Damir Avdagic

The exhibition at KUBE will centre on three video works, all linked to different generations within the Yugoslav diaspora. The work Repriza/Uzvračanja (Reprise/Response) 2018 represents the generation that fled as adults during the 1990s.

Prolazi između 1980-2021 (Passasjer mellom 1980-2021) 2021 represents those who fled as children and grew up in other countries. The new work, still in progress, sheds light on the generation born in the countries to which their parents fled.

Together, the three works present reflections on how historical memory is preserved, retold and transmitted across generations, and raise questions about the responsibility future generations carry in processing trauma following violent political upheavals.

Taken as a whole, Avdagic’s practice constitutes an in-depth exploration that addresses and processes trauma related to war and displacement, giving it strong relevance to our conflict-ridden present. He emphasises interpersonal relations and poses important questions about how we may live together across cultures, ethnicities, histories and languages.

Damir Avdagic (b. 1987 in Banja Luka, Bosnia and Herzegovina) lives and works in Oslo. Avdagic holds an MFA from the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts (2014) and from the University of California, UCLA (2016), and is the recipient of the Norwegian Government Grant for Artists (10-year working grant).

The exhibition will open during this year’s Høstscena festival, taking place in Ålesund from 23–27 September.