“Srebrenica, 30 Years” Exhibition of Photographs by Damir Šagolj Opened
On Monday, 30 June 2025, at the Academy of Fine Arts Gallery, the exhibition of photographs by Damir Šagolj “Srebrenica, 30 Years” was opened, as part of a series of cultural and artistic programs accompanying the conference “Srebrenica 30 Years After the Genocide: Memory, Responsibility, and Challenges of Denial.”
A portion of the exhibition is set up at the Academy and will be accessible to the public until 13 July. On Wednesday, 2 July, at Meeting Point Cinema, films by Jasmila Žbanić and Rasit Gorgulu will be screened, while on 3 July, at the Sarajevo National Theater, a concert by the Sarajevo Philharmonic Orchestra with a video essay by Danis Tanović will be held. Admission to these events is free.
“The first installation will be presented at the Sarajevo railway station, at the Square of the Victims of the Srebrenica Genocide. It consists of twelve panoramic photographs, three meters wide, taken at execution sites around Srebrenica. The second part of the exhibition will be installed in the Gallery of the Academy of Fine Arts, where about 150 photographs of various formats, taken in and around Srebrenica over the past three decades, will be displayed. Together, these images form a quiet, long meditation on violence, absence, and the act of remembrance,” explains photographer Damir Šagolj. Both exhibitions were designed and curated by Lejla Hodžić, who closely collaborated with the author to shape the visual and emotional rhythm of the project. The organizers of the exhibition are the WARM Foundation, the University of Sarajevo, and the Gallery 11/07/95.
On 2 July, at Meeting Point Cinema, starting at 19:30, a special screening of the films “Quo Vadis, Aida?” directed by Jasmila Žbanić, and the short feature “Mother” by renowned Turkish director Rasit Gorgulu will be held.
A concert by the Sarajevo Philharmonic Orchestra is scheduled for 3 July at the National Theater, starting at 20:00. This especially emotional concert will feature Gustav Mahler’s “Kindertotenlieder” (Songs on the Death of Children), a cycle of songs that powerfully and poignantly express the pain of parental loss and the fragility of human life.
The orchestra will be led by maestro Samra Gulamović, with mezzo-soprano Amila Ravkić as the soloist. During the event, a video essay directed by Danis Tanović will be presented, combining Damir Šagolj’s photographs with poetry by Faruk Šehić. The concert pays tribute not only to the children who perished in the Srebrenica genocide but also to children who died in wars and conflicts around the world.
The concert concludes the International Scientific Conference “Srebrenica 30 Years After the Genocide: Memory, Responsibility, and Challenges of Denial,” organized by the University of Sarajevo within the framework of the project “Responsibility for the Future.”
Photographs: Vanja Čerimagić
