Selma Selman's Activist Art Confronts Roma Identity and Economic Realities
In 2018, Selma Selman, a Bosnian Romani artist, documented her journey to freedom in her MFA thesis video titled I Will Buy My Freedom When, after purchasing it for $11,166. To challenge traditional marriage customs and advocate for self-emancipation, she raised funds by selling her hair, clothing, and artworks. Based in Bihać, Bosnia, Selman's diverse artistic practices address the material realities faced by the Romani community. Her organization, Marš u Školu, has successfully boosted primary school enrollment for Roma children in Bosnia from 15% to 95% since 2017, providing scholarships and hot meals funded by her art, including the Works on Metal series. Selman has showcased her work extensively, including at the 2019 Venice Biennale, focusing on Roma rights shaped by the 1995 Dayton Agreement.
Key facts
- Selma Selman bought her freedom from her family for $11,166 in 2018
- Her MFA thesis project I Will Buy My Freedom When documents this transaction
- She funds activism by selling artworks like her Works on Metal series
- Marš u Školu increased Roma school attendance in Bosnia from 15% to 95%
- Selman exhibited at the 2019 Venice Biennale's Roma Pavilion
- The Dayton Agreement designates Romani people in Bosnia as "others"
- She studied at Syracuse University and Central European University in Budapest
- Her work references Marina Abramović and Pipilotti Rist
Entities
Artists
- Selma Selman
- Mladen Miljanović
- Marina Abramović
- Pipilotti Rist
- Tanja Ostojić
- Aki Kaurismaki
- Marta Meszaros
- Uroš Čvoro
- Silvia Federici
- Ioanna Szeman
- Nira Yuval-Davis
- Roy Baumeister
- Kathleen Vohs
- Kristen Ghodsee
- Verónica Tello
- Arnisa Caterina Zeqo
- Jennifer Paton
- Timea Junghaus
- Zdenka Badovinac
- Hella Wiedmer-Newman
Institutions
- Syracuse University
- Central European University
- Banja Luka University
- National Gallery in Sarajevo
- Venice Biennale
- Documenta 15
- Manifesta 14
- Harper’s Bazaar Serbia
- BHeart Foundation
- World Romani Congress
- ARTMargins Online
- The Calvert Journal
- Gypsydada.com
- Studio Selma Selman
- Roma Pavilion
- Aberdeen Student Law Review
- Third Text
- Mousse
- Bloomsbury
- Berghahn
- Power of Women Collective
- Falling Wall Press
Locations
- Bihać
- Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Bosnia
- Sarajevo
- Banja Luka
- Budapest
- Hungary
- Syracuse
- United States
- Venice
- Italy
- Prishtina
- Kosovo
- Croatia
- Slovenia
- Republika Srpska
- London
- United Kingdom
- New York
- Bristol
- Romania
- Ottoman Empire
- Former Yugoslavia
- EU
Sources
- ARTMargins —
- ARTMargins —