ANDREJ ĐERKOVIĆ
ZAPPING.
Here and there in Dobrinja are stirrings of new life, representing an attempt to find a middle ground between the mole's existence of some and the daredevil fatalism of others.
Andrej Ðerković with a VCR and a large-screen projection machine, at the building now housing the American Center library, shows the tape to some visitors. It features several vivid scenes from the worst days of 1992. Buildings explode and burn. Children cry over dead parents. People run beside an armored jeep to shield them from gunfire as they cross a bridge. The little library is an odd place, with its hundreds of English-language books in this community where few speak English. Several of the books have been damaged by flying shrapnel, and with an eye for irony, Andrej has arranged them in a display.
Dan Fesperman, The Baltimore Sun (Baltimore), 02/1994
Les images qu'il nous donnait a découvrir se trouvaient bien loin du champ morbide de la guerre: elles étaient silencieuses, pudiques, épurées comme des cicatrises.
Marc Juillard, Nexus Express (Zürich), 08/1996
The exhibition was opened by cultural attaché of Swiss Embassy to Bosnia-Herzegovina, Wolfgang A. Brülhart, who saluted artists and their affirmation in the world of culture. About the author, he didn’t want to talk too much, he just said that during his visit to Belfast, just after Ðerković’s exhibition been held there, everybody just ask for him and talk about him.
Amila Ćustović, Oslobođenje (Sarajevo), 08/1998
Sans pathos, les photos d'Andrej Derkovic racontent Sarajevo en guerre.
Luisa Ballin, Journal de Genève (Genève), 02/1998
Exploits not forgotten
Sarajevo's citizen Andrej indebted Americans
To Andrej Ðerković, Sarajevo's student of History, Americans are especially grateful. For his contributions to the availability of the American information center library in during the war on Dobrinja, Ðerković was awarded by "The Certificate of Appreciations" presented by Richard Kauzlarich, U.S. Ambassador to Bosnia-Herzegovina, in the frame of the opening of new AIC facilities in Sarajevo.
A library with 3000 books and 1000 other publications (encyclopedias, dictionaries, etc.), was transferred in May 1992 from the city center. It was very important to preserve the rich fund, and in the same time, that the same fund is available to the public. Responsibility for it took a 21-year old Andrej.
H. N., Dnevni avaz (Sarajevo), 02/1999
In recognition of his extraordinary efforts during the war to preserve, and make available to the public, the collection of books from the old American Center in Sarajevo. Thanks, to him, the books have presently found a home in the National Library of Bosnia and Herzegovina. This is also in recognition of Mr. Ðerković’s activities in Dobrinja that promoted a continued spirit of culture, as well as an American presence in the city of Sarajevo.
Richard D. Kauzlarich, US Ambassador to Bosnia and Herzegovina, 02/1999
Walking in Istanbul, on the waste market under the Galata bridge, Andrej Ðerković buy traffic sign of speed limits on 30 kilometers and where was written on Turkish: azami hiz. Not to print poster for its thirty (30) individual exhibition, shown in the bookstore Buybook, Ðerković, sarajevan artist and photographer, use this poster bought in Turkey and illustrate his expo. That affection to conceptualism, this excellent photographer is not showing for the first time. And we believe, it will not be the last.
Nisvet Džanko, DANI (Sarajevo), 11/2001
One of the strongest, is the work by Andrej Ðerković „ImageNATION“ based on the game “Man don’t be angry”, in which the colors of blue, red, green and yellow are associated with the four peoples of Bosnia-Herzegovina. The idea is, as the author is saying, “is to find a fit between the game (as an expression of social and mental status) and the political game, whose result in our case has been the displacement of peoples and classifications by national and religious affiliation”.
Patricia Kiš, Jutarnji list (Zagreb), 06/2002
With multicultural aspects of Bosnian-Herzegovinian society, that basic theme of the social drama of the last decade, in their works are confronted Andrej Ðerković i Damir Nikšić. First one, the drama of national conflicts and moving of the peoples from one territory on another, is ironical interpreting as a social game whose players are actually, figurines handled by unidentified, but foresee subject outside of the space of the game bounded by colors of the state flag.
Aleksandar Adamović, DANI (Sarajevo), 07/2002
Ðerković’s works deal with the dilemmas, paradoxes, and abject situations happening precisely on this fault-line. For the last decade, his works have taken the form of interactive and perceptual installations and chronicles, whose structure and form reflect a representative approach related to his experience during and after the Balkan wars. In recent years however, the emphasis have shifted to a more specific perspective into the events and traumas of the war, reaching to a point in this exhibition where he directly indicates the names of the disappeared people. His previous work also elevates the human drama in this region into a political statement with inquiring, scrutinizing and challenging content. In an interview Noam Chomsky says “Nobody is going to pour truth into your brain. It’s something you have to find out for yourself”. Yet, what artists like Ðerković are doing is to show the ways of how to find out; because for example, the truth about Srebrenica is still concealed and needs to be unearthed.
Beral Madra, Istanbul, 2004
Đerković’s work (actually exhibited in Galerija Kortil as the part of the official program of Festival of New arts FONA - Rijeka 2004 and will be shown in Toulouse and Geneva, after what will be given back definitely to the Memorial Center in Srebrenica in which collection is part of) is consist from 70 achromatic white boards on which with Braille are written the names of missing victims of Srebrenica’s massacre. The work, that with its visual and symbolic power compacting and expressing all social, ethical and political contradictions and catastrophes of this region, and warning us from the perspective of Goli otok, that “Normal blinds SEE what is written with Braille, because that is the significant difference between normal and ethical BLINDNESS.”
Ivan Šepić, Magazin Status (Beograd), 09/2004
Izeta Suljić appeared a little intimidated, yesterday afternoon, in Mix'Art Myrys at the inauguration of the festival “Du monde aux Balkans”. But she is pleased that the association Guernica was able to finance her journey from Bosnia to Toulouse. Because through her, the revolt of the survivors of Srebrenica was better understood to those present on the inauguration. A revolt marked symbolically by the exhibition dedicated to the missing from Srebrenica by photographer Andrej Ðerković.
