It's Not You, It's Me: The Museum of Broken Relationships Comes to NYC

A soundtrack of breakup hits plays. A crowd gathers, sharing stories about their own broken hearts. It's the EX-hibition -- a two-day pop-up exhibit in Flatiron Plaza that celebrates breaking up. 

The pop-up features items from the Museum of Broken Relationships. The museum was founded in Zagreb, Croatia by artists and former couple Olinka Vištica and Dražen Grubišić. It has permanent locations there and in Los Angeles. The pop-up also has items donated by New Yorkers themselves.

Each of these pieces tells the story of a relationship gone sour. There is a box of rice pilaf a woman was saving for her boyfriend, hoping he would come back. And a safari hat from a terrible birthday trip. One of the highlights of the exhibit is a handwritten letter from Madonna to John Enos. 

Not all of the stories are sad, however. Erin Hunkemoeller of New York says she was pleasantly surprised.

"A lot of the items in there weren't like vindictive or like bad breakups. It was very positive stories, things that people have kept on to, which made me feel better."

Visitors also had the chance to add their own stories. They could write a note about their ex and leave it behind. Morgan Manley of New York says the experience was cathartic. 

"I'm actually starting something new, so it was actually really nice to like write one final note goodbye to the other."

But for some, this part of the exhibit was very emotional. Taylor Strauss of Long Island choked back tears while describing writing her note. 

"I wrote down 'You made me think that you were my other half, but I'm complete without you.'"

She says adding the note to such a public exhibition felt good. 

Hunkemoeller says the exhibit is approachable because breaking up is such a universal experience. 

"It gives people a chance to realize that like other people feel this way too, and we don't always get a chance to realize that the general population also feels that way."

The EX-hibition was open July 16th and 17th, and was presented by BRAVO to promote its new show A Night with My Ex.