The Waste Land

ongoing project

The region of Banat in northern Serbia has, throughout history, been known for its frequent migrations and depopulation, shaped by the barren land and harsh winds of the area. By establishing a connection between memory, historical facts, and imagination, I create a visual space that seeks to understand the spirit of the place in an alternative way. With few visible traces of history remaining in the landscape, I turn to documentation, imagination, and reconstruction—proposing that the historical record can merge with personal and local memory to form new myths. By doing so, I aim to highlight the importance of stories and images in shaping and preserving the identity of places, while also emphasizing the necessity of a culture of remembrance. The Waste Land serves as a metaphor for the constant changes reflected in the natural landscape of Banat—its historical upheavals, migrations, and the gradual erasure of traces of the past that time leaves on human endeavors.

 The title of this series, The Waste Land, alludes to the poem by Thomas Eliot in which the poet allegorizes rituals of vegetation and natural cycles, intertwining them with cultural motifs.

This work is conceived as a whole composed of interconnected fragments— collages, drawings, and photographic records.