Up YU Go! Odjuga.

Up YU Go! Odjuga.

Everyone who knows me also knows I love wordplay. So as soon as I saw its title in both English and Slovene, I knew that this exhibition would be something world-class.

When the (unfortunately) now former director of the National Museum of Contemporary History, Kaja Širok, asked me whether I wished to participate in this project, I didn’t need to think twice about my answer. I was honoured that she had thought of me, too. Yes, I’m honoured because my family, which was originally from the south of Yugoslavia, can also be said to have mustered the courage to ‘up and go’ and come to Slovenia.

The central theme of the exhibition is the stories of people who moved here from the republics of the former Yugoslavia after the Second World War, and their descendants. In its core, the exhibition humanises the processes of belonging, self-discovery, remembering, exclusion, stigmatisation, and othering.

“Labels? Labels are only good for rakija.” This is how the message of the exhibition was beautifully summed up by its co-creator Dragica Dobrila.

“Identities? They say that identities are like underpants. You’ve got several, or you don’t; in other words: your thing, your intimate business.” That is how the musician Magnifico explains it. Because his is also one of the ‘Up-YU-Go’ stories.

In addition to thousands of others, to be clear. The stories of Identities on the Line are actually conceived on the basis of the stories of 40 people who have experienced just that. Even based on my story, my parents’ story. On my identity, my identities.

“Let’s hold up a mirror to all those who look down on us and – unjustifiably – place us somewhere near the bottom of the social ladder. Let’s hold up this mirror to them in such a way that we can show them the best version of ourselves.”

This was my message to all of us who are characterised by multiple identities. And this record is a really minute part of this temporary exhibition. Therefore… Go see it! It will be on display in the premises of the National Museum of Contemporary History of Slovenia until May 2022.

Photo: National Museum of Contemporary History