The
project called "The Other", led by Joakim Hansson and Sofia
Runarsdotter, took place in Mostar, Bosnia Hercegovina between may 2015 and
september 2016.
Workshops, seminars, presentations and discussions were arranged in order to lead up to a collection of images created by the participants, showing how they see their lives in their hometown of Mostar, a town that not long ago was ravaged by war. A war that some of the participants in the project were not a part of as they were born after the diseintegration of Yugoslavia in the 1990s, while others experienced it as children growing up.
Even
though a large amount of the participants in the project have no personal
experience of the war they have inherited the war through the memories of their
parents, relatives and other persons older than them. The conflict ended two
decades ago, yet still affects the people of Mostar today. It is unavoidably a
part of the collective and individual stories that the towns selfimage rests
upon and it is a basis for thinking of ones own townspeople as devided into
"us" and "them".
As
youths and young adults the participants in the project are among the people
who hold the future of Mostar in their hands. Their view of their hometown as
well as their views of each other are crucial for the towns future. They can
choose not to keep the conflict alive. Too often the young are not represented
when decisions about the future are made, even though they will be affected by
the decisions as much as anyone else, and for a longer time.
Through
this project we wanted for the young see and acklowledge "the other"
in each other and in others. To explore and discuss views of "the
other" in order to create a basis för understanding, acceptance and
respect. Through visual and written stories the participants exploerad
themselves and their surroundings and by focusing on their views of their daily
life, their hopes and dreams for the future, the project strived to create a
unity, an exchange of ideas and a mutual understanding, among the participants,
but also in extension among their primary audience: The people living in Mostar.
Each participant in the project has a unique visual language. As workshopleaders we are very impressed by what each of them has achieved. Many strong personal stories have surfaced during the length of the project and the artworks that it has resulted in span from photorealism to abstract poetic imagery.
The participants in the project "The Other" were:
Marin Milićević, Adnan Gološ, Anis Karadža, Anita Krtalić, Dino Primorac,
Vlatka Lučic, Sanja Majić, Amina Roksa and Vladana Perlić.
The
project "The Other" was financially supported by the Swedish
Institute. It was realised in cooperation between the Youth Council of the city
of Mostar and the main workshopleaders and organisers photographer Sofia
Runarsdotter and artist and curator Joakim Hansson. Author and poet Tanja
Stupar-Trifunović and artist Jusuf Hadžifejzović were guest workshopleaders.
Welcome to participate in Master class in writing with author and poet Tanja
Stupar-Trifunović!
Meeting
point outside the gallery. 23.2 17.00.