Acrystal with pigment, 36 x 16 x 12 cm, Städtische Sammlung Erlangen
Based on her own biography and her childhood in former Yugoslavia, Aleksandra Domanović developed a special interest in the visual culture of the country that collapsed after the end of communism. For her research-based art, which always asks about the (in)accessibility of knowledge, Domanović works her way through archives online and offline. A key question that the artist continually poses is the connection of cultural pictorial memories to the formation of social narratives and ideas, such as national identity. These social constructions are subject to constant change.
Domanović's sculpture dates from 2020, but takes the form of a monument from Niš, now in Serbia, that is over 50 years older. Near Niš was a German concentration camp during World War II, which was liberated by the Red Army in 1944. In 1963, three monumental concrete fists by Yugoslav sculptor Ivan Sabolić were unveiled there to commemorate resistance to fascist occupation. Dyed pink, the sculpture becomes receptive to the context of resistance struggles taking place today – for sexual self-determination and the acceptance of queer ways of life, for example.
Malte Lin-Kröger
