A young architect from Sarajevo, Emina Arapčić (32), has been experimenting and working with concrete for a long time. ON.design emerged in 2016 as a project to bring together and showcase her work to a wider audience.
Redesigning and restoring old furniture - that's what Lejla Selimović, a law graduate, does for a living. The whole idea of the “Wood Surgery” workshop, according to this craftswoman, revolves around the process of recognizing the potential and beauty of discarded furniture, having the ability to aesthetically breathe new life into it, and finally, finding people who are willing to trust in her. For eight years now, Lejla has been turning dilapidated old furniture into modern pieces that are attractive to customers. She began this work, as she says, spontaneously and impulsively, out of pure love.
Elvir Hambašić has turned his interest in wood carving and woodcraft into a unique business, working alongside his children and his wife, Sanida. This family from Donji Ulišnjak, near Maglaj, is one of the few who are committed to preserving culture and tradition by producing traditional Bosnian furniture.
One would think that art and post-war wounds were not so connected. Aida Šehović, a Bosnian-born artist based in New York, disagreed and, for the past 15 years, has proven that art can help in post-conflict recovery.
A mixed media artist with a special talent for illustration and digital art, his works are exhibited in art galleries, institutions and public spaces around the world, from Sarajevo and Mostar, to Berlin, New York, Miami, Los Angeles and Taiwan. His works Madness Continuous and Depth were selected by the Platform for Contemporary Art and presented in New York’s famous Times Square.
Amila Ramović, assistant professor at the Department of Music Theory and Pedagogy at the Music Academy of the University of Sarajevo, talks to Balkan Diskurs about critical thinking through art. In addition to her academic title, she is the President of the Musicological Society of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and a member of the International Musicological Society based in Basel. The profession gives her the opportunity to meet many future artists.