submit it in a fortnight. Or else. Instead, I have written to the ministry via electronic mail, and I am about to send them a copy of my message by post. In it, I explain that my gallery is actually not a real gallery. It is not registered as such, to be sure. It is but another of my windows onto the World Wide Web, and that is all there is to it. But how do you explain such things to a bureaucrat? Out of the blue, I have yet another problem with the Croatian state. The connection with money laundering and financing of terrorism is outright frightening, too. Help, help, I am being repressed!

Addendum (September 4, 2014)

Having posted this piece on the World Wide Web, I printed it out with all the insignia of my Residua website. Then I printed out the piece about the gallery written more than a decade ago. Finally, I stapled the two pieces of writing to the printout of the message to the ministry, put the whole lot into an envelope, and took it to the post office. Sent by priority mail, my missive will be with them today or tomorrow at the latest. The consternation among all concerned will be complete and total, I am quite sure. The ministry has never come up against anyone quite like me. If they want a fight, they can certainly have it. The law curbing money laundering and financing of terrorism, my ass.