Mladen Miljanović's Didactic Wall (2019) Addresses Migration Crisis in Bihać Through Military Handbook Tactics
In 2019, Mladen Miljanović unveiled The Didactic Wall, a site-specific artwork in Bihać, Bosnia and Hercegovina, in response to the migrant crisis triggered by Croatia's border closures. Curated by Irfan Hošić, the installation made its debut at the City Gallery in July 2019, featuring a marble wall with engravings and a handbook inspired by a Yugoslav People's Army manual. Miljanović's work critiques the art community's superficial engagement with migration, seeking to provide educational insights. The handbook includes guidance on climbing walls and using them as flares, promoting the demilitarization of knowledge. This project, highlighting the intellectual function of art, has been reprinted thrice and displayed in two additional venues, alongside educational billboards in Bihać's migration routes.
Key facts
- The Didactic Wall (2019) is a site-specific installation by Mladen Miljanović in Bihać, Bosnia and Hercegovina
- It addresses the migrant crisis where thousands were stuck after Croatia closed its borders, preventing passage to Slovenia and Northern Europe
- The work includes an engraved marble wall and a handbook based on a Yugoslav People's Army manual
- Curator Irfan Hošić defined the work as site-specific, deconstructing Bihać's association with walls
- Miljanović criticizes art exhibitions that aestheticize migration from a distance without tangible feedback
- The handbook contains instructions for scaling walls, invisibility, and using the booklet as a flare, originally labeled a military secret
- Miljanović grew up 1km from the frontline during the 1990s Yugoslav civil war, influencing his interest in demilitarizing knowledge
- Three handbook editions have been reprinted, and the work has been shown in two other regional locations since July 2019
Entities
Artists
- Mladen Miljanović
- Sven Spieker
- Irfan Hošić
- Giorgio Agamben
Institutions
- ARTMargins Online
- City Gallery in Bihać
- Yugoslav People's Army
Locations
- Bihać
- Bosnia and Hercegovina
- Slovenia
- Croatia
- Northern Europe
- Tijuana
- Calais
- Eastern Europe