Design Art Papers 2025 | No. 13

My projects After demonstrating the examples that illustrate how conceptually rich heritage within contemporary art is, I will now transition to the artistic practice showcasing how heritage has influenced my creativity. The state of dialogical self has initiated my artistic role through photographic projectsthathelpedwiththeunderstandingandappreciation of the development of my own identity. Similar to Abramović, I was raised in Serbia in a society that is rooted in traditional values, influenced by both Orthodox Christianity and the remains of communism. This influence includes strong gender role division and hierarchical relationships. In my immediate family, a traditional mindset wasn’t noticeable and tradition was approached selectively, where some customs were preserved and respected as meaningful cultural practices, while there was no strong adherence to traditional expectations. This setting immensely shaped my artistic interest, in which I chose to recognize certainmeaningful phenomena. Certain social constructs are a burden tome as an individual in the role of e.g., daughter in law, wife, worker etc., and in interpersonal situations I tend to criticize them, trying to fight off imposed expectations. By contrast, as an artist, cultural heritage is approached through the lens of a curator, specifically acknowledging what is interesting and worthy of resurgence. Encountered circumstances influence the state of the „self”, and I feel the need to process them through photography. Sometimes I simply capture them, while other times I transformandmodify themthrough rearrangements that can amplify the narrative. The methodology across the photographic projects varies, to best address and highlight different themes of cultural heritage that are deemed worthy of attention. Some of these themes are familiar (e.g., Coffee, Yugo omnipresence) and thus, I choose to glorify them, while others are entirely unfamiliar (e.g., Backyard graveyard), and I try to understand them. The employed strategy could be described as a form of collecting social phenomena, inspired by a documentary format with direct framing. Regardless of the format, the photographs are not documentary in nature, since they are manipulated, not only with the camera, but also with their presentation to the viewer. Through the selected frames, there is insufficient evidence for an objective interpretation of the givenphenomenon, and the visuals canbe considered suggestive. Drawing on the ideas of François Soulages in Esthétique de la photographie , photography can be understood as a visual language, where individual photographs function likewords, and photographic series or presentations take on the role of sentences. In this sense, photography enables the dialogue between past and present, or between cultural heritage and the viewer [31] . Each presentation can change that narrative, adding to or subtracting fromthe original story. Presentation shapes the view that is offered and can give a new life to the sequence of photographs, which is what happens when I collect cultural phenomena or recycle the heritage around me. In the following section, I will present three of the photographic projects that showcase how I engage with intangible cultural heritage. My interest in exploring cultural heritage through art began with the Coffee (2013) series. The inspiration stemmed directly from my surroundings. Serbia is, as most of the Balkans, a traditional area with old customs and rules, where drinking homemade Turkish coffee is a daily ritual. Inspiration also came from Jim Jarmusch’s film Coffee and Cigarettes (2003), which features tabletop bird’s-eye shots between scenes in which celebrities engage in seemingly trivial conversations over coffee and cigarettes. I present arrangements of coffee cups photographed from above, mirroring Jarmusch’s cinematographic approach (see image 1). However, while his scenes are black and white (thereby removingvisual distractions andallowing the focus to remain on the conversations), my compositions are vibrant visual landscapes that more closely reflect the diverse origin of the inherited cultural tradition I am exploring. This inherited traditionhas evolved intoanearly inescapable ritual inSerbia (and the broader Western Balkans), with its roots tracing back to the Ottoman era. Locally, this beverage is called Turkish coffee or domestic coffee , and sometimes black coffee . Interestingly, Turks today generally do not drink this type of coffee, instead favoring tea or sherbet. Turkish coffee is consumed with or without sugar, and its preparation is ritualized with a complexity that makes it personal and intimate. Optional sugar is added to cold water in a džezva (a traditional long-handled coffee pot), which is brought to a boil. A small amount of the first boil is poured into the cup, while the finely-ground coffee is brewed in the remaining water. This is allowed to boil again—known as the second key —and then the previously poured liquid is returned, allowing thecoffee torisebeforeboilingagain. IntheBalkans, drinking coffee is a daily act with its own rhythms. It begins in the morning at home and is often repeated throughout the day. The ritual requires a favorite cup (useddaily), aparticular place at home (also the same every day), and peace. While people around the world may also have favorite cups or corners for their coffee, in Serbia and the region, Turkish coffee also carries social constraints and expectations. For example, not drinking Turkish coffee can provoke shock, along with unsolicited opinions. These reactions are often accompanied by advice on how to overcome the illness of not drinking coffee. Such coffee also serves as a symbol of goodwill, making it nearly impossible to meet someone for quick interaction; one is invariably invited in for a cup, which can only be politely refused a limited number of times. Refusal can be perceived as an insult, since the time offered is regarded as a form of respect. Turkish coffee pairs well with alcohol and sweets, and is considered a safe and thoughtful gift when visiting someone’s home for the first time, an important custom in itself. This project depicts the complexity of human relationships through small rituals and I choose to place these coffee meet-ups under the lens, isolating the personal arrangements of the individual who engages in them, whether alone, with friends, or simply as an act of respect. Presented in this way, these arrangements become symbolsofmentalityand tradition, servingas a clear portrait of an individual who belongs to this cultural setting. In 2017 I encountered the phenomenon that inspired the ongoing project, Backyard Graveyard (2017–). The project explores a still-practiced pagan custom rooted in the cult of the dead , specifically, the burial of family members within the household yard. Though primarily observed in rural parts of Eastern Serbia, it is not exclusive to that region. The cult of the dead is deeply embedded in the cultural Fig. 3 / Tijana Kačarević, Yugo – Omnipresence , 2018 345 344 / / / / Caiete de Arte și Design / nr. 13 / 2025 / / / / Publicație a Centrului de Cercetare și Creație în Artele Decorative și Design / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / /