The Head of the EU Delegation and EU Special Representative in BiH, Ambassador Peter Sorensen, opened a photo exhibition by the Slovenian artist Bojan Brecelj in the lobby of the EU House in Sarajevo. Titled “Synergies of Sarajevo: Expressing European identity in the eyes of the Sarajevo people”, this exhibition is a part of the two-month long Sarajevo International Festival “Sarajevo Winter 2013”.

“Besides developing into one of the most recognizable cultural brands in Bosnia and Herzegovina and in the region, the Festival’s core significance is in the values it promotes – peace, tolerance, understanding and cross-cultural co-operation. I strongly believe that all of these, in addition to the artistic spirit celebrated in this exhibition, unite us as Europeans. Contemporary Europe is not just a mere political concept but also a consequence of our ever-growing genuine, rich and shared cultural heritage. Bosnia and Herzegovina is its indispensable part,” Ambassador Sorensen said in his opening speech.

Bojan Brecelj, the author of the exhibition, emphasized its uniqueness. “We have 60 photographs on display here but more than 350 people participated in the project, so all of them are the authors of this exhibition”, he said.

Ibrahim Spahić, the director of the Sarajevo International Festival “Sarajevo Winter 2013”, expressed his satisfaction with the fact that by this exhibition, Sarajevans were able to express their European identity in its full diversity.

The project ““Synergies of Sarajevo: Expressing European identity in the eyes of the Sarajevo people” has been going on for two years. Why Sarajevo? How did you get the idea for this story?

I was doing a similar project in Slovenia: http://selffishstudios.com/kdo-si-who-are-you/ Mr. Spahić also participated and we found a common interest very quickly to do a similar project in Sarajevo. The topic: Expressing European identity… was Mr. Spahić’s initiative.

Did you like working with people from Sarajevo?

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