B. D., La Depeche (Toulouse), 11/2004
Andrej Ðerković is one of those artists who carry the terrible light heartedness of Sarajevo into the world with a smile and dark eyes. At a time when Dobrinja was the saddest place in the world, he opened a library. When he lost around him good friends in the trenches outside the city, he wrote poetry about the shadow of the moon. He came out of the war with a sense of humor and an eye for images so simple and clear that people with more complicated minds wouldn’t recognize them even when they were standing right in front of them. I am one of those people. But suddenly, Andrej popped up into my life as if he had always been there. I had just not noticed him. I had seen the writers, the theatre directors and the photographers of Sarajevo wrestling with their memories. Some drowned in trauma. Some just kept on drinking. Some kept on producing images so light hearted that they brought you to tears. It takes courage to be simple about the unspeakable. Andrej carries this courage on him like others carry a pack of cigarettes. Andrej’s poems, photographs and artifacts are like memories. We might forget them, but they will not forget us. Just when we least expect them to haunt us, we will run into them. On boxes of good old Drina cigarettes, Andrej printed his simple message: Forgetting kills. They will go up in smoke, but they will settle inside our hearts and lungs. We may inhale the future, but we breathe the past. There is something about the Ðerković smile. You will notice it once he pops up next to you. It is a knowing smile.
Chris Keulemans, Amsterdam, 2005
Andrej Ðerković is not local-patriot; he is real global artist, man who take care about all the world.
Snježana Mulić, DANI (Sarajevo), 06/2005
The exhibition by Andrej Đerković, MISSING, presented this summer in the eminent gallery ‘Kortil’ in Rijeka, contains such visual and symbolic force that it captures perfectly, as no other installation / exhibition in the history of this exhibition space, the theme and ambience of the glaring whiteness and spaciousness of gallery ‘Kortil’.
Branko Cerovac, MMSU Rijeka, Rijeka, 2005
Sarajevan artist Andrej Đerković drew public attention last year, with an exhibition “Missing”, which was consists of a list of missing persons from Srebrenica translated on Braille. While he is preparing and setting up the exhibition for July 11 (Srebrenica Memorial Day) in The Hague, Andrej has found a new way to shake Bosnian public. With new exhibition “To forget kills”, that is set in the Turkish Cultural Center, Đerković is once again engaged in Srebrenica, missing persons thematic. In an original way he draw public attention to the horror of Srebrenica and the unacceptability of forgetting as an escape from reality. In collaboration with the Sarajevo Tobacco Factory, Andrej has developed eight-hundredths boxes of old Drina, where instead of the mark Smoking kills stands To forget kills. Under Andrej, there is too many in this world labels warning against smoking and for the preservation of health, and nobody thinks of death that is all around us. After Sarajevo, the exhibition will be shown in Geneva and Paris. Aside of Tobacco Factory Sarajevo (FDS), honorary partner of the exhibition is association “Mothers of Srebrenica and Žepa enclaves”.
Aida Hadžić, Gracija (Sarajevo), 01.07.2005
On July 11 this year, I was walking around Sarajevo. The slogan "To forget kills" by Andrej Derkovic, visible at every step, testified as history, as one of the reminders of the mass crime that took place in the protected zone of the United Nations.
Gregor Bauman, Finance (Ljubljana), 08/2005
We are driving like that fifth or sixth times, and always we are missing the details. We see just contours, outlines and shapes, but nothing more. It makes us nervous, so we are laughing. Two young mans laughing together in the elevator. Such an image from Sarajevo under bombardment, and soon there will not be electricity anymore, without what the exhibition of Andrej will not be possible. Even that we don't know how much our life will last and what we will see more in our lives, we agree that we never saw crazier exhibition.
It is summer 96, and Andrej is telling me that some of those photographs are still on those mid-floors. I will not check, because I am not entering in this elevator alone. I am in that age that it is not polite to drive in the elevators in which you don't have anybody of yours. And there are no even new exhibitions.
I am saying to you, my friend, it is voluminous my loneliness in that elevator. It is so big that I will not drive with it. We are getting older, my dear Karim, and you are somewhere up, forever young, as a comic hero, as an Axle Moonshine from yours nicely lined-up shelf...
Miljenko Jergović, Zagreb, 2006
“Zaborav ubija”, a special edition of Drina cigarettes made by artist Andrej Đerković in 2005, is saying: “Forgetting kills”. Margalit speaks in this context as "double murder" on the victim: first, the victim is physically murdered and then again it is forgotten.
Bob de Graaff, Op de klippen of door de vaargeul?, BV Uitgeverij SWP, Amsterdam, 2006
Ce derniere travail d’Andrej Derkovic sera l’un des temps fort du festival.
Arnaud Vaulerin, Liberation (Paris), 15.10.2006
Strong impression on the visitors in Feshane in Istanbul, was left by artistic boards of Andrej Đerković that were understood as a message of Srebrenica victims, "those that we can not see, but they can see us".
Jusko Bojadžić, Oslobođenje (Sarajevo), 03/2007
That the speech and messages are material that can be changed, processed, distorted and has a double meaning it’s confirmed by Andrej Đerković’s work "To forget kills".
Meliha Husedžinović, Pobjeda (Podgorica), 04/2007
Long time ago we were tough that Manuscripts do not burn, by Mikhail Bulgakov in “The Master and Margarita", on of the biggest novel ever written. With true belief in that eternity of the literature, Andrej Ðerković was saving the library of American Information Centre in the flame of Sarajevo under the siege, because despite everything, war and evil are temporary, and the books and creative spirit, we need to believe, are surpassing and surviving the time of the destruction. In that way, bonfires are becoming enable and mortal, while the libraries are in a way, indestructible worlds of the eternal. In this dark and serious world that is maniacally rushing into self-destruction and final nothingness, what and who are people like Andrej Ðerković? Naive or eccentrics, last Mohicans and dinosaurs, first comic descendants of Sisyphus or Don Quixote... Even with his appearance, Andrej doesn’t belong in the armies of cloned newfangled creatures of today. With its structure, character and hairstyle, Ðerković is somewhere, lets say, between Honoré de Balzac and Three Musketeers.
