Link only available on sub pages

The significance of history and cultural heritage is particularly evident in Azra Akšamija’s hometown of Sarajevo. The Ottoman Empire, the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy, the communist multi-ethnic state of Yugoslavia and, finally, the Bosnian War have all left their mark on the city. History has been rewritten time and again here, and unwelcome cultural heritage has often been suppressed.
Akšamija vividly illustrates this process of historiography – in which new elements are added, overlap, are reshaped and disappear – through her animation of digital tapestries. ‘Ottoman’ carpet patterns, recognisable among other things by the Ottoman cross, are superseded by designs featuring architectural motifs and symbols from subsequent historical eras. Here, cultural heritage takes shape through the intersections and contrasts between Eastern and Western influences.
The perception of Islam in the West plays an important role in many of Akšamija’s projects. Muslim tradition and history are frequently incorporated through the use of patterns and ornaments. For the artist, who emigrated to Austria in the run-up to the Bosnian War and now lives in Graz and Boston (USA), cultural identity is not the result of rigid traditions, but rather an ongoing process of exchange.