Anna Dasović and Natasha Marie Llorens Discuss Language, Witnessing, and Genocidal Violence

Artist and researcher Anna Dasović and curator Natasha Marie Llorens have engaged in a prolonged dialogue examining how representation intersects with violence. Dasović's artistic work investigates rhetorical frameworks that render genocidal acts visible and the ways these frameworks can be used to deny such violence. Their conversation builds upon Dasović's prior research on the 1990s genocide in Bosnia and Herzegovina, drawing connections to current events in Gaza. Dasović introduces the concept of the 'affective economy of genocide,' which describes how emotions circulate in public discourse to shape responses to mass violence. The discussion critiques terms like 'horror' and 'unspeakable' for potentially centering the viewer's experience rather than the victims', and explores how language can either sustain silence or enable accountability. Examples from artistic practices, including works by Selma Selman and Valentina Desideri, are cited as forms of resistance to this affective economy.