Balkans – The Beast & the Beauties

2000-2002 - Sofia, Belgrade, Sarajevo, Skopje

2003

The word Balkan originates from two Turkish words meaning blood and honey. The media have already sufficiently exploited the blood aspect, therefore during my trips to the region I chose the part of the bee. In an attempt to discover youth I feel I have uncovered delicate flowers emerging from a hard and brutal townscape.
The identity crisis relating to the conflicts of the 90's come from a process of exclusion. Peoples identities were defined by external references such as religion, nationality or ethnic origin. These factors inevitably create physical and mental barriers.
The young people whom I met, however, looked into themselves for their identity, an identity based on their own body, their own self. Limits and boundaries are more the consequence of their own internal struggles. /.../