Uznemirena Tla [Disturbed Soil]

Abstract

Hung on a gallery wall, from a distance this large scale image resembles a photograph, but oncloser inspection reveals itself to be a hand drawn artwork, with traces of the soft touch offingertips embedded onto the surface of the paper. Measuring almost two meters by one and ahalf, the drawing is epic in scale, and seductive in its flowing tones of charcoal black,modulated greys and pale white highlights. The drawing shimmers, the texture of the foliagevibrating with a suppressed energy that makes the seemingly pastoral scene appear chargedand alive. The drawing is one of a series of eight works that the Serbian artist VladimirMiladinović has painstakingly enlarged and copied from postcard sized original photographstaken by forensic investigators working with the International Criminal Tribunal for the FormerYugoslavia (ICTY) who were documenting suspected mass graves sites in the Belgradesuburb of Batajnica in 2001.