When She Was Young They Gave Her a Gun, 2022
11 x 16 x 2.8 cm
Edition: 100
Eugster, Belgrade
The piece was made as an impromptu response to the thematic concerns of PREDATORY, the show on view at the time, but also as an announcement to the artists’s solo at our gallery.
The photograph shows Šejla in her early youth, in a seemingly cheerful environment, holding a baby tiger. However the context of when and where the picture was taken — mid 90s in Sarajevo — invites us to rethink the feelings that she might have been holding behind the grin.
The playfully crafted frame intentionally evokes memories of times one could call “innocent”, with an aesthetic associative of decorative toys that were popular at the time. In this part of Europe, the era when snow globes and liquid photo frames were popular was also one of the darkest times, for children, grown-ups (and Tigers too).