Emina Kujundžić, The Terrific Sweet Violence

Emina Kujundzic is a Bosnian artist born in Cairo who grew up in the siege of Sarajevo (1992-1996). Still based in Sarajevo, she works with a variety of techniques, her work is always intriguing, frequently humorous but always shows her commitment to human rights.

Aquarelle as a technique, by its very delicacy and translucence, contrasts the brutality of the subject. In the same way, the youth and delicacy of the faces is juxtaposed to the crudeness of the scars they carry. By evoking a set design for an art of mirage, the series makes us wonder if the violence depicted is in fact a make-up. It is no coincidence that these portraits were created in the times of media dominance of movies characterized by an excessive use of violent images – whether the latter serve as a condemnation, or if the violence within is for its sake solely. The omnipresence
of violence in our media and cultural space is more often than not emphasized in the social critique. However, this work has primarily to do with our numbness to it.