Kristijan Ivelić, Babilonska knižnjica, Emission „Sedmica“, FTV (Sarajevo), 2007
The exhibition that was shown last years in fifteen European cities is created as a reaction on aggressive campaign against smoking, which on the Balkans, for some time will not gain its purpose. The work is shown for the first time in Sarajevo in the frame of the tenth anniversary of the fall of Srebrenica. Instead o usual squares with notes about danger of smoking, on the cigarette box of DRINA, Đerković printed on three languages note “To forget kills”. First look on the box of legendary DRINA cigarettes is quite shocking. Just imagine, that every morning with coffee or every day on the tobacco kiosk, you are watching this pack of cigarettes. On the contrary of conspirative and limited action against smoking, the project of this Bosnian artist is deeply honest and very effective. When you think a little bit more, preventive action against smoking are coming out hypocrite, comparing to the Đerković’s project, whose aim is obviously to keep its own identity. It whatever in which way, connected to the identity of the community from which you come from.
Nina Slokar Boc, Radio Student (Ljubljana), 05/2007
For 1st and 2nd of May in the yard of Centre for Cultural Decontamination it is open the exhibition of Bosnian artist Andrej Đerković "To forget kills (Zaborav ubija)". On original box of sarajevan cigarettes “Drina”, instead of the mark “Smoking kills”, artist published limited edition with inscription “To forget kills” on bosnian, english and french.
Danas (Beograd), 05/2007
With artistic, movie and musical projects of Bosnian-Herzegovinian artist in a memory of the siege of Sarajevo 15 years ago, cultural relation between Bosnia-Herzegovina and Serbia are on the peak these days through the event called “Days of Sarajevo” in Belgrade. As a highlight of the event, will be opened the exhibition of Bosnian-Herzegovinian artist Andrej Đerković called “To forget kills”.
Deutschland Radio (Köln), 05/2007
Sarajevan photographer, conceptual artist and writer, Andrej Đerković with its permanent artistic work and making the works that are reminding and with its engagements are talking the truth about the crimes done in our country, warning that „To forget kills“. By persisting on its engagement, as rare of any artist in BiH, have one preoccupation - to delineate the crime to the world on artistic way and to draw attention on unpronounced punishment to the perpetrators.
Anila Gajević, Ličnost dana / Personality of the day, Dnevni avaz (Sarajevo), 07/2007
It is therefore to be applauded the organization of this commemoration of Srebrenica tragedy. Andrej Đerković, Anur Hadžiomerspahić, Šejla Kamerić, Tarik Samarah and Ajna Zlatar, Bosnia's best, staged an exhibition at the Mimara Museum in Zagreb, with the motive of Srebrenica.
Tarik Kulenović, Stanje nacije, Celeber (Zagreb), 2007
Andrej Đerković is a special pearl of 12th Biennale de l’Image en Movement (BiM) in Centre pour l’Image Contemporaine Saint-Gervais in Geneva. Our young artist opted for intervention in the space. In the central elevator of the building where the Biennial is held, he set his work “I survived 1425 days of the siege”.
Ivica Pinjuh, Sineast (Sarajevo), 12/2007
Sarajevan artist is well known by its simplicity when it is the question of the presentation on which all the artists are condemned. He is avoiding to be pompous, on the openings is talking very few, if he even say anything, philosophy about the concepts of arts and what the art suppose to mean it is not in his interest - his works are on the disposal to the observers, because it is them who are actually invited to give their opinion.
Maša Durkalić, DANI (Sarajevo), 12/2007
On the contrary, Andrej Đerković is saying that, oblivion kills. It kills also those whose names are written here. And those who think that because they don’t read the same, it is protecting them from the possibility to be read. Even if we ache for forgetting as we do the same for the cigarette. If you think that this is not art then just inconvenient joke, try to forget. Art sometimes is taking us, in its most crazy shapes, out of our usual way of seeing or reading the reality. That could be perceived in earlier showing of this expo on Ðerković’s list of those who didn’t come, written on, for most of us, not understandable Braille letters. His work “Missing” unfortunately is not here (it is selected by Beral Madra in ARS AEVI contemporary arts Museum in Sarajevo), but if it is, you will have a specific experience of reading it with closed eyes, but with open heart and mind. Maybe, this try of reading will bring you also to the question: “What is actually my name? Is it also my name made by these, same, to me unknown letters?”
Predrag Lucić, Feral Tribune (Split), 01/2007
The exhibition “8372 Didn’t come” in all segments represents the top achievement of the presentation of contemporary art. This exhibition is an aesthetically superior and stylistically and qualitatively balanced homage to the victims of the Srebrenica massacre. With confronting with the demanding task of memento on one of the most shameful and tragic events in modern history, the concept of the exhibition successfully avoided the humanly understandable trap of pathos and political prosecution, as well and the drama of Srebrenica as an internationally understood symbol of the horrors of war crime and genocide.
Jolanda Todorović, City of Rijeka, 2007
Among them are Šejla Kamerić and Andrej Đerković, whose artistic presence is undoubtedly already noticed and admitted, not only in their country but also through participations in artistic biennials around the world. Dominant aspect of their art is the reflection upon the life facts related to the experiences in and after the war in Sarajevo, given through various media, video art, photography, installations, such as Đerković's „Zaborav ubija“ and Kamerić's „Bosnian Girl“.
Branka Vujanović, Vizura (Sarajevo), 03/2008
His white Braille canvases stand like solemn tombstones - the traditional white association with clarity and innocence is inverted for the darkness that ensues from a loss of sight and the inviting repatriation of existence of their sons through touch (that is to touch them and validate existence through concrete physicality and put them to rest).
Piera Ravnikar & Jenny Lee (London), 2008
In the work of Andrej Đerković, by touching the list of those considered as missing and written on Braille, we are passing into the other, internal dimension, becoming conscience of the horror that happen. The victim doesn’t have last resting, but its name is staying written, it stays the trace because “To forget is killing”.
S.K., Srebrenica u Vukovaru, Preporodov Journal (Zagreb), 09/2008
Remembrance is obverse of oblivion, its light underground, that we can compare with the shine of the night stars, if darkness we take as oblivion that covers us and, in one of Đerković 's installation on the box of soft Drina, is killing us.
