Four Faces of Omarska Collective Uses Emergency Aesthetics to Address War Crimes Legacy

Contemporary artists from the Western Balkans confront the legacy of 1990s ethnonationalist violence through art, despite populist politics in successor states often undermining open discussion of war crimes. The Four Faces of Omarska art collective investigates atrocities following socialist Yugoslavia's dissolution by examining the Omarska site in north-western Bosnia, which has functioned as a mining complex, a death camp, and a film set for an 'ethno-blockbuster.' Their practice is analyzed through Santiago Zabala's concept of 'emergency aesthetics,' a method for countering political erasure of urgent issues. Published on October 1, 2023, in ARTMargins Volume 12, Issue 3, pages 54-75, with DOI 10.1162/artm_a_00363, the article argues that the collective's public engagement strategies offer a model for creative practice in an era of planetary crisis, extending beyond its immediate post-socialist context. The analysis provides a comprehensive art historical perspective on how art serves as a critical platform against official erasure.