From April 1993 to March 1994, the Usora region was surrounded by the Serbian army. Jelah, a small village, was also affected. Amid destruction and despair, the inhabitants survived impressively by growing vegetables and fruits and slaughtering animals.

Money was no longer valuable; therefore services were exchanged for food, whiskey or cigarettes. Solidarity among the residents led to the sharing of resources and constant mutual support.


The photographs show personal perspectives on the Bosnian war, which are exhibited as cinematic stills in a series of five. Tasks, such as cooking, gardening, or farming, were reenacted to represent their life during the Bosnian war. The still lifes are portrayals of what food was available during the total encapsulation. The layer of transmediality is added by the two videos. One of them shows the emotional trauma repression of the war survivors, the other video addresses the brutal truth of living in a surrounded area.



All of these components create a narrative and complexity to the history of the Bosnian war and how inhabitants survived during that time. In addition, the way of sugarcoating their past is contrasted with documentary and archival material.

More about the project «Honey & Rakija for Lunch».
Concept and realisation:
Ariane Hügli
Evelyn Nietlisbach
Note of Thanks:
Boro Simić
Ante Cigale
Stipo Mandić
Nedjelko Mandić
Vinka Bašić
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12. Mai 2024