Faruk Šehić, Žurnal (Sarajevo), 08/2009
Nothing compared with to Andrej Ðerković, now known artist, at the beginning of the war still a student in Sarajevo. Between a truce and the bombardments, Andrej who found itself in the surounded quarter of Dobrinja, he succeeded successfully to transfer the books from the American Cultural Center, that it comprised a rich library, and that was abandoned in the first days of the bombardments, from downtown into besieged Dobrinja. Transfer was done throught the sniper alley with a truck in three times. At 200 meters from the front line, Andrej put on a veritable library. "I could hardly believe it, but the people gave back the books after reading them, did not burn them to warm up, and came to take them despite the snipers and the bombings" says Andrej.
Azra Nuhefendić, Il Piccolo (Roma), 04/2009
The artist who created the Omagh bomb memorial, Sean Hillen, and photographer Andrej Ðerković, who captured images of life during and after the Bosnian war, are to address a Belfast conference on how artists have recorded conflict.
Belfast Telegraph (Belfast), 10/2009
Postgraduate student Niall Rea, from Belfast, said: "Bosnian photographer Andrej Ðerković, whose work during and since the Siege of Sarajevo earned him international critical acclaim, and Newry-born artist Sean Hillen, creator of the Omagh memorial sculpture, will discuss their art and its role in commemorating the past."
U.TV (Belfast), 10/2009
Being in Neighborhood
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In Joreige’s photographs of Beirut, we don’t see the destruction that befell on this country as a result of the Israeli Defense Forces’ attack on Lebanon. Instead we find uncanny and eerie images of a deserted Mediterranean city. Andrej Djerkovic’s contribution, on the other hand, encircles around another destruction, the Srebrenica Massacre of 1995. In this spectral work, the names of the slaughtered are displayed in Brail alphabt bet, white on white. It is indeed noteworthy that the stories that these artists chose to tell each other and to us are all about destruction.
Yahya M. Madra, Being in Neighbourhood, Contemporary Practices (Abu Dhabi), 2009
In ULUCG Art Pavilion it’s opened the photographic exhibition of Andrej Đerković. Bosnian artist with twenty black and white photographs of Belfast, Sarajevo, Rijeka and Geneva is talking about dividedness between the peoples, but also personal story about the problematic of physical dividedness.
Miroslav Minić, Monitor (Podgorica), 10/2010
Mediation of memory of socialist past - Dealing with nostalgia and politics of oblivion: Case study the Museum of Yugoslav History
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Another project that should be mentioned is the installation of the artist Andrej Đerković “88 Roses for Kamarad Tito” contrasts two meanings of the word rose in different periods of the life of the artist: During his childhood, roses for Tito designed the love and devotion to late president; after his death, many parks had 88 roses (Tito died at the age of 88). In the nineties the ‘roses’ (hole made by missiles and bombs filled with paint, done by anonymous person/s) in bombed Sarajevo were marking places where bombs exploded on the pavement. Đerković made a wreath of photos of Sarajevo roses instead of flowers and brought it in the House of Flowers as the final act of this ten-year long performance. Together with wreath was the letter addressing Tito, written in English, explaining the artist’s loss of country and identity that happened in years following Tito’s death.
Mirjana Slavković, Mediation of memory of socialist past - Dealing with nostalgia and politics of oblivion: Case study the Museum of Yugoslav History, University of Arts Belgrade/Université Lumière Lyon 2, 09/2010 / PhD
The presence of U.S. political domination today is felt in almost all countries of the world. In the military, political, economic or cultural terms, America is the preeminent power that is hard to resist. Andrej Ðerković, our artist residing in Geneva, in his space installations ”Beautiful occupation” from 2005, examines the systematic presence of American dominance in other societies. For this purpose, the artist includes a sense of smell and thus points to the distinct ability of thinking contemporary-artistic problems and their materialization.
Irfan Hošić, DANI (Sarajevo), 01/2011
The artistic work of Bosnian-Herzegovinian artist Andrej Ðerković, “Résidents de la République” is elaborating exactly this hypocrisy. The setting of this work in Sarajevo gallery Duplex coincided with the French law prohibiting the wearing of the hijab, which poster and law order was illustrated by Marianne - the national symbol of freedom and reason. Ðerković is placing himself in the position of representative of civil liberties and in reductionist way, he talks about this problem: one color Marianne in displayed in negative, across the gallery wall is decorated with a traffic sign prohibiting that one-way street. French problem has become more than obvious, and his populist charge is recognized by numerous citizens and European citizens' critical public.
Irfan Hošić, DANI (Sarajevo), 05/2011
And while the usual artistic attitude of the Bosnian entity Republic of Srpska could be eventually more critical towards thus kind of repartition of the state, a position from another entity Bosnian entity lead on his criticism directly towards the same notion or the shape of the border of entity. Striking example is the untitled work by artist Andrej Đerković from 2003, where the inter-entity boundary is drawn with table tennis net. The impossibility of fair-play game is caused by the entity division, and numerous Ping-Pong balls on the floor, are evidence of its failure.
Irfan Hošić, Dani (Sarajevo), 08/2011
During the siege of Sarajevo, his native city, Andrej Ðerković spent his time taking photographs. For the twentieth anniversary of the siege, this cultural activist is publishing a book of photographs with the evocative title “9/11”. To coincide with its launch, Centre de la Photographie is presenting his 10 triptychs of twins, not all of them survive the siege.
Joerg Bader, Centre de la Photographie (Genève), 01/2012
Artistic illustrations in this issue are again following the idea of Tekstura that great art can/have to question already settled and easy accepted values and to remind us on our responsibility in the time that we are living. From that angle, the works of Andrej Đerković are dealing with contemporary moment (cover page), as well as with the changes in out recent past (performance in the Museum of Yugoslavian history).
Ružica Marjanović, TekstUra (Beograd), 06/2012
One of those who are not letting that tragedy of Srebrenica fall into the oblivion is as well, sarajevan artist Andrej Đerković who toured from 2007 with his artwork “Srebrenicaekspres” many cities and countries, in a way to show to the world suffering of mothers from Srebrenica and to show how much today they are suffering while waiting for justice and searching for the rest of their beloved. His artwork, now he exposed in Danish capital Copenhagen and in German city of Kassel.
