Nađa Kračunović

Nađa Kračunović – (Belgrade, 1996) is an interdisciplinary artist who lives and works in Berlin. After obtaining a BA at the College of Fine and Applied Arts in Belgrade, majoring in “Media and Images”, she completed the master’s program “Public Art and New Artistic Strategies” at the Bauhaus-Universität Weimar.
In addition to international exhibiting and performative practice at institutions such as the Museum of Contemporary Art in Skopje, Kunstsammlungen Chemnitz, Bauhaus Museum in Weimar, BØWIE Gallery in Geneva and others, Nađa is the recipient of numerous artist residencies, including CRL – Central Elétrica in Porto, Portugal, DAAD – Heritage for Communities in Cairo and Freie Radikale at the Floating University in Berlin.
Nađa is the co-founder of the Crying Classroom, a self-managed multimedia institution through which she has given workshops and lectures at Akademie der bildenden Künste Wien, and Iceland University of the Arts. She is also a member of the interdisciplinary ensemble “Don’t worry, it’s out of control”, which explores personal and environmental collapses.
Since 2023, she has been conducting voice and performance workshops for women and girls called “How to perform a scream?”.
Portrait of the artist, Credits: Katherin Gutierrez, 2023. courtesy of the artist.

Website: https://nadjakracunovic.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/spejsdjana/

My urge to create, as well as creativity itself, most often comes directly from the throat of a woman, where I often reside and from where I develop survival methods through humor and poetry. There I deal with personal reality, through performances, monologues, video works and objects – trying to locate the political, romantic, medical and bureaucratic contexts in which I find myself. That involves dealing with different types of lovers, some more dangerous than others.
These artistic operations originate from feminist narratives, focusing on the position of women, both in the family and in society, (dis)abled bodies, the question of belonging and survival. I develop the same research through the methods of documenting real, as well as creating fictitious roles from the body of a chronically ill immigrant woman and artist. In all these positions, I reject the role of victim, striving for a liberating and radical practice.
I am the lover of this apocalyptic everyday life. I am the daughter of a single mother born into a society that abhors female hair and menstruation. In a world ruled by fathers, my father’s absence became a prism for understanding the pervasive heteronormative patriarchy. All the contexts in which my body is removed, protests, changes passports, writes poetry, gets sick and survives, represent my artistic practice.
Everything always starts with my diaries. As a child, I wrote monologues wanting to become an actress. My love for the stage grew due to the potential of understanding everyday life through the existence of all the female protagonists who live within me, simultaneously, in multidisciplinary identities and their superpositions.

My personal diaries are transformed into performances and films.


Sometimes, I read the diaries to the audience with a gag in my mouth 1. In other situations I wear a white dress, I am barefoot on the tiles of the museum, while my mother wears the same dress. After 30 years, the two of us decided to change my father’s last name. 2 In two countries, for personal and bureaucratic reasons, my mother and I got married in the same month. Examining transgenerational traumas, liberations and legacies, we read letters aloud to each other, with a sharp tongue and bullet lipstick. 3
Sometimes I let down my long, dark hair and recite monologues in the mirrors of public toilets, 4 clashing glances and words with other users of those mirrors. In the role of an artist-boxer, I throw punches in public space, commanding: “Perform masculinity! Fight like a man, drop a joke!”, while I share defense instructions with passers-by. 5
Through the performative campaign “Young Serbian Artist Adventures”, 6 I am able to locate my artistic attributes, defining myself through an exchange with an audience that responds, offering me an artistic job or requesting a hotline with a young Serbian artist.
All the roles I play, whether defined by works of art or not, are performative. It is always a woman as the protagonist – a fictional or real me, or a group of women whom I invite into my artwork to reinvent themselves, change their minds or share their voice. 7


My personal diaries are transformed into bodily excesses, objects, and performative readings.


In the summer of 2019, I sold my complex – 100 plaster casts of my nose, on the Ibarska Highway in Belgrade, with a stall placed next to the already existing billboard “Complex for sale”. 8
Through artistic research, I create emergency survival kits using materials such as my own hair, 9 beads, 10 pages from my passport, 11 medicine boxes, and the like. In love with crying as one of the valid methods of survival, I explore spent and renewed catharsis through voice workshops, 12 as well as through collective work in a multimedia, self-governing institution for crying. 13
Through the creative and survival process, I enter and exit various roles: those of a baker, babysitter, cleaner, chronically ill woman, moderator, migrant, student, caregiver to disable bodies, artist, teacher, wife, queen, bride, housewife, whore, lover, daughter, sister, cook, mermaid, witch, dancer, muse, fairy, hydra, seeker, rebel, leader, princess – all of whom help me immensely to articulate my view of the wider socio-political context in which I find myself.
My artistic practice treats the public space as a theater, hospitals as art installations, academies as spaces for complicated care, life events as performances, and bodies as constant transition. Considering that I find the tedious division of art into categories a challenge, my works combine different methods. After all, the fight against dangerous types of lovers does require interdisciplinarity.

