To What Effect? Sarajevo And The Art Of Uncertainty
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Since the rise and fall of the Communist political program and the Socialist economic programs in East Europe and Russia many regional cities have undergone dramatic changes, from densification to decline, as well as destruction and ruination as the result of armed conflict. Renewal and restoration projects are common to area cities as they attempt to move past historical circumstances with new development strategies. Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina was badly damaged and partially destroyed over the course of the four-year Siege of Sarajevo (1992-1996) during the Balkan Wars of the 1990's. While the destruction has provided fertile ground for the study of spatial trends in urban warfare, very little about the response of Sarajevo's public, particularly its art community, has been studied for its spatial contribution to the city. This essay considers the set of practices that emerged during the Siege that have driven the development of a new art museum project, Ars Aevi -The Sarajevo Center for Contemporary Art, and articulates the questions the project raises around the role of the arts community and working artists in shaping the post-conflict city.