Merima Ćustović, Ličnost dana / Personality of the day, Dnevni avaz (Sarajevo), 10/2012
Distinctive, universal and omnipresent Andrej Đerković, is author with impressive biography. Born in 1971 in Sarajevo, artistically, through exhibitions, photographs, projects and performance, he is present in many cities in Europe. When you look at his curriculum, you get spin in your head.
Gracija (Sarajevo), 12/2012
Thinking images
Exhibition that everybody talks: "Aftermath" in Zagreb gallery Klovićevi dvori
The exhibition, presents as well a Bosnia-Herzegovina national selection, selected by Branka Vujanović from sarajevan gallery Collegium artisticum. A special interest spurred works of Andrej Ðerković and Tarik Samarah, whose force of artistic expression, Croatian audience and the experts know and appreciate since the exhibition dedicated to the victims of the genocide in Srebrenica, which was declared the best art exhibitions in 2007.
Jadranka Dizdar, KUN (Sarajevo), 04/2013
With photography against divisions
Starting from the exhibition Dum Dum from in 1994, in which he marked a wartime destruction of Sarajevo, to the latest work, Taksim triptych in 2013, with his photographs of protest in Istanbul, Andrej Đerković in its photographic exhibitions and installations is dealing with social criticism and questioning the nature of ethnic conflicts and divisions.
LICEULICE (Beograd), 12/2013
Srebrenica Genocide in the works of artists
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The most prominent artists who dealt with Srebrenica genocide in their art works include Mersad Berber, Safet Zec and Nesim Tahirović. They have organized numerous exhibitions around the world on the theme of Srebrenica Genocide. Then conceptual artists like Šejla Kamerić, Tarik Samarah, Andrej Đerković, Anur Hadžiomerspahić and Ajna Zlatar developed a joint exhibition „8372 did not come“. This exhibition was held at the Mimara Museum in Zagreb, Sponza Palace in Dubrovnik and Kortil Gallery in Rijeka, where it received an award for Best Cultural Event in 2007. Andrej Đerković used a symbol „Oblivion kills“ on the cigarette box of Sarajevo's DRINA instead of “Smoking kills.” The work was done in collaboration with the Sarajevo Tobacco Factory, and was signed by the author and the Mothers of Srebrenica and Žepa Enclaves and numbered from 001 to 800. This work is dedicated to those who think that smoking kills more than the human mind, and to those of us who think that they do not think so. It was made in the form of poster and exhibited on the streets around the world (Radiosarajevo.ba 2011). This work was premiered in Sarajevo as part of the official celebration of the tenth anniversary of the fall of Srebrenica, and on the same day in London, and later in Amsterdam, Zagreb, Geneva, Antwerp, Marseille, Barcelona, Dubrovnik, Banja Luka, Mostar, Istanbul, Vukovar, Ljubljana and Split (Lucić 2008).
Amila Smajlović, Assistant Professor International University of Sarajevo (IUS)
The International Conference on Education, Culture and Identity, 07/2013
I always say, that I think how Sarajevo also saved its sense of humor. As the poster of the 20th Anniversary of the Olympic Games during the war made by Trio, which showed some Olympic rings made with wire of thorns. Airport stamp in the passport "Maybe airlines". Make a contest to choose "Miss Besieged Sarajevo". Famous Drina tobacco packages with inscription "To Forget Kills." designed by Andrej Ðerković. Making the map of the siege as if it were a comic created by Suada Kapić. Renaming the impacts of the mortars as "Sarajevo roses".
Clearly, a pride of the city.
Manel Vila, Parliament of Catalonia, Barcelona, 17 march 2014
Among the chosen ones
Andrej Đerković had the honor to be a part of the project "Souvenirs of Europe." He and fifteen of his colleagues, the most important representatives of today's European scene of contemporary art, are invited to choose and create posters as "objects of protest" political souvenirs of our time. The final project will result in an exhibition that will be presented during the upcoming elections for the European Parliament. This artist with his art works reminds the public to blockade the city under Trebević (Sarajevo), the tragedy in New York in 2001, Genocide in Srebrenica...
Merima Ćustović, Ličnost dana / Personality of the day, Dnevni avaz (Sarajevo), 04/2014
By choosing wide-scale format of the triptych, Andrej Ðerković is reminding us the close relation between the sense of place and the sense of belonging. While you enter the gallery, a grey wall is facing you. On the sides, blue uniforms squeeze you in between two security lines.
Nadia Capuzzo, Sarajevo, 04/2014
Director of the Art Museum, art historian Ljiljana Zeković explained that exhibition includes art works and extended media, bought or given as gifts by Montenegrin and foreign authors in the period from 2009 to 2104, who qualitatively and quantitatively enriched fund the Art Museum.
"The collection consists of new acquisitions, among whom, works by Špiro Bocaraćić, Risto Stijović, Janko Brajović, Marko Borozan, Milo Milunović, Petar Lubarda, Miloš Vušković, Natalija Vujošević, Adin Rastoder, Andrej Đerković and many others. It has more than 100 works by 61 authors, which I think is an impressive number", she said.
Milena Stanojević, Radio Crna Gora, 05/2014
Memory Lane : Art contemporain de Bosnie-Herzégovine
La guerre a beau être terminée, elle reste là, larvée, cachée dans tous les éléments du décor (chez Nebojša Šerić Shoba), dans la culpabilité qui assaille les papas sympas d'aujourd'hui qui étaient les combattants d'hier (chez Mladen Miljanović), dans les points rouges que dessine Adela Jusić, comme ceux des viseurs des fusils des snipers qui ont abattu son père. Se jouant des clichés sur la Bosnie-Herzégovine (où les femmes puent, sont moustachues et sans dents pour Šejla Kamerić), réfléchissant autant au passé qu'à la manière de construire l'avenir sans le négliger (“Oublier tue”, rappelle Andrej Đerković), l'exposition de la galerie agnès b., riche et bien construite, se distingue par la force de son propos et la pertinence des artistes qui la composent.
