In contrast to many West German cultural institutions of the time, the ifa Gallery Berlin concentrated early, throughout the s, on collaborations with artists and curators from Eastern and Southern Europe. How have artistic approaches, curatorial practices and working methods changed over the years? And what is the situation regarding public space, which historically has been more actively incorporated into artistic practices in Eastern and Southern Europe?
This podcast links these and similar questions to wider contemporary issues and offers a podium to artists and cultural practitioners affiliated with ifa at some point in their career. In her work, she explores different genres and methods of artistic practice that center on investigating, unearthing and bringing to public debate issues related to political violence, economic underpinnings and social amnesia.
Selma Selman is of a different generation than Milica, born in the s in the newly founded Bosnia and Herzegovina and coming of age as a woman of Romani origin during the Yugoslavian War.
She understands art as a transformative tool that is capable of fighting those mechanisms of marginalization, whilst empowering collective emancipation. Selma is a founder of the organization Get The Heck To School , aiming to empower Roma girls who face ostracisation from society and poverty.
ST: Welcome Milica! Welcome Selma! Milica, as already mentioned, you were born in Belgrade in the Socialist Republic of Serbia —and capital of Yugoslavia— when the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia was still a somewhat functioning country Tito died in … and with that ethnic tensions began which eventually led to the breakup of the region ; Selma you were born in shortly before the Socialist Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina became independent and, eventually simply Bosnia Herzegovina.
