In the context of my artistic research, I draw inspiration from the transformative period of post-socialism, which in many ways marked my childhood. The transition to capitalism gave rise to a thriving market for magical services, employing new marketing strategies

 

During the 1990s, as existential fears and temporary resource shortages due to UN sanctions against Serbia worsened living conditions, superstition became a booming business. It was during this time that the business of superstition thrived, becoming a significant part of our daily existence. In 1999, a staggering 70% of our population lived below the poverty line, and there was a rapid loss of values and the sudden irrelevance of certain institutions and titles. This period has been described in research as a process of „de-civilization“ or simply as a „destroyed society,“ marked by a survival culture and a reevaluation of individual identities that could no longer be defined in terms of communist citizenship.

 

Amid the backdrop of war traumas and economic stagnation, a distinct market has emerged around the everyday concerns of people, which Larisa Jasarevic ironically refers to as the „business of fears“. The return to faith and the allure of the occult, as a response to the seismic shift from communism to capitalism, is a theme I explore in my art.

 

My artistic exploration delves into how magical practices come into play when power dynamics are disrupted and rational solutions seem out of reach. It‘s a journey into the revival of belief in its various forms, offering a partial compensation for the temporary loss of the previous societal order. I‘m particularly interested in the reassertion of patriarchal values and the construction of new identities, themes that garnered more attention in the 1990s media landscape than even the resurgence of religion.

 

Within the broader context of the former Yugoslav states, I‘m captivated by the politicization of belief within ethnonationalist discourses Traditional practices like „bajanje/vracanje“ were employed to symbolically address physical and interpersonal issues. Since the end of the civil war, there has been a tendency to treat psychological disorders and traumas using traditional methods that primarily target psychosomatic symptoms and mental illnesses as a preference over conventional treatments like psychopharmaceuticals, which were often seen as unpredictable.

 

The search for missing persons and war victims also played a role in these practices.  Methods like „strava“ or „salivanje strave“ involved pouring molten lead over a patient‘s body to later interpret the shapes as the cause of their suffering.

 

Distrust in state institutions and the corrupt political system, evident at all levels, extended to the healthcare sector. I‘m deeply intrigued by the transformation of Serbia from a highly secular nation into a society marked by a significant increase in religiosity and superstition. This transformation may be linked to the rise of conservatism and traditionalism, responses to the social crisis and the economic transition that unfolded since the end of the war, which significantly altered the landscape of the country.