March 2011

War. Art. Crisis

Contemporary Art in Bosnia and Herzegovina

Starting on 13 April, KulturKontakt Austria will be presenting the exhibition “Krieg.Kunst.Krise” (“War.Art.Crisis”), a cross section of contemporary art in Bosnia and Herzegovina. In this exhibition, the curator Elio Krivdić attempts to answer the question of what impact the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina during the 1990s has had on the contemporary art of this country.
The exhibition includes works by Edin Numankadić, Veso Sovilj, Iva Simčić, Radenko Milak and Mladen Miljanović.

All of these artists were affected by the war in one way or another. Their experiences are reflected in their oeuvre.

Vernissage:  Tuesday, 12 April 2011, 7 p.m.
Exhibition duration: 13 April 2011 – 3 June 2011, Mon.–Fri. 2 p.m. to 6 p.m.
Venue:  Galerie ArtPoint, Universitätsstraße 5, 1010 Vienna

Since the end of the war, the state of Bosnia and Herzegovina has consisted of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Republika Srpska, as well as the self-governing administrative unit Brčko District, which is formally part of both entities. Curator Elio Krivdić considered it especially important to choose artists from Banja Luka and Sarajevo, in order to show that the art scene, in contrast to the political situation, has transcended the division of the country.

The works on display have been created by artists who, each in their own way, have all been affected by the war, be it as survivors of the siege of Sarajevo, like Edin Numankadić, or of the isolation imposed by war, like Veso Sovilj in Banja Luka. Iva Simčić is one of those who emigrated during the war and returned after it was over. Radenko Milak and Mladen Miljanović, who belong to the younger generation, grew up while the country was in a state of war and today, like many others, have to contend with the difficult social and political situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Many of the works on display deal with the specific circumstances in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Radenko Milak’s central theme is the burden of history, while Edin Numankadić focuses on the situation of Sarajevo under siege. Veso Sovilj presents the consequences of war in the form of ever-new, multiplying borders. Mladen Miljanović focuses on his own transformation from soldier to artist, whereas Iva Simčić explores the phenomenon of the increasing superimposition of virtual reality on the real world.
The choice of media of these artists also illustrates the plurality of artistic means in the contemporary fine arts scene in Bosnia and Herzegovina, a plurality which has only developed since the 1980s. In the exhibition this is additionally underlined by the wide range of ages of the artists whose works are being shown.

The exhibition, the concept of which is based on the exhibition of the same name that was presented in Innsbruck in 2010, is one of the few exhibitions in Austria showcasing art from Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The Innsbruck exhibition was accompanied by the catalogue “KRIEG.KUNST.KRISE. Ein Querschnitt durch die zeitgenössische Kunst Bosnien-Herzegovinas” (WAR.ART.CRISIS. A Cross Section of Contemporary Art in Bosnia and Herzegovina), edited by Elio Krivdić.

The exhibition is being presented by KulturKontakt Austria in cooperation with Biber and Wiener Integrationswoche.