Mikaël Demets, Time Out Paris (Paris), 06/2014
Once you enter the gallery, you cannot fail to see "Zaborav ubija - To forget kills" (2005) artwork by Andrej Ðerković, an artist born in Sarajevo in 1971. These three impressions on aluminum (100 x 70 cm), borrow their style warnings on cigarette packages, reclaiming one of the best known brands Bosnian "Drina", which owes its name to the river that divides Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia. Created in the climate of denial and indifference at the time of the tenth anniversary of the fall of Srebrenica, the admonition of the artist, written in French, English and Bosnian / Croatian / Serbian / Montenegrin says oblivion is more harmful than tobacco. And indicating that these "Drinas" have denifine® filters Ðerković suggests that denial gives forgetting a less pungent taste. This warning appears yet again in “Memory Lane” exhibition, as a multitude of posters - all identical - covering the walls of a staircase, and once again returning visitors to the collective duty of memory.
Lauren Lydic
Université de Limoges, Limoges, 06/2014
The artist Andrej Đerković again with his works speaks about everyday of Bosnian modern society, with emphasis on its paradoxes resulting from the recent war. With series of photographs of portraits through game of words OTHER / OTHER, he presented the citizens of Sarajevo and his friends, who do not fit the anomaly of national classification.
Merima Ćustović, Dnevni avaz (Sarajevo), 03/2015
Photographer Andrej Đerković (44) for years now, questions the world around him and creates art with a message. In front of his objective were some of the most famous personalities of our time, such as Bono, Jean-Luc Goddard, Marina Abramovic and Catherine Deneuve, and he exhibited in, apart of his native Sarajevo, around the world.
Mila Đurić, Gracija (Sarajevo), 03/2015
Few years ago, Andrej Đerković, contemporary artist, achieve with Sarajevo Tobacco Fabric an artwork of package od cigarettes "Drina" on which one was published expression "To forget kills".
Manuel Vila, Crític (Barcelona), 07/2015
Negar insulta, olvidar mata
"Zaborav ubija" (El olvido mata) es la exposición de Andrej Ðerković en Sarajevo. Mata, porque el peligro pervive y es latente, pero cada generación vuelve a minimizarlo.
Ramiro Villapadierna, El Pais (Madrid), 07/2015
It is interminable history of mankind. Tragedy and heroism. Manuel Vila will not be there to read it, but as a hero. Civil servants in the City of Barcelona and former manager of Nou Barris, Pasqual Maragall was commissioned to build a bridge between Barcelona and Sarajevo. That bridge named District 11, was the germ of the NGO that promotes this brave man today, honorary citizen of Sarajevo, where he met many brave alters. As Andrej, conceptual artist that after the Dayton Peace Agreement in Bosnia and Herzegovina, changed "Smoking kills." packages of tobacco brand Drina by the legend "To forget kills.".
Domingo Marchena, La Vanguardia (Barcelona), 09/2015
The seventh edition of the Festival Verão Azul kicks off on September 17 and extends until November 6, leading to Lagos, Loulé and Faro various contemporary artistic proposals, with exhibitions, performances and documentaries. The festival kicks off in Loulé, with the inauguration of photo exhibition "Start from Zero", in Casa do Castelo, with renowed authors André Uerba, Patricia Almeida, Celio Vasco and Andrej Đerković.
Rádio e Televisão de Portugal - RTP (Lisboa), 09/2016
“Andrej Đerković, in his work “88 Roses for Comrade Tito”, which was, after touring all the former Yugoslav republics, exhibited for a week in 2010 on Tito’s grave on the occasion of the thirtieth anniversary of his death and then permanently stored in the fine arts collection of the Museum, connects two different periods of his life - growing up in socialism and the war period of the 1990s when a “rose” in Sarajevo jargon meant the print of a grenade on the asphalt. Photos of these “roses”, all 88 of them on the ring of wire, are a symbolic epilogue of all the 88 roses and trees planted in the memory of Tito who died at the age of 88.”
Ana Panić, Archive fever in the case of cooperation of the museum of Yugoslav history and contemporary artists - Past as safe heaven or new starting point?, Danube Dialogues (Novi Sad), 09/2016
Narrating Ars Aevi
Re-envisioning and Re-shaping the Contemporary Art Museum of Sarajevo in the Urban Space
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Among founding-exhibitions, “Neighbors in Dialogue” has been instead the first in presenting artworks characterized by an explicit political significance, such as Missing by Andrej Đerković, in memory of Srebrenica genocide, as well as the work by Shalva Khakhanashvili, who interpreted the tension of waiting during the process of attaining EU-membership and the reluctance of the EU.
Silvia Maria Carolo, Ca' Foscari University of Venice, 2016
Andrej Đerković, in his work “88 Roses for Comrade Tito”, which was, after touring all the former Yugoslav republics, exhibited for a week in 2010 on Tito’s grave on the occasion of the thirtieth anniversary of his death and then permanently stored in the fine arts collection of the Museum, connects two different periods of his life - growing up in socialism and the war period of the 1990s when a “rose” in Sarajevo jargon meant the print of a grenade on the asphalt. Photos of these “roses”, all 88 of them on the ring of wire, are a symbolic epilogue of all the 88 roses and trees planted in the memory of Tito who died at the age of 88.
Ana Panić, Archive fever in the case of cooperation of the Museum of Yugoslav history and contemporary artists – past as a safe heaven or a new starting point?, Cultural Institute of Vojvodina, Novi Sad, september 2016
Đerković chosed a symbol from popular and contemporary culture which is fondation and model for his artwork.
Mirela Sekulić, Oslobođenje (Sarajevo), 01/2017
They are very vivid, the images of the siege of Sarajevo, begun on April 6, 1992, and ended in February 1996, four years of war at the gates and between the streets of the capital of Bosnia, at least 12,000 victims found. Perhaps they look sharper than those of the earthquake in L'Aquila, which occurred in the night of April 6, 2009, with 309 dead and 1,600 injured. Omnipresent as the pictures, numbers, sometimes even create crossroads, often happens with the chronologies and it is on this coincidence that Andrej Đerković tries to draw a line from which to start again. The photographer, who survived those 1425 days and one of the founders of ARS AEVI Sarajevo Museum of Contemporary Art, whose final venue will officially open in 2018 on Renzo Piano's project, involved sixteen artists in the creation of works to be donated to Aquila and in particular, MU.SP.AC, the first museum reconstructed after the earthquake.
