“Missing Stories. Forced Labour under Nazi Occupation. An Artistic Approach“ is a joint artistic project initiated by Goethe-Institut in Serbia with support of the EVZ foundation. 10 artists from Serbia, Montenegro, Albania and Germany are carefully selected by 5 curators (Dr. Thomas Elsen – The Art Collections and Museums of Augsburg: H2 – The Centre for Contemporary Art, Augsburg, Dr. Sanja Kojić Mladenov – The Museum of Contemporary Art of Vojvodina, Novi Sad, Una Popović – The Museum of Contemporary Art, Belgrade, Adela Demetja – Tirana Art Lab, Tirana, Natalija Vujošević – Institute of Contemporary Art, Cetinje) to join the project and to deal artistically with its main theme – forced labour in Third Reich.

Forced labour during the German occupation of the Balkans is insufficiently reflected in the collective consciousness, for the relevant documentation is scant, no events or debates commemorating it are held, and in history textbooks that sad chapter of European history almost plays no part at all. On the other hand, numerous families remember the fate of their grandparents who were engaged in forced labour in Nazi Germany, be it in factories or in agricultural work. Owing to this, the destinies of forced labourers are very much present in the individual memories of the current generation, especially among artists and intellectuals.

The artists participating (some of them with ancestors engaged in forced labour in Germany) in the project are: Burkhard Schittny (Germany), Christian Hörl (Germany), Saša Rakezić aka Aleksandar Zograf (Serbia), Milorad Mladenović (Serbia), diSTRUKTURA (Milica Milićević and Milan Bosnić – Serbia), Dragan Vojvodić (Serbia), Ivan Salatić (Montenegro), Lenka Đorojević (Montenegro), Donika Çina (Albania), Remijon Pronja (Albania). Their works have been created through the use of different media – from photography, through acrylic paintings to audio-visual installations.

The art pieces will be exhibited in the origin countries of the artists within a tour exhibition during 2020 in the following order: in Serbia (Belgrade, Novi Sad), Albania (Tirana), Montenegro (Podgorica) and Germany (Berlin, Augsburg).

Missing Stories. Forced Labour under Nazi Occupation. An Artistic Approach is a project of the Goethe-Institut Serbien and The Foundation Remembrance, Responsibility and Future (EVZ)

Project Director:
Frank Baumann, Goethe-Institut Serbien

Concept and Project Management:
Zorica Milisavljević, Goethe-Institut Serbien
Dr. Selman Trtovac, Goethe-Institut Serbien

Project Assistant:
Milica Kalušević, Goethe-Institut Serbien

Web Content Editor:
Dr. Adam Sofronijević

Editor of the Catalogue:
Tanja Dückers

Web Design:
lotstudio.net

Proofread/translated by:
Dr. Bojana Gledić

www.missingstories.unilib.rs

© Missing Stories
Text courtesy of the authors.
Photographs courtesy of authors/right holders.
All rights reserved.

Partners:

Goethe-Institut Serbien

EVZ

Adela Demetja, Tirana Art Lab, Albania

Dr. Thomas Elsen, The Art Collections and Museums of Augsburg:
H2 – The Centre for Contemporary Art, Augsburg

Freundeskreis Willy-Brandt-Haus e.V. Germany

Natalija Vujošević, Institute of Contemporary Art Montenegro, Montenegro

Una Popović, Museum of Contemporary Art Belgrade, Serbia

Dr. Sanja Kojić Mladenov, Museum of Contemporary Art Vojvodina, Serbia