Vlatka Horvat “15th Extraordinary Congress”

Women from the former Yugoslavia share their stories

Seven women born in different parts of the former Yugoslavia take turns telling stories about what was once their shared country.

In 15th Extraordinary Congress, seven women sit at a table, exchanging stories and anecdotes, facts and rumours, reflections and thoughts about a country in which they all grew up, but which no longer exists.

Sifting through their shared memories as well as through versions of events remembered and understood differently, they try to unpack the story of Yugoslavia – approaching the question of “what happened there” from a range of different perspectives.

Through an improvised exchange over several hours, the participants recount events large and small, excavating bits of their shared history from realms both political and personal.

The piece unfolds a complex narrative in which contradictions and inconsistencies sit side by side – decidedly unresolved and open – in a state of tension, dialogue and play. 15 th Extraordinary Congress explores the ways in which we make stories out of large, complex political and historical events and the inherent and irreconcilable tensions which exist between versions of stories as they are told and understood in different contexts, and reflected upon from both a physical and temporal distance.

15th Extraordinary Congress was first presented in London as part of LIFT’s “After a War” platform and featured seven London-based artists born in the former Yugoslavia. Each new version of the project brings together a new group of women based in the city or the region where the work is being presented. The project has since been shown in Brussels, Berlin, Poznan, Lisbon, and Bergen.

Participants in Malmö:

Nina Bozic Yams, Merima Dizdarevic, Jelena Spasenic, Sanda Rebac Jugo, Sanela Selimovic, Slavica Agatonovic, Vlatka Horvat

Moderator:

Agneta Nordin