Transitional archives: art ‘in between’ historical memories in former Yugoslavia

Abstract

This article discusses the use of archive in the work of contemporary artists that reflects the vexed status of historical representation in former Yugoslavia. Hito Steyerl, Aleksandra Domanovic and Zoran Todorovic represent historical memory in former Yugoslavia by highlighting the process of producing the archive: Steyerl creates a trans-historical constellation of archival narratives that span and conflate temporalities of the Second World War and the war in the 1990s, Domanovic draws attention to the way in which different temporalities inflect our apprehension of collected information, and Todorovic articulates the temporality of the archive as a medium. I argue that all three artists use the symbolism of the archive to capture a sense of being in the permanent state of ‘in between’ contested histories, reflecting the social reality of the region. At a time when the Eurozone is becoming increasingly fragmented, and various forms of right wing populisms are on the rise, Steyerl, Domanovic and Todorovic demonstrate the way in which art can help us to think through new historical discontinuities that have emerged in post-socialist transition.