AIDA ŠEHOVIĆ: ŠTO TE NEMA

September 25 - December 19 / Aronson Fine Arts Center

Aida Šehović uses the mechanism of social engagement to address her own cultural heritage and history. She is the founder of ŠTO TE NEMA (“where have you been” in Bosnian) – a nomadic monument to the victims of the 1995 Srebrenica genocide, in which thousands of men and boys were executed. Every July 11th between 2006 and 2020, Šehović presented this archival, sculptural and performative project in various public squares around the world. It consists of more than 8,372 fildžani (small porcelain coffee cups) that were collected and donated by Bosnian families. The total number of fildžani symbolically represents the number of Srebrenica genocide victims. The installation at Laumeier will feature the current collection of fildžani, as well as posters of the past 15 iterations of the public project. In addition, a related body of work titled Family Album will be presented.

Please note that the topic of this exhibition is sensitive and tackles mature themes.

Šehović explains, “[Coffee] characterizes Bosnian culture more than anything else, and it’s specifically the way we drink coffee… it’s almost always shared.” She continues, “Uniting survivors and everyone else directly or indirectly affected by genocide, ŠTO TE NEMA has confronted the universal issues surrounding genocide by remembering, mourning, and healing together as a unified community.”

Šehović was Laumeier’s 2021 Visiting Artist in Residence. Her engagement with the Bosnian community in St. Louis included collaboration with Laumeier’s 2021 Cultural Thinker in Residence, community organizer Elvir Mandžukić, and the development of a docent training program. Selected docent applicants worked closely with Aida to learn first-hand about her 15-year public art project and the Srebrenica Genocide, and they served as a resource for visitors viewing the exhibition at Laumeier.

PAST PUBLIC PROGRAMS

ŠTO TE NEMA Exhibition Volunteers

The role of an exhibition volunteer offers a unique opportunity to work closely with artist Aida Šehović and learn first-hand about her 15-year old public art project ŠTO TE NEMA and the Srebrenica Genocide. It further provides a chance to engage with various members of the local community through art, education and public programming, and become a part of the ŠTO TE NEMA global network.

All volunteer exhibition positions have been filled. Thank you for your interest!

Sunday Tours

Take a tour of Aida Šehović: ŠTO TE NEMA with Laumeier’s Exhibition Volunteers. These volunteers have completed training with artist Aida Šehović to learn first-hand about her 15-year nomadic monument honoring the victims of the 1995 Srebrenica genocide, so they can help guide visitors through the installations. Tours are available on Sundays from 12 - 2 pm through December 19. No reservation needed.

Community Reflection and Healing

ARTIST TALK AT WEBSTER UNIVERSITY / Aida Šehović

Join artist Aida Šehović for a lecture about her artistic practice and the history of her project ŠTO TE NEMA. Attendees will need to be masked, and socially distanced amongst groups

Friday, September 24 / 12 pm / Webster University Winifred Moore Auditorium / 470 East Lockwood Ave, Webster Groves / FREE

CONVERSATION SERIES / Gallery Talk with Aida Šehović

Join artist Aida Šehović and Laumeier’s Curator Dana Turkovic for a discussion about the current exhibition. Attendees will need to be masked, and socially distanced amongst groups.

Saturday, September 25 / 10 a.m. / Aronson Fine Arts Center / FREE

EXHIBITION OPENING

Visit the Aronson Fine Arts Center to view Aida Šehović: ŠTO TE NEMA.
Masks are required while inside the Aronson Fine Arts Center.

Saturday, September 25 / 11 a.m. - 1 p.m. / Aronson Fine Arts Center / FREE

Artist Biography

Aida Šehović is a Bosnian born artist from Banja Luka, based in New York City. She is the founder of ŠTO TE NEMA – a participatory public monument to Srebrenica Genocide. From 2006 to 2020, this annual nomadic monument was presented in public squares of 15 different cities around the world. Šehović is currently working with the Memorial Center Srebrenica-Potočari on a permanent version of ŠTO TE NEMA public monument at the site of the atrocities.

Šehović is the recipient of the ArtsLink Award, the Emerging Artist Fellowship from Socrates Sculpture Park, Emergency Grant from the Foundation for Contemporary Arts and the Fellowship for Utopian Practice. She was an artist-in-residence at the Santa Fe Art Institute, the Vermont Studio Center, the Grand Central Art Center in Santa Ana, and was part of the inaugural artist cohort at Lower Manhattan Cultural Council’s Arts Center at Governors Island from 2019-2020. Her work has been exhibited at the Canadian Museum for Human rights, Queens Museum, Socrates Sculpture Park and Artivism: Atrocity Prevention Pavilion during the 58th Venice Biennale. Here solo exhibition at KRAK Center for Contemporary Culture in Bihać, Bosnia & Herzegovina is on view until September 25. Šehović lives and works in New York City.

Laumeier Sculpture Park’s ongoing operations and programs are generously supported by St. Louis County Parks; Regional Arts Commission; Missouri Arts Council; Arts and Education Council; among other corporations, foundations, individual donors and members. 

Additional funding related to  COVID-19 relief has been provided by the National Endowment for the Arts, the Windgate Foundation, the U.S. Small Business Administration, and the St. Louis County Small Business Relief Program.

Aida Šehović: ŠTO TE NEMA is supported by the Windgate Foundation and the Vilcek Foundation.