The following text contains the ‘subject and initial explanation’ of the topic that was presented on April 6, 2023. Since then, the content has been developed in more detail.
“Young and avant-garde artists play a vital role in the cultural landscape of every big city. The abundance of exhibitions, galleries, museum showcases, and events draws these artists, providing them with numerous outlets for creative expression. However, life in major global cities comes with intense competition, limited opportunities for solo exhibitions, expensive rents for both living and gallery spaces, and sometimes difficult living conditions. Many artists are well aware of these challenges, but they still opt to live in the metropolis.
My longing to explore the world has been a part of me for as long as I can recall. Living in foreign countries has been a way for me to satisfy that desire. I have studied and worked in several major cities, including Amsterdam, Paris, Berlin, Vienna, New York, and Mexico City. Through these experiences, I have come to appreciate both the allure and the challenges of these cities, prompting me to consider the idea of moving to a ‘less glamorous’ location. I wondered if such a move would impact the quality of my artistic work, if I would become isolated from the art world, and if I would lose valuable contacts. However, in 2016, I decided to make the move to Bijeljina, a small town in northeastern Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Surprisingly, this life-altering decision did not hinder my artistic work; on the contrary, it enhanced it. Freed from the pressures of big cities, I found a new sense of freedom and an even stronger creative drive. I made the conscious choice to focus on smaller towns for my future projects. Small towns have been experiencing a decline in population due to migration to larger cities. What may seem unattractive about these smaller towns, such as decreased population, was remarkably appealing to me because of the surplus of vacant properties. For instance, in cities in eastern Germany like Görlitz and Zeitz, or in places like Kozarska Dubica, Orašje, Bihać, or Foča, nearly half of the shops, warehouses, and factories remain unused.
During my master’s studies, I aim to explore vacant spaces in Sarajevo, including the city center, suburbs, and surrounding villages. My goal is to repurpose these spaces in innovative ways, using them for exhibitions or pop-up events. Additionally, I plan to create a map highlighting potential locations for creative activities. If successful, this map could prove valuable to other artists, contributing to the establishment of a new environment for ongoing artistic endeavors. This project represents my efforts as a designer to present abandoned structures from a unique and engaging angle, making them more accessible to future generations of artists, regardless of their background.”
Sarajevo, April 6th, 2023
Since I was a child, I’ve been fascinated by major global events like the Olympics. During those two weeks while the games are taking place, in a way, all participating nations set aside their conflicts and celebrate one of the fundamental values of humanity – the freedom to play and healthy sports competition in a friendly spirit. It’s as if during these two weeks, there’s complete peace in the world. At least, it seems that way.
The 1984 Winter Olympics in Sarajevo were far from insignificant; in fact, they had a huge impact. Despite taking place during the Cold War, they were one of the few major events where all the world’s powers, fortunately on the sports field, competed with each other. In February 2024, we celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Games, which is a wonderful opportunity for commemoration. Among other things, I believe that this celebration is a good reason to place the Games in a much greater focus of the city than ever before. My research in the archives of the Olympic Museum and the city archives has revealed incredibly interesting and inspiring information that, in my opinion, has been less known until now. Various documents, including details about the preparations for the opening of the Games, invitations and menus for dinners for guests from all over Yugoslavia and abroad, as well as records of the construction of sports venues, undoubtedly represent the culmination of my research. The following images show some of these documents.
Informational materials and museum objects, Winter Olympics ’84.
Newspaper articles during the Winter Olympics ’84.
Sarajevo?!
Why Sarajevo?
Excuse me, where is that place?
What could the Olympic movement gain from that city in Yugoslavia, in Bosnia and Herzegovina?
Even well-meaning inquirers wanted to know the answers to these questions that were self-imposing, challenging, almost eruptive after Sarajevo was chosen as the host and organizer of the XIV Winter Olympic Games. For many, the unexpected choice was more than just a random turn of events or the favor of those who decided. As time passed, the reasons became clearer and were not only confirmed by the extraordinary efforts and results that all Yugoslavs, especially Sarajevans, invested in preparing for this white festival of sport, youth, and friendship, but also by numerous events in the world that led human thought and actions astray, igniting wars, misfortunes, and a general shift towards divisions that had never brought any good in the history of mankind. In the midst of this complex interplay of politics of dominance and power, misunderstanding, which had nuclear arsenals overshadowing human values, ideological confrontations, and the Cold War rivalry, the Olympic movement, jealously guarding the most humane aspirations for peace, love, and friendship among people and nations of the world, also suffered heavy blows. There were boycotts of major, even the biggest sports events. The desire for competition and the boundless love for sports of tens of thousands of world-class athletes very often stumbled over invisible barriers created by the acute global economic and political crisis.
Preface of one of the magazines exclusively published during the games.
Advertising content during the Winter Olympics’84.
Documents, invitations, reports...
Delegatory bulletin of the assembly councils
Photographs and various media
I would like to note that the Olympic Games and their anniversary will, in a way, inspire my master’s thesis. However, it is not entirely clear at the moment whether parts of the project will directly or only tangentially relate to the overall work.