Exibart (Firenze), 04/2017
The exhibition was born from an idea of the artist Andrej Đerković, one of the founders of the ARS AEVI Museum of Contemporary Arts Collection, who, twenty-five years after the beginning of the longest siege in modern history during the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina - in order to create a link between the siege of Sarajevo (April 6, 1992) and the earthquake of L'Aquila (April 6, 2009), decides to involve sixteen internationally recognized artists for the realization of artworks to be donated to the city of L'Aquila and MU.SP.AC, the first museum which was reconstructed after the earthquake.
Artribune (Roma), 04/2017
Aesthetics of Transgression and Its Strategies in Post-Yugoslav Art
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It is important to recall here the notion of borderline-type subjectivity and its symptoms that post-Yugoslav artists embraced strategically to counteract the dominant processes of identification based upon the willingness to be deceived into the illusion of totality as a way of protection against the national threat. For example, a series of photographic portraits titled Ostali/ostali [Others/stayed] (2014) by Bosnian artist Andrej Đerković consists of portraits of the citizens of Sarajevo and personal friends of the author who do not imbed into the national classification in Bosnian contemporary society. These are also portraits of the people who during the siege stayed in the city. The portrayed persons proudly do not accept the present division according to ethnicity and the oblivion of common antifascist past of multiethnic socialist Yugoslavia. In war and post-war reality this socio-political struggle against oblivion of past struggles and social experience was even more important than the military defense against the aggression. Nationalist on all sides were determined to remind Bosnians of their respective ethnic identities (the pressure that continues today: officially, to identify oneself as a “Bosnian” without accompanying ethnic qualification means to place oneself into the category of “others”). Many of the citizens who stayed in Sarajevo during the war later decided to leave the city, disillusioned and defeated not in a military but in a socio-cultural sense. The place they fought for no longer exists.
Branka Vujanović, Faculty of Social Sciences and Cultural Studies, University Justus-Liebig, Giessen, 07/2017
The main thing in this project is - transparency. Names and family names seem to exist, but they dissolve in white space, merge with the background. Missing people are with us, but they are weightless, we can touch their names, but to see them - no. And the moment of touching the name is the moment of merging with the image of the disappeared person, as if its materialization, but it's worth removing your hands from Braille's font - and it disappears, merges with millions of similar ones - people who have left without a trace.
Natalia Katerynenko, Kyiv, 07/2017
A famous artist compared the massacre in ex-Yugoslavia with Ukrainian realities
In Kyiv, the well-known Bosnian artist Andrej Đerković presented his project, which is dedicated to missing people.
Bussineshub (Kyiv), 07/2017
An exhibition devoted to the victims of the genocide opened quietly and imperceptibly
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The white sheets of paper on which the artist placed the lists of the dead made the symbolic gravestones of those who perished, and the Braille font, which is made with inscriptions, conveys a sense of contradiction between the lack of bodies of the dead and the desire of their relatives to find their missing relatives.
Natalija Isenko, день (Kyiv), 07/2017
Ministry of Culture of Ukraine
On cultural cooperation of Ukraine with foreign countries in July 2017
On July 11, on the day of the 22nd anniversary of the genocide in Srebrenica, a project of the Bosnian artist Andrej Đerković "Missing" was opened in "Dymchuk Gallery" in Kiev. The bloodshed in the city of Srebrenica is one of the most tragic events of the war in Yugoslavia in 1991-1995. The white sheets of paper on which the artist placed the lists of the missing was the symbolic gravestone of those who perished, and the Braille font, which is made with inscriptions, conveys a sense of conflict between the lack of bodies of the dead and the desire of their relatives to find their missing relatives. On July 12, Andrey Đerković's artist talk was held within the framework of the exhibition. He spoke about the project "Missing" and the importance of his representation in Ukraine.
Anactacia Sherverdina
Editor of the department NAUI Informational Center with issues of culture and art
Saved 3000 books during the war
This month, it is exactly 25 years since the opening of the American Information Center in the former Olympic village Dobrinja, district of Sarajevo. The first foreign cultural institution on the ground of independent Bosnia and Herzegovina was opened in the presence of first US Ambassador to Bosnia and Herzegovina, H.E. Victor Jackovich.
The center was opened with the support of Dobrinja’s civil and military authorities, as well as representatives of the United States Agency for Information (USIA) and the US Government based in Zagreb. Andrej Đerković, the prominent Bosnian-Herzegovinian artist, long-time inhabitant of Dobrinja, took over the responsibility for managing the Center. Before the war, Đerković was a regular visitor to the Center since the opening in the eighties when the Center was located on Skenderija.
Mirela Sekulić, Oslobođenje (Sarajevo), 10/2017
I did few video works for Jan Palach Centre from Rijeka. I also recorded exhibition of Andrej Đerković. In Braille letters, he exposed names of missing people from Srebrenica. It was black and white video. As I was recording the details, they are looking abstract. I put music from Tosca. Very nice movie, Đerković took it and showed after on his exhibitions.
Sven Stilinović, Neču, DAF (Zagreb), 2017
The exhibition "1 on 1", which opens at the Artget Gallery on May 10th, will certainly be one of those "that people talks". Perhaps even one of them "that makes a buzz in Belgrade". Because it represents some of the most powerful art works of the current domestic scene.
Artistic director of Artget Gallery, Ivan Manojlović, for "1 out of 1" action chosed Nikola Radić Lucati and his colleagues curators, chosed works by Iva Kontić, Maja Maksimović, Slobodan Šušnjivić, Andrej Đerković and Stefan Savić.
Ana Kalaba, Noizz (Belgrade), 05/2018
Considering that Đerković is one of the founders of the Ars Aevi Museum of Contemporary Art Sarajevo Collection, the exhibition that he open last night in the Museum, is is like returning home.
Mirela Sekulić, Oslobođenje (Sarajevo), 06/2018
Remembering the Past in Sarajevo: Why Remember?
