Framing the Margins: Representation of the Working Class in Contemporary Serbian Visual and Cinematic Art

Authors

  • Maja Petrović Faculty of Media and Communications, Signinum University, Belgrade
  • Ana Filipović Faculty of Philosophy, University of Belgrade

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.25038/am.v0i28.634

Keywords:

working-class representation; contemporary Serbian art and cinema; Working Class Heroes (2022); The Working Class Goes to Hell (2023); Milica Ružičić.

Abstract

This paper examines the modes of visual representation of the working class in contemporary Serbian art and cinema. Employing analytical tools grounded in the study of social conditions – such as the social history of art, it explores various elements of visual language used to communicate scenes from the margins with the purpose of answering the questions of how the subject is chosen and portrayed, as well as their contributions to the visibility and representation of these issuesThe paper also examines the proximity to, or established dialogue with, historical models of representation and approaches to these themes. Ultimately, realism is identified as the dominant model, though certain departures from it and experimental approaches are also recognized.

Author Biographies

Maja Petrović, Faculty of Media and Communications, Signinum University, Belgrade

Maja Petrović (Leskovac, 1998) is a PhD candidate at the Department of Art History at the Faculty of Philosophy in Belgrade and a teaching assistant at the Faculty of Media and Communications. She is engaged as the co-editor of the electronic magazine for contemporary art Supervizuelna. Over the past years, she has participated in international conferences, collaborated on international projects related to contemporary art, such as the ongoing IMPORT/EXPORT project, organized exhibitions of domestic and international artists, authored scholarly and professional texts as well as curatorial essays, and served as one of the mentors in the student collaboration project Inter/Akcija. Her research interests focus on contemporary art, specifically the relationship between contemporary art and ecology, posthumanism, and transhumanism.

Ana Filipović, Faculty of Philosophy, University of Belgrade

Ana Filipović (Belgrade, 1998) completed her Master’s degree in Art History at the Department of History of Art, Faculty of Philosophy, University of Belgrade, where she is currently employed as a research assistant. She is undertaking doctoral studies at the same department, while also completing her Master’s degree in Theories of Dramatic Arts and Media at the Faculty of Dramatic Arts, University of Arts in Belgrade. Over the past several years, she has been involved in the work of some of the country’s most prominent cultural institutions and has collaborated with both domestic and international film festivals, including the Auteur Film Festival, the Sarajevo Film Festival, and the Beldocs Festival. She is a critic for the online portal Filmoskopija. Her primary research interests focus on the diverse relationships between the film medium and modern art.

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Published

15.09.2025

How to Cite

Petrović, M., & Filipović, A. (2025). Framing the Margins: Representation of the Working Class in Contemporary Serbian Visual and Cinematic Art . AM Journal of Art and Media Studies, (37), 103–122. https://doi.org/10.25038/am.v0i28.634

Issue

No. 37 (2025): Issue No. 37, September 2025 – Main Topic: The Marginalization of Art: A Permanent, Complex, and Ongoing Process

Section

MAIN TOPIC: The Marginalization of Art: A Permanent, Complex, and Ongoing Process

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