The following text contains the ‘subject and initial explanation’ of the topic that was presented on April 6, 2023. Since then, the content has been developed in more detail.
“Young and avant-garde artists play a vital role in the cultural landscape of every big city. The abundance of exhibitions, galleries, museum showcases, and events draws these artists, providing them with numerous outlets for creative expression. However, life in major global cities comes with intense competition, limited opportunities for solo exhibitions, expensive rents for both living and gallery spaces, and sometimes difficult living conditions. Many artists are well aware of these challenges, but they still opt to live in the metropolis.
My longing to explore the world has been a part of me for as long as I can recall. Living in foreign countries has been a way for me to satisfy that desire. I have studied and worked in several major cities, including Amsterdam, Paris, Berlin, Vienna, New York, and Mexico City. Through these experiences, I have come to appreciate both the allure and the challenges of these cities, prompting me to consider the idea of moving to a ‘less glamorous’ location. I wondered if such a move would impact the quality of my artistic work, if I would become isolated from the art world, and if I would lose valuable contacts. However, in 2016, I decided to make the move to Bijeljina, a small town in northeastern Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Surprisingly, this life-altering decision did not hinder my artistic work; on the contrary, it enhanced it. Freed from the pressures of big cities, I found a new sense of freedom and an even stronger creative drive. I made the conscious choice to focus on smaller towns for my future projects. Small towns have been experiencing a decline in population due to migration to larger cities. What may seem unattractive about these smaller towns, such as decreased population, was remarkably appealing to me because of the surplus of vacant properties. For instance, in cities in eastern Germany like Görlitz and Zeitz, or in places like Kozarska Dubica, Orašje, Bihać, or Foča, nearly half of the shops, warehouses, and factories remain unused.
During my master’s studies, I aim to explore vacant spaces in Sarajevo, including the city center, suburbs, and surrounding villages. My goal is to repurpose these spaces in innovative ways, using them for exhibitions or pop-up events. Additionally, I plan to create a map highlighting potential locations for creative activities. If successful, this map could prove valuable to other artists, contributing to the establishment of a new environment for ongoing artistic endeavors. This project represents my efforts as a designer to present abandoned structures from a unique and engaging angle, making them more accessible to future generations of artists, regardless of their background.”
Sarajevo, April 6th, 2023
Since I was a child, I’ve been fascinated by major global events like the Olympics. During those two weeks while the games are taking place, in a way, all participating nations set aside their conflicts and celebrate one of the fundamental values of humanity – the freedom to play and healthy sports competition in a friendly spirit. It’s as if during these two weeks, there’s complete peace in the world. At least, it seems that way.
The 1984 Winter Olympics in Sarajevo were far from insignificant; in fact, they had a huge impact. Despite taking place during the Cold War, they were one of the few major events where all the world’s powers, fortunately on the sports field, competed with each other. In February 2024, we celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Games, which is a wonderful opportunity for commemoration. Among other things, I believe that this celebration is a good reason to place the Games in a much greater focus of the city than ever before. My research in the archives of the Olympic Museum and the city archives has revealed incredibly interesting and inspiring information that, in my opinion, has been less known until now. Various documents, including details about the preparations for the opening of the Games, invitations and menus for dinners for guests from all over Yugoslavia and abroad, as well as records of the construction of sports venues, undoubtedly represent the culmination of my research. The following images show some of these documents.
Informational materials and museum objects, Winter Olympics ’84.
Newspaper articles during the Winter Olympics ’84.
Sarajevo?!
Why Sarajevo?
Excuse me, where is that place?
What could the Olympic movement gain from that city in Yugoslavia, in Bosnia and Herzegovina?
Even well-meaning inquirers wanted to know the answers to these questions that were self-imposing, challenging, almost eruptive after Sarajevo was chosen as the host and organizer of the XIV Winter Olympic Games. For many, the unexpected choice was more than just a random turn of events or the favor of those who decided. As time passed, the reasons became clearer and were not only confirmed by the extraordinary efforts and results that all Yugoslavs, especially Sarajevans, invested in preparing for this white festival of sport, youth, and friendship, but also by numerous events in the world that led human thought and actions astray, igniting wars, misfortunes, and a general shift towards divisions that had never brought any good in the history of mankind. In the midst of this complex interplay of politics of dominance and power, misunderstanding, which had nuclear arsenals overshadowing human values, ideological confrontations, and the Cold War rivalry, the Olympic movement, jealously guarding the most humane aspirations for peace, love, and friendship among people and nations of the world, also suffered heavy blows. There were boycotts of major, even the biggest sports events. The desire for competition and the boundless love for sports of tens of thousands of world-class athletes very often stumbled over invisible barriers created by the acute global economic and political crisis.
Preface of one of the magazines exclusively published during the games.
Advertising content during the Winter Olympics’84.
Documents, invitations, reports...
Delegatory bulletin of the assembly councils
Photographs and various media
I would like to note that the Olympic Games and their anniversary will, in a way, inspire my master’s thesis. However, it is not entirely clear at the moment whether parts of the project will directly or only tangentially relate to the overall work.