EXPLORING THE DEPTHS OF MEMORY AND IDENTITY WITH SANDRA VITALJIC

INTRODUCTION

In our ongoing effort to highlight the remarkable work of contemporary artists, we are thrilled to feature Sandra Vitaljic, an acclaimed photographer whose thought-provoking work delves into complex social issues and the intricacies of collective memory. Sandra’s journey from her early days in Croatia to her extensive education and prolific career is a testament to her dedication and passion for photography.

In this interview, Sandra shares her experiences and insights, from discovering photography in high school to her transformative time at the Academy of Performing Arts, Film, and TV (FAMU) in Prague. She discusses the evolution of her artistic practice, the pivotal projects that have shaped her career, and her commitment to addressing sensitive and often overlooked topics such as war, domestic violence, and the immigrant experience.

We delve into the inspiration and process behind her poignant series “Infertile Ground, Sisak,” exploring how politics of memory shape national identity. Sandra also gives us a glimpse into her future projects and the themes she plans to explore further.

Join us as we uncover the profound layers of Sandra Vitaljic’s work and the impact she hopes to make through her art. Her story is one of resilience, reflection, and a relentless pursuit of truth through the lens of her camera.


Sandra Vitaljic interview

EARLY LIFE AND EDUCATION:

COMA: Can you tell us about your early life and what led you to pursue photography? What was your experience like at the Academy of Performing Arts, Film, and TV (FAMU) in Prague? How did your doctoral studies in the history and theory of photography shape your approach to your art?

Sandra: I discovered photography in my first year of high school. I was interested in journalism and I started taking a photography class. A whole new world of possibilities opened for me, and I have decided to become a photographer. I haven't regretted it since. 

I applied to study photography at FAMU in Prague because at the time we didn't have dedicated photography studies in Croatia. FAMU was a famous school and I knew it was going to be hard to get in, but I succeeded and was overwhelmed with happiness. A few days before my entrance exam, I met famous Czech photographer Josef Koudelka in the photography supplies shop FOMA in Prague. He wished me a happy New Year. I thought of it as an omen that my dream would come through.


ARTISTIC EVOLUTION

COMA: How has your work evolved over the years since you graduated? What have been some pivotal moments or projects in your career?

Sandra: During my career, I have worked with very different types of photography, from fashion, editorial and advertising aiming for the pages of glossy magazines to fine art photography dealing with violence and collective memory, more suitable for the white cube of the galleries and museums.

Photography allowed me to evolve and learn and followed me in my interests and preoccupations. At some point, I went back to FAMU in Prague for my doctoral studies. My commercial work felt superficial and like I was doing the same picture over and over again. Photography did not interest me merely as a practice but I wanted to understand more about its social role. I researched war photography, a painful topic in a postwar country like Croatia. I was interested in how photography was used in the 1990s Croatian and Serbian media to produce a desired meaning and facilitate the escalation of a political conflict into war, but also how photography shapes our memory after the war and helps deal with the past. 

Later, I published my research in the book "War of Images - Contemporary War Photography." This research was also the foundation for an extensive exhibition I curated about the war in former Yugoslavia "Lessons from '91" and an exhibition about the war in Croatia "Up Close and Personal" for the opening of The Image of War Museum in Zagreb, Croatia.

Apart from publishing the book and curating exhibitions, I dedicated myself to teaching photography at the Academy of Dramatic Art in Zagreb where, together with my colleagues, we founded a new Master of Photography Studies and contributed greatly to establishing a new photography scene with a lot of public project and exhibitions done together with the students.

What I love about photography is that I was able to do so many different things within a seemingly single profession.


THEMES IN YOUR WORK

COMA: Your work often addresses social issues like collective memory, domestic violence, and the experiences of women immigrants. What motivates you to focus on these topics? How do you approach translating these complex and sensitive subjects into your photography?

Sandra: I observe specific issues in society, and I feel the urge to address certain topics. Even when the subject is personal, I try to see it within a larger social context.

Art has the power to engage with society on a different level. Through my work, I try to open space for reflection on the topics I work with. I don't impose conclusions or ready-made answers on the viewer. I prefer to offer the audience images and text and let them look outward and inward. I do work with demanding subjects, and it often happens that society avoids dealing with them. Hopefully, through art and photography, complex topics become more tangible and easier to wrap one's mind around.

INFERTILE GROUNDS, SISAK artwork

ABOUT THE PIECE

COMA: Can you describe the inspiration and process behind “Infertile Ground, Sisak”? What themes or messages were you aiming to convey through this piece? What drew you to use analog photography and C-print for this piece? Can you share any specific challenges or unique aspects of working with this medium for “Infertile Ground, Sisak”?

