Otis Street Arts Project is proud to present Body Language, a show curated by Alma Selimovic, that will feature the works of seven queer artists/activists from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, and Serbia.

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Body Language is an initiative of connecting with queer artists from Post-Yugoslavia and bringing their work to Washington, DC. The goal is to open an exchange of dialogue concerning issues of importance to both regions.

The exhibition includes paintings, photographs, video installations, and a live performance exploring (non)autobiographical stories of bodies, its expressions, identities, fears and intentions.  All the works explore issues of gender identity/expression along with its vulnerabilities, hostilities, transitions and gentleness.

 

The body is a battleground, the smallest denominator of struggles that take place every day, privately and publicly.

 

About Artists

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Kristofer Andrić

Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina.

He is finishing his BFA (graphic design) at the Art Academy in Sarajevo. His paintings represent emotions and moments of everyday lives and struggles of transgender individuals before initiating hormonal therapy.

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Azra Čaušević

Brčko, Bosnia and Herzegovina

As a queer feminist activist, community organizer and one of core-team members of LGBT*IQA Association Okvir, Azra is passionate about queer spaces of love, memory and resistance. Azra’s work engages video, graphics and sound production and design.

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Ranka Delić

Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina

She currently works at the University of East Sarajevo, at the Department of World Litera- ture and Library Science. Her eld of interest is photography, giving her the possibility to dream on the edge of reality. Photography allows Ranka to express how she feels about herself, about the world inside and around her.

 

Nedžiba Idrizović

Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina

Nedžiba’s photography explores boundaries set by the society they live in and freedom within four walls. The work focuses on details and moments of privacy and intimacy that we try to hide from the public. The artist is both in front and behind the camera, exploring their own freedom, which has been restricted throughout Nedžiba’s life.

 

Damir Prljača

Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina

In his photographs, he captures mostly human bodies by deconstructing the shield (made out of social constructs) that the body represents. He is a director, screenwriter and cameraman who has worked on many
campaign/music videos and documentaries featuring human right issues.

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Anita Prša

Zagreb, Croatia

She studied graphic design at the Art Academy in Zagreb. Anita’s work researches manifestation of feminine identity via different objects and ritualistic activities. Most often she approaches her work autobiographically using the documentary form of representation. She often explores repetitive forms that create the effect of rituals as a need to resolve non-passionate patriarchal awareness.

 

Alex Spyke

Belgrade, Serbia

He studied art and philosophy, and currently works in the eld of performance art and physical theatre. He uses his own body as a primary artistic tool. He believes that it is the duty of every artist to bring the audience into the mindset where they can question outside problems (society politics) and introspectively think about themselves.