One of the images in Pierre Courtin’s excellent "Sarajevo Storage" exhibition depicts a packet of king-size "Drina" cigarettes (artist Andrej Đerković) with a unique warning label: “To forget kills.” Amongst many other powerful images, this stood out.
George Foden, Warm Foundation, Sarajevo, 07/2018
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The riveting installation by Andrej Đerković was initially presented at the Collegium Artisticum of Sarajevo in 2004. The 80 panels mention the names of the victims of the genocide perpetrated in Srebrenica (1995) - at the time of the first exhibition, this list of names was still being kept secret for the work of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY). An invitation to those who can see to put their fingers on the unsayable. This installation aims to restore dignity to the victims, given how one tends obsessively to mention the numbers and to end up forgetting the names and the people who bore them.
It is a magisterial work, that ‘touches’ through touch, restoring to those who too often avert their gaze the clear-sightedness of the world’s decadence. "And if I could somehow block my ears and kill my hearing, I would not hold back. I’d make a dungeon of this wretched body, so I would never see or hear again. For there is joy in being isolated though completely sealed off from a world of pain". (Sophocles, Œdipus the King, 1385-1390). Andrej Đerković awakens us from this world.
Christophe Solioz
Extrait from the book "Duplex & Contemporary Art in BiH 2004-2018", Editions Riveneuve (Paris), 03/2019
Andrej Đerković also gave a special feature to this Sarajevo’s exhibition through his project "Reunited", a triptych dedicated to his past father, whose second part included an in-situ intervention on the former Brotherhood and Unity Bridge, when he exhibit his own and a portrait of his father on the banners. It was at this check-point during the siege, that the author and his father witnessed the inability to meet for the last time.
Nisad Selimović, Oslobođenje (Sarajevo), 11/2019
Which of the exhibitions you have done so far has affected you the most emotionally?
“A very good question. Curating the Braille exhibition of Sarajevo born artist Andrej Derkovic for the 7000 victims of the Srebrenica massacre is the most honorable job of my profession. I was able to show this work in my exhibition 'Neigbours in Dialogue' in Istanbul in 2007. The second one is the exhibition 'A Consumption of Justice', which I organized together with artists from Yerevan, Tbilisi, Baku, Nicosia, Skopje, Beirut, Amman, Cairo, Sarajevo, Damascus, Istanbul and Diyarbakir at the Diyarbakir Cultural Center in 2005."
Beral Madra, Özgür Denizli (Sivrihisar/Eskişehir), 05/2019
Circus is in town, online
Edin Salčinović, Oslobođenje (Sarajevo), 04/2020
A tribute to the endurance of Sarajevo citizens under unbearable circumstances is also to be found in Andrej Djerković’s series titled DUM-DUM. One of these photographs shows a group of people waiting for their turn to fill can- isters of water. The image of order and patience contradicts the chaotic and destructive war atmosphere and testifies to how self-organised and disciplined many neighbourhood communities were during the war in their strategies of survival. Sarajevo philosopher Fehim Hadžimuhamedović (2008) defined art practice in these circumstances as a ‘culture in becoming’ – generating ethical values in the face of total socio-cultural collapse.
As a counterpoint to the nationalist forces on all sides determined to constantly remind Bosnians and Herzegovinians of their respective ethnic identities, Djerković made a series of photographic portraits titled Ostali/ostali [Others/stayed] in 2014. They show the citizens of Sarajevo who do not succumb to those nationalist/ethnic classifications. These are also portraits of the citizens who stayed in the city during the siege. The portrayed persons proudly refused to accept the simplified divisions according to ethnicity, and during the siege this refusal was even more important than the military defence of the city in which they took part.
Branka Vujanović, Photography as Cultural Symptomatology within a Post-Yugoslav Condition: The Case of Sarajevo
Extrait from the book "Art – Ethics – Education", Brill (Leiden), 08/2020
The 15th festival edition, along with the world's biggest comic book stars and well-known programs, brings an additional step forward when it comes to artistic content. In addition to the usual exhibitions of works by special guests, this year's Festival will also feature an exhibition by world-famous photographer Andrej Đerković, who brings artistic portraits of the world's greatest comic stars such as Milo Manara, Enki Bilal, Herman, Tomaž Lavrič and many others. “It is a great honor to have Đerković as an integral part of the HSF program. Apart from being an artist who has exhibited in the most respectable galleries in over 35 countries and whose photos have been published in over 40 renowned magazines, he is a lover of Herceg Novi and a man who has recognized the potential of our Festival", said porte-parole of Herceg Novi Comic Festival.
Radio Jadran (Herceg Novi), 06/2021
Only culture seriously deals with "the others": The famous stained glass window "Death to fascism, freedom to the people" on the occasion of the election is in a new guise
"With the anachronistic Dayton Peace Agreement and the newly adopted clero-peoples/nations, the concept of equal Bosnian people disappeared from socio-political vocabulary and usage. Therefore, following the same process, one of the most imposing works of our great painter Vojo Dimitrijević, the stained glass window "Death to Fascism, Freedom to the People" located in the atrium of the Historical Museum of Bosnia and Herzegovina, loses its original basis of understanding the Bosnian people as a unique entity, i.e. geographical community, and socio-political subject and bearer of sovereignty”, says for Oslobođenje our distinguished artist Andrej Đerković who, on the occasion of the elections in our country, made an in-situ intervention in the Historical Museum of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Nisad Selimović, Oslobođenje (Sarajevo), 10/2022
"I think I have been expressing my political views through exhibitions for nearly 30 years; over time, I have worked with artists who respond to global and local political, economic and social problems. I also tried to introduce contemporary art productions in the geopolitical region we live in. Let me give an example: I provided a large collection to the Ars Aevi Museum, which was established in Sarajevo after the war and massacres; I curated Andrej Derkovic's exhibition, which reflects the names of the victims of the Srebrenica massacre in Braille."
Beral Madra, ArtDog (Istanbul), 10/2022
Today, in 2022, thirty years after the siege of Sarajevo, the works of Andrej Đerković are here, at the House of Memory (Casa della Memoria Milano), as an invitation to remember, not to feel exempt, separated from what can also hang over us in any moment. We are grateful to him for this.
Martina Corgnati
Casa della Memoria, Milano, 12/2022