Diasporic art, memory and identity

December 1 – 10 2020

“Artists in Conversation” brought together four visual artists and photographers from Bosnia and Herzegovina who now live in the diaspora to discuss various artistic practices and insights into their work concerning diasporic art, memory and identity in the framework of the 25th anniversary since the end of the Bosnian war in 1995: Velma Babić in Munich, Ana Čvorović in London, Selma Ćatović Huges in Sharjah and Velibor Božović in Montreal.

These artists grew up in former Yugoslavia before leaving their war-torn country and migrating abroad. Their personal experiences inform their art practice. They deal with memories from the past to collect and preserve fragments of history that still linger in the present, specifically in the context of war, migration, forced displacement and, ultimately, the vulnerable human condition.

The COVID-19 global emergency prevented them from traveling to Sarajevo and joining our summer school last August. We were delighted to have the opportunity to listen to their artist talks in which they posed several questions about the nature and varieties of memory, their lost Yugoslav identity and the quest for a new home, such as: how do we remember the past and what is the role of art in that process?

CALENDAR

Velma Babić December 1 2020 at 18:00 CET

Ana Čvorović December 3 2020 at 18:00 CET

Selma Ćatović Hughes December 8 2020 at 18:00 CET

Velibor Božović December 10 2020 at 18:00 CET