Arriving

It has been around one week since I have started my internship position at Roma Jam Session art Kollektiv in Zürich, Switzerland.  RJSaK is an art collective funded five years ago, as a collaborative vision of three Roma artists - Mo Diener, Mustafa Asan and Milena Petrović. Their aim is to use art as a mean of decolonization and re-definition of the Roma in Switzerland. They engage to support debate, exchange and discourse in the field of contemporary art. It especially aims to provide space for the Roma art, theatre, and decolonization of art history.


The questions that Roma people living in heart of the central Europe carry are bound to go beyond of the Swiss borders. The questions of livelihoods, reconstructions of harmful stereotypes, and simply on how to create the strong presence, are extensive to all underrepresented groups of people. Yet, the Roma situation here is particular because of the invisibility of Roma people that are not even recognized as a minority.

During the 11 week long internship, I will devote my time and attention mostly in documenting their work, being an external eye to their performance preparation, and helping in the preparation of the upcoming publication with the creation of collages and drawings. For me, being a part of the group and having a lot of space to visually and creatively express myself through many different mediums feels incredibly valuable. This sort of expressiveness will allow me to take each and every meeting/project/practice as a day-to-day growing experience, all while learning the socio, economical and political context in which Roma people live in today.

And why do I want to do this internship, as gadji? 

Roma positions and challenges hold a special place within me when it comes to comprehension of the ideas of nation states and notions of origins, (un)belonging and (in)visibility in the society, and the effects of racism on underrepresented groups.
Growing up in Eastern Europe (Croatia), one notes that Roma are at the same time so omni-present and hidden. I was raised in the society that is racially so homogeneous, expect for the presence of Roma people. Most often, Roma art and culture is at the same time celebrated and looked down upon. 

Joining the group of three art directors, Mo, Mustafa and Milena, felt welcoming and warm. 

Being in their circle and listening to their conversations is often very inspiring. It is introducing me to numerous challenges that an art collective faces when creating politically charged art.

I often find myself feeling confused and perplexed about the flow of the conversation due to my beginner's understandings about most questions. However, this I find very encouraging and motivating for the further listening of the community I am now a part of. 

Sometimes the differences in perceptions and understandings of what does it mean to speak of folk-lore, poverty, nomadism, etc. arise, and in these  conversations it becomes clearer then ever that this type of work is very delicate and complex. 


Soon we are off to Berlin, where the 1st Roma Biennale Come Out Now! is taking its place.