1
Image: Nađa Kračunović, 'Code:O'', performance within the group exhibition "Material Girls", IRRE Space, Weimar, Germany (2023). Link:
https://www.m-books.eu/space/codeo-performative-diary-reading-nada-kracunovic/.

2
Image: Nađa Kračunović, "In the Name of the Mother, In the Last Name of the Father", 2024, Screenshot from the film (00:43:19, color).

3
Image: Nađa Kračunović, ''In Your Name'', 2024, a joint performance with her mother Ivana Maričić, Museum of Contemporary Art Skopje, North Macedonia.

4
Image: Nađa Kračunović, ''A Place to have a Soliloquy'', 2022, performance, Bauhaus Museum, Weimar, Germany. Photo credits: Carlos Santos.

5
Image: Nađa Kračunović, ''In Case of an Emergency: Artist Boxer'', 2022, performance in public space, in collaboration with Kunstsammlungen Chemnitz, Germany.

6
Image: Nađa Kračunović, "Young Serbian Artist Adventures - Hotline Stories" (Adventure 02) performative lecture within the CRL artist residency, Central Eletrica, Porto, Portugal (2024). 01. Artistic work & 02. Artistic Hotline:
https://nadjakracunovic.com/Young-Serbian-Artist-Adventures.

7
Image: Nađa Kračunović, "Hydra" (color, stereo, 00:17:30)
Screenshot from a video performance (2023, Kirschplantage Weimar, Germany)
Performers: Denise Lee, Lucia Gonzalez, Rand Ibrahim, Laura Leal, Leila Keivan, Jana Imo
Camera: Yavor Krasimirov Minchev, Fang Sheng Chou
Sound: Yavor Krasimirov Minchev, Ilija Đorđević


8
Image: Nađa Kračunović, "Complex for sale", 2019, performance at Ibar Highway, Belgrade, Serbia
Shock ZaDruga (The Shock Cooperative) conversation (Serbian):
https://sokzadruga.com/2019/12/13/sok-razgovor-nada-kracunovic-kompleks-na-prodaju/


9
Image: Nađa Kračunović, "In Case of an Emergency: Hair Boxer", 2023
hair object - courtesy of the artist


10
Image: Nađa Kračunović, “In Case of an Emergency: Active Sperm, Passive Aggression”, 2022-23, beaded texts, courtesy of the artist


11
Image: Nađa Kračunović, ''In Case of an Emergency: Pass Auf!'', 2023, 
drawings on passport pages, courtesy of the artist


12
Image: Nađa Kračunović, "How to Perform a Scream?", 2024
voice and performance workshop as part of an artist residency at CRL Central Elétrica, Porto, Portugal, supported by the Culture Moves Europe Program.


13
Image: Nađa Kračunović, 
See: "Crying Classroom - Mapping Out Human Rights with Tears", 2024, hybrid lecture at Iceland University of the Arts, with colleague Rand Ibrahim
Courtesy of Crying Classroom
Link: https://cryingclassroom.net/

Nađa Kračunović – (Beograd, 1996) je interdisciplinarna umetnica koja živi i radi u Berlinu. Nakon osnovnih studija na Visokoj školi likovnih i primenjenih umetnosti u Beogradu, na smeru „Mediji i slike“, završila je master program „Public Art and New Artistic Strategies“ na Bauhaus-Universität Weimar.
Pored međunarodne izlagačke i izvođačke prakse u institucijama poput Muzeja savremene umetnosti u Skoplju, Kunstsammlungen Chemnitz, Bauhaus Museum, BØWIE Gallery i drugih, Nađa je dobitnica brojnih umetničkih rezidencija, uključujući CRL–Central Elétrica u Portugalu, DAAD Heritage for Communities u Kairu i Freie Radikale na Floating University u Berlinu.
Nađa je suosnivačica Crying Classroom-a, samoupravljajuće multimedijalne institucije kroz koju je držala radionice i predavanja na Akademie der bildenden Künste Wien, i Iceland University of the Arts. Takođe je članica interdisciplinarnog ansambla „Don’t worry, it’s out of control“, koji istražuje lične i ekološke kolapse.
Od 2023. godine vodi radionice glasa i performansa za žene i devojčice pod nazivom „How to perform a scream?“.
Portrait of the artist, Credits: Katherin Gutierrez, 2023. courtesy of the artist.
Website: https://nadjakracunovic.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/spejsdjana/