Sandra: Infertile Grounds is a series of photographs that examines how politics of memory shape and mold national identity and how the perception of historical events changes with the political system's change. It is focused on Croatia and the whole region that is historically connected, but it is easily understandable for other nations with troubled histories as well. 

I have visited and photographed places of historical and geo-strategic importance but also places that are not part of the official memory culture. I question who has a right to be part of the institutionalized memory and what events, places and victims are left out. 

A location depicted in the photograph "Infertile Grounds, Sisak" is one of those locations which will never be marked by a memorial plaque. At that location on the outskirts of the small town of Sisak, Croatian special forces questioned and tortured many citizens of Serbian origin who fell under suspicion just because of their nationality. Detainees were executed, and their bodies were thrown into the Sava River. In some cases, whole families disappeared. 

It is a dark part of the history that Croatia still has trouble dealing with. It is much easier to see oneself as a victim of aggression and forget your own crimes committed on the path towards freedom and independence.

The photograph depicts the river even if it is barely visible. Water merged with the fog over the river and the trees formed something like a portal to another world. Rivers are often mass graves and here, the crimes from recent history connect to the ones committed during the Second World War. The same river passes through the former concentration camp Jasenovac, some 50 kilometers down the stream.

With this work, I endeavor to create a place of memory within the space of the photograph, an alternative memento that is not created by ideology, but rather by the need to open up the space of remembrance for victims who are never going to acquire their own space in the official culture of memory.

Infertile Grounds is a complex series with many layers. It was challenging to find the right way to deal with it. I decided to focus on the landscape because it is intrinsically a social construct, which Liz Wells, for example, defines as the look that comprehends both nature and the impact that humanity has had upon it. 

I photographed with an analogue large format camera because I felt it was the proper process that allowed me to work in a slow and meditative way which this topic required. Also, I could print large prints full of details and this immersive quality of the image was important for me. I wanted the viewer to experience the place almost physically.

 

FUTURE PROJECTS AND VISION

COMA: Are there any upcoming projects or themes you are currently exploring or planning to work on? How do you see your work evolving in the future?

Sandra: In Sweden, I am still trying to connect and feel the social fabric. My work mostly deals with social issues, so it is crucial to understand the society that one is part of. It still feels like I am on the outside looking in. I moved to Sweden almost six years ago and I started writing about the experiences and emotions I went through. It was, I guess, a coping mechanism. Suddenly, I realized I am an immigrant, and that term has nothing but a negative connotation. I became this person who came uninvited to the party. I felt the urge to address this. It is for me a question of dignity that I want to reclaim.

When I started learning Swedish in one of the free programs available, I realized many others are experiencing similar processes. Fascinated by meeting people from so many different parts of the world, I started approaching other women to share this experience. Somehow, I have felt it has to be recorded, even if it is so mundane and seems insignificant at first. It is so many little everyday things that affect so much how we feel about ourselves. 

Someone refusing to shake hands with you for whatever reason, not being able to do the simplest things by yourself - like grocery shopping, feeling how your kids are becoming more competent than you are, explaining to a gynecologist how you feel your body through a male translator, even if it is your husband or discovering a flower bouquet at your front door left by kind neighbors. Most of those things you even don't tell anyone because they seem insignificant or emotions are too private...Your old friends are in another place, both physically and mentally, and you still don't have new ones.

This feeling of disconnection and in-betweenness is very present in "I Just Greet Back.” I took the title from one of the stories, which expresses how even one's personality changes in this new environment. Through the title, I also wanted to emphasize this need for mutual interaction. Greeting back involves two-way communication. This collective diary, as I call it, is meant to become a conversation and not just us telling how we feel. I am working on developing a way to involve other women in this conversation; women who are well-established within Swedish society, regardless of their background, Swedish or foreign. I hope this work can become part of a broader public discussion on immigration and the right to choose where you want to live, especially now when many want to build new walls and the far right is gaining power in elections throughout Europe and the whole world.

Other than creating my own work, I enjoy writing about other artists. I joined Maja Milanovic in her project Tarantula: Authors and Art, an online magazine that expands in curated exhibitions. We presented our online magazine and the artists featured in two editions of the Supermarket Art Fair in Stockholm and at the Juxtapose Art Fair in Aarhus. The concept of the digital magazine is to feature in-depth coverage of one artist per month and prompt its in-house authors to write a narrative in response to the work, turning the magazine into a collaborative artwork in its own right. In addition to the featured artist of the month, we have a column Shortcuts where we present artists, curators and art organizations through 6 questions and an Instagram takeover. In the future we plan to organize more exhibitions and various art events.

Stay tuned for more artist interviews and insights into our ongoing exhibition, “Beyond the Hill.” Visit our website and Instagram for the latest updates and to explore the incredible work of emerging artists like Sandra Vitaljic.

July, 2024 - COMA Editorial team