Contemporary Art in Bosnia-Herzegovina: Crisis, Rupture and Discontinuity

This edited volume traces the evolution and layered mutations of the production, consumption and discussion of contemporary art from Bosnia-Herzegovina. This edited volume traces the evolution and layered mutations of the production, consumption, and discussion of contemporary art from Bosnia-Herzegovina, a European country where a devastating war resulted in the deaths of approximately 100,000 people and the displacement of over two million refugees. The chapters bring the art of a nation considered by some as peripheral, whose “European-ness” is often questioned by those on the populist right, into close and comprehensive critical focus for the first time, adding significantly to the literature on European and global art histories. A wide range of contributors offer a differing range of perspectives on cultural life in the country, differentiating it from the heavily populated English-language bibliography on the Bosnian War and its consequences politically and economically. The importance of this collection lies in the functioning of the Bosnian social and political system as an exemplar of imperfect post-conflict resolution and its consequences for the contemporary art world in Bosnia-Herzegovina. The book will be of interest to scholars working in art history, gender studies, Slavic studies, and conflict and post-conflict studies.