Abstract

This paper handles how the contemporary art of the Balkans currently displays an interaction with the concept of Yugonostalgia, defined as a longing for the unity that came with the establishment of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia in the wake of the dissolution of this union and the wars of succession that finally split the republic into multiple nations. Prior to considerations of the artist themselves, a brief history of the region and artistic movements is clarified to frame the material the artists respond to, beginning with the origins of Yugoslavia as a geopolitical idea. The primary artists explored are Marina Abramovi? and Natalija Vujoševi? and the philosophy that pervades their work. These artists respectively represent the standpoints of being pro-Yugonostalgia and being anti-Yugonostalgia. Details of their lives are discussed, such as Abramovi?’s departure from the region in the mid 1970s and Vujoševi?’s work within the region to the present day, that have a bearing on their interpretation of the contemporary condition of the former Yugoslavia. Through examination of the artists’ lives and visual analysis of particular works from the artists, a rationale for their respective positions as well as how their position manifests itself in their art is explored. How their chosen mediums of expression shift the presented philosophy are also discussed, as Abramovi? chooses the active performance art while Vujoševi? chooses the more detached installation style of art. On these grounds, the conclusion is reached that Yugonostalgia is an area of philosophical contention in the art currently being produced in the former Yugoslavia.

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