naš jezik/ OUR LANGUAGE, In research and development for presentation in 2027/28
Image : Stretan Stojanovic, Pet Karijatida (Five Caryatids) at Kuća Cveća , Belgrade, photograph by Louis Haugh, 2024
Naš Jezik is a transdisciplinary project that explores the intersections of language, identity, diaspora, and political history through film and sculpture. Naš Jezik, meaning “Our Language” in Bosnian, Montenegrin, Croatian, and Serbian, reflects notions of linguistic and cultural reconnection. Growing up in Australia, I experienced a disconnection from my mother tongue—jezik, a word that signifies both “tongue” and “language.” This loss created a sense of cultural alienation that is explored in this project.
The project is structured in two parts. The first part of this project focuses on the legacy of Croatian sculptor Ivan Meštrović, whose early 20th-century works aimed to foster a unified South Slavic identity through monumental sculpture. His work sought to resist colonial domination by the Ottoman and Austro-Hungarian empires and articulated a shared sculptural language for the Balkans. Although Meštrović later moved to the United States and distanced himself from socialist Yugoslavia, his sculptures appear across the region.
The second part of Naš Jezik examines the role of language in diaspora, particularly through Australia’s Special Broadcasting Service (SBS). Established in 1978, SBS has played a crucial role in maintaining linguistic and cultural ties for migrant communities by broadcasting in over 70 languages. For my family, SBS served as a cultural lifeline, preserving connections to Yugoslavia and later to Serbia and Croatia. I investigate how translation and subtitling—central practices at SBS—mediate identity and belonging in diasporic contexts.