Repriza/Uzvracanje (Reprise/Response)

2018 | 23:54 min | English / Norwegian / BCS (Bosnian-Serbian-Croatian) with English subtitles | USA

In Repriza/Uzvrcanje (Reprise/Response) four people in their mid-60s (originally from Ex.Yugoslavia) perform a transcribed conversation from the piece “Reenactment/Process” from 2016, in which four people in their mid-20s discuss the inter-generational frictions relating to the conflict in Ex-Yugoslavia that they experience between themselves and their parents. The participants in Repriza/Uzvrcanje (Reprise/Response) perform this transcript together and react to the content by engaging in conversations about responsibility, shame, guilt and the legacy of communist Yugoslavia.

Prolazi izmedju 1980-2021 (Passasjer mellom 1980-2021, Passages between 1980-2021)

2021 | 32:41 min | English / Norwegian / BCS (Bosnian-Serbian-Croatian) with English subtitles | Norway

In Prolazi izmedju 1980-2021 (Passages between 1980-2021) Avdagic works with five people who came to Norway as child refugees in the 1990s. They perform testimonies from the period 1980–95 that chronologically trace the development of the conflict in the former Yugoslavia and which stem from members of their parents’ and grandparents’ generation. During the presentation, the participants interrupt their roles and alternate be- tween languages. They look at the history they have in common and share their experiences regarding to national, political and social affiliation.

Damir Avdagić (b. 1987, Banja Luka, BA) lives and works in Oslo. Avdagić is a graduate of the University of California, Los Angeles (MFA, 2016) and the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts, Copenhagen (MFA, 2014). His current solo exhibition Prijenos (Overføring) is on view at UKS, Oslo until 7 April 2024. Recent solo exhibitions include Projekti u dijalogu – Prosjekter i dialog at Nordnorsk Kunstnersenter, Svolvær (2023), Repriza/Uzvracanje(Reprise/Response) at 18th Street Art Center, Santa Monica, CA (2020) and To prosjekter i samtale at Oppland Kunstsenter, Lillehammer (2020). His work has been shown in group exhibitions at CAC Gallery, Irvine, CA (2024) GAMeC, Bergamo, ITLY (2023) Whitechapel Gallery, London UK (2023) Changwon Sculpture Biennial, Changwon, KOR (2022), KRAK – Center for Contemporary Culture, Bihać, BA (2021), Kunsthall Charlottenborg, Copenhagen, DK (2019) and Kristiansand Kunsthall, Kristiansand, NO (2018).

UKS (Unge Kunstneres Samfund / Young Artists’ Society) is an Oslo-based institution for contemporary art and a Norwegian membership organization. Founded by artists for artists in 1921, it has since established itself as one of Norway’s core experimental venues for the arts; convening, exhibiting, and supporting critical voices of contemporary artists, with the objective of having both an artistic and political impact within and beyond its region.