Moja potreba za stvaranjem, kao i samo stvaralaštvo, najčešće proizilaze direktno iz grla žene, gde često obitavam i odakle razvijam metode opstanka kroz humor i poeziju. U istima se bavim ličnom stvarnošću, kroz performanse, monologe, video radove i objekte – pokušavajući da lociram političke, romantične, medicinske i birokratske kontekste u kojima se nalazim. To podrazumeva suočavanje sa različitim vrstama ljubavnika, od kojih su neki opasniji od drugih.
Ove umetničke operacije potiču iz feminističkih narativa, fokusirajući se na poziciju žene, kako u porodici, tako i u društvu, (ne)sposobnih tela, pitanje pripadnosti i preživljavanja. Ista istraživanja razvijam kroz metode dokumentacije stvarnih, kao i kreiranja fiktivnih uloga iz tela hronično obolele imigrantkinje i umetnice.U svim pozicijama odbacujem ulogu žrtve, težeći oslobađajućoj i radikalnoj praksi.

Ja sam ljubavnica ove apokaliptične svakodnevnice. Ja sam ćerka jedinica samohrane majke rođena u društvu koje se gadi ženskih dlaka i menstruacije. U svetu kojim upravljaju očevi, odsustvo mog oca postalo je prizma za razumevanje sveprisutnog heretonormativnog patrijarhata. Svi konteksti u kojima se moje telo odstranjuje, protestuje, menja pasoše, piše poeziju, razboljeva se i preživljava, predstavljaju moju umetničku praksu.
Sve uvek počinje od mojih dnevnika. Kao mala, pisala sam monologe želeći da postanem glumica. Moja zaljubljenost u binu je rasla zbog potencijala razumevanja svakodnevnice kroz postojanje svih protagonistkinja koje žive u meni samoj, simultano; u multiplicirani identitet i njihove superpozicije.

Moji lični dnevnici transformišu se u performanse i filmove.


Ponekad, dnevnike čitam publici sa mouth gag-om u ustima 1 U drugim situacijama nosim belu haljinu, bosa na pločicama muzeja, dok istu takvu haljinu nosi moja majka. Nakon 30 godina, nas dve smo odlučile da promenimo očevo prezime. 2. U dve države, iz ličnih i birokratskih razloga, moja majka i ja smo se udale u istom mesecu. Preispitujući transgeneracijske traume, oslobođenja i nasledstva, čitale smo naglas pisma jedna drugoj, oštrim jezikom i karminom na metkiće 3 .Ponekad raspletem svoju dugu, tamnu kosu i pripovedam monologe u ogledalima javnih toaleta 4, sudarajući poglede i reči sa korisnicima istog. U ulozi umetnice-bokserke, u javnom prostoru zadajem udarce, komandujući: „Perform masculinity! Fight like a man, drop a joke!“, dok sa prolaznicama delim instrukcije za odbranu 5 .
Kroz performativnu kampanju „Young Serbian Artist Adventures“ 6 lociram svoje umetničke atribute, definišući se kroz razmenu sa publikom koja se odazove, nudeći mi umetnički posao ili zahtevajući hotline sa mladom, srpskom umetnicom.
Sve uloge koje igram, bilo definisane umetničkim radovima ili ne, su performativne. Uvek je to žena kao protagonistkinja – izmišljena ili stvarna ja, ili pak grupa žena koje pozivam u svoj rad da se samoizmisle, predomisle ili podele glas 7 .


Moji lični dnevnici transformišu se u telesne viške, objekte, i performativna čitanja.


