KUMA INTERNATIONAL ART SUMMER SCHOOL
4th edition
BORDERS AND MIGRATIONS
Sarajevo, 9 – 20 August 2021
The fourth edition of Kuma International Summer School took place in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, from August 9th through 20th in partnership with VII Academy Sarajevo and with the generous support of Open Society Fund BiH.
Sixteen participants from BiH, Slovenia, Germany, Austria, Italy, the Netherlands and Canada attended this two-week educational training on “Borders and Migrations” that offered unique tools to address and reflect on geopolitical boundaries and their ethnic and political divisions while advocating for a conflict-free society. Kuma International Summer School brought together local and international artists and researchers whose practices examine notions of exile, migration, and the questions of crossing and overcoming borders to further the interdisciplinary debate that critically interrogates the border-migration nexus.
Currently, an estimated 10,000 migrants live in Bosnia, with the majority staying in government-run camps. But many have also been sleeping on the streets — especially those who keep repeatedly trying to cross the Bosnian-Croatian border every couple of days. Last winter, a humanitarian crisis became a reality with nearly 2,000 persons sleeping outside in freezing temperatures. Furthermore, a few months ago, a memo advocating redrawing the borders of independent countries formed after Yugoslavia’s breakup and reducing Bosnia and Herzegovina to a third of its current size sparked fears of renewed conflict in the region.
By considering different social, and political contexts, Kuma International summer school examined how notions of borders and migrations have been reflected in the contemporary art of ex-Yugoslavia countries. Our guests discussed questions such as: how does art reflect the geopolitical notion of borders and migrations? How can art take part in developing critical thinking about the consequences of geopolitical borders and migrations? How do artists reflect on experiences of migrations, and what are the borders of artistic mediums?
Through lessons and practical art workshops, together with guided tours of the city and its surroundings, participants were encouraged to explore and incorporate these notions within their projects in the fields of curatorial practice and visual arts. They anchored their attitudes towards these relevant topics and develop critical viewpoints within the global and local socio-political context.
Visiting lecturers: Velma Babić, Kemil Bekteši, Julie Biro, Aline Cateux, Armin Durgut, Ziyah Gafić, Hariz Halilovich, Jasmin Hasanović, Irfan Hošić, Ksenija Hotić, Adela Jušić, Smirna Kulenović, Yulia Kopr, Đenita Kuštrić, Arnela Mahmutović, Mladen Miljanović, Adna Muslija, Ana Perić, Igor Ripak, Selma Selman, Adnan Softić, Aida Šehović and Enes Žuljević.
