Two-weeks intensive workshop on contemporary art from Bosnia and Herzegovina

The first intensive week in Sarajevo will consist of lectures from our guest professors from Bihac University (BiH), the Courtauld Institute of Art (UK), Salem State University Center For Holocaust and Genocide Studies (USA) and RMIT University (Australia), among others. About fifteen visual artists from the region and the Bosnian diaspora will also present their work. Some of the topics that will be explored during the summer program are visual art, design and theatre in Sarajevo during the siege, memory, aesthetics and identity in post-war Bosnia and Herzegovina, the art of remembering the past and the role of art as a powerful tool for (re)creating and fostering cross-cultural dialogue in the Balkans. During the optional second week, we will travel to the cities of Bihac and Banja Luka and explore the local art scene, visit museums, art galleries and artist studios and meet local art historians, curators and art professionals. After visiting Kozara National Park and its famous Monument to the Revolution, the trip will continue to the Klotjevac village in Eastern Bosnia, where a workshop on the role that artists can play in a post-genocide society will be held. In Klotjevac, we will stay with a local family, one of the few families who has returned to the village, and who continuously host students and researchers from around the globe, offering them a unique and unforgettable learning experience. Finally, on our return to Sarajevo, we will stop at the Srebrenica-Potocari Memorial Center to take a closer look at memorialization of the Srebrenica genocide.

Course leader

Claudia Zini

Target group

Participation is open to graduates and postgraduates from all relevant disciplines, as well as art historians, curators, artists and museum professionals. Those interested in developing new skills while experiencing a new and exciting learning environment in Sarajevo, the vibrant capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina, are also encouraged to apply.

Course aim

The second edition of Kuma International Summer School will focus on the contemporary art production from Bosnia and Herzegovina. Participants will look at how artists from the region have addressed the political turmoil of the 1990s, including Yugoslavia’s disintegration and the 1992-95 Bosnian War, through their work. Participants will also have the unique chance to meet local artists, explore the city’s museums and art galleries as well as artists’ studios. Alongside these visits, Kuma and its local and international staff will provide a glimpse into the impact of the Bosnian recent past and current political and social state of affairs on local artists' aesthetics and narratives. The school program will also engage with the practices of a new generation of visual artists and cultural workers belonging to the Bosnian diaspora who have returned to the country out of a need to reconnect with their homeland and come to terms with their difficult past through art.

Credits info

5 EC
Kuma International Summer School is organized under the patronage of the Embassy of Italy in Bosnia and Herzegovina with the support of Bosniak Institute - Adil Zulfikarpašić Foundation, WARM Foundation, Brodac Gallery, Salem State University Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies and the VII Academy.

Fee info

EUR 280: The fee for taking part in the first week of Kuma International Summer School is €280 per person. The fee includes entrances to museums and galleries, a welcome dinner and a guided tour of the city. It does not include accommodation and living expenses.
EUR 0: For more information about costs related to the optional field trip, please contact us at info@kumainternational.org

Scholarships

The VII Academy will award six scholarships to deserving Bosnian students to attend Kuma International Summer School.