Leta 2019. godine prodala sam svoj kompleks –  100 gipsanih odlivaka mog nosa, na Ibarskoj Magistrali u Beogradu, sa tezgom postavljenom pored već postojećeg bilborda ‘’Prodajem kompleks’’ 8.
Kroz umetnička istraživanja kreiram setove za preživljavanje u hitnim slučajevima u kojima koristim materijale poput sopstvene kose 9, perli 10, stranice svog pasoša 11, kutije lekova, i slično. Zaljubljena u plakanje kao jednu od validnih metoda opstanka, istražujem potrošene i obnovljene katarze kroz radionice glasa 12 kao i kroz kolektivni rad u multimedijalnoj, samoupravljajućoj instituciji za plakanje 13.
Kroz stvaralački i preživljavački proces ulazim i izlazim iz raznih uloga: pekarke, dadilje, čistačice, hronično obolele žene, moderatorke, migrantkinje, studentkinje, negovateljke nepokretnih tela, umetnice, učiteljice, supruge, kraljice, neveste, domaćice, kurve, ljubavnice, ćerke, sestre, kuvarice, sirene, veštice, plesačice, muze, vile, hidre, tragačice, buntovnice, vođe, princeze – koje mi neizmerno pomažu da artikulišem svoje viđenje šireg društveno-političkog konteksta u kojem se nalazim.
Moja umetnička praksa tretira javni prostor kao pozorište, bolnice kao umetničke instalacije, akademije kao prostore za komplikovanje nege, životne događaje kao performanse, a tela kao konstantnu tranziciju. Smatrajući suvoparnu podelu na umetničke kategorije izazovom, moji radovi kombinuju različite metode. Borba s opasnim vrstama ljubavnika ipak zahteva interdisciplinarnost.
 

1
Slika: Nađa Kračunović, ''Code:O'', performans u okviru grupne izložbe ''Material Girls'', IRRE Space, Weimar, Nemačka (2023)
Link:
https://www.m-books.eu/space/codeo-performative-diary-reading-nada-kracunovic/


2
Slika: Nađa Kračunović, ''U ime Majke, U prezime Oca'', 2024, Screenshot iz filma (00:43:19, color)


3
Slika: Nađa Kračunović, ''In Your Name'', 2024, performans sa majkom Ivanom Maričić, Muzej Savremene Umetnosti Skoplje, Severna Makedonija


4
Slika: Nađa Kračunović, ''A place to have a soliloquy'', 2022, performans, Bauhaus Museum, Weimar, Nemačka. Photo credits: Carlos Santos


5
Slika: Nađa Kračunović, ''In case of emergency: Artist Boxer'', 2022, performans u javnom prostoru, u saradnji sa Kunstsammlungen Chemnitz, Nemačka
Foto: Konrad Behr


6
Slika: Nađa Kračunović, ''Young Serbian Artist Adventures - Hotline Stories'' (Adventure 02) performativno predavanje u okviru umetničke rezidencije CRL, Central Eletrica, Porto, Portugal (2024)
01. Umetnički posao & 02. Umetnički Hotline:
https://nadjakracunovic.com/Young-Serbian-Artist-Adventures
https://nadjakracunovic.com/Young-Serbian-Artist-Adventures


7
Slika: Nađa Kračunović, ''Hydra'' (color, stereo, 00:17:30)
Screenshot iz video performansa (2023, Kirschplantage Weimar, Nemačka)
Performers: Denise Lee, Lucia Gonzalez, Rand Ibrahim, Laura Leal, Leila Keivan, Jana Imo
Camera: Yavor Krasimirov Minchev, FangSheng Chou
Sound: Yavor Krasimirov Minchev, Ilija Đorđević
Camera: Yavor Krasimirov Minchev, Fang Sheng Chou
Sound: Yavor Krasimirov Minchev, Ilija Đorđević


8
Slika: Nađa Kračunović, ''Kompleks na prodaju'', 2019, performans na Ibarskoj Magistrali, Beograd, Srbija
Šok Zdruga razgovor (srpski):
https://sokzadruga.com/2019/12/13/sok-razgovor-nada-kracunovic-kompleks-na-prodaju/


9
Slika:  Nađa Kračunović,''In case of emergency: Hair Boxer'', 2023
objekat od kose - ljubaznošću umetnice.


10
Slika: Nađa Kračunović, ''In case of emergency: Active Sperm, Passive Aggression'', 2022-23, tekstovi od perli, ljubaznošću umetnice.


11
Slika: Nađa Kračunović,''In case of emergency: Pass Auf!'', 2023, crteži na stranicama pasoša, ljubaznošću umetnice.


12
Slika: Nađa Kračunović,''How to perform a scream?'', 2024
radionica glasa i performansa u okviru umetničke rezidencije u CRL Central Eletrica, Porto, Portugal, podržano od strane Culture Moves Europe Program. 
Foto: Ružica Anja Tadić


13
Slika: Nađa Kračunović, ''Crying Classroom - Mapping Human Rights with Tears'', 2024, hibridno predavanje na Iceland University of the Arts, sa koleginicom Rand Ibrahim
Courtesy of Crying Classroom.
Pogledaj: 
Link: https://cryingclassroom.net/