Your name
Mitar Simikić
Place of birth
Bijeljina, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Place where you live now
Novi Sad, Serbia
3 words to describe you
calm, observing, always smiling
Why do you take pictures?
I've always been someone who doesn't talk much. The camera is just a tool with which I transmit what I see and talk about.
I try to be a narrator, build the story slowly, often returning; I am interested in details, describing the situation but also the atmosphere, getting into the intimate subtly so as not to disturb anything. Like a chronicler, recording the facts and fragments of this strange reality in front of me, subconsciously realizing that only my photographs will save it from oblivion. But rather than history, these photographs of constant change are a metaphor for a turbulent life and the fate of people in this area. Of a constant state of exile, of cutting and denying the roots that are deeply ruined by the fragile weaving of the “inner landscape” of people who are persistently trying to anchor themselves in this restless and unpredictable land.
Where do you get your inspiration?
I find inspiration in the place where I come from. Bosnia and Herzegovina has always been a country of changes, different cultures, people, habits. I research different layers of society. Their stories are intertwined with an experience that we can identify with.
Who are your influences?
Diane Arbus, Alec Soth, Matthew Genitempo, Bryan Schutmaat
What determines the subject matter you choose?
Time and space – the two backbones of photography intertwine here like the wind swirling around and drawing us into these silent testimonies of someone’s life. Just like a photo album that attempts to tell the story of a family, of someone’s history, these photographic fragments tear away memories and, like engraved letters on tombstones, remind us of the time that inevitably passes.
What impact would you like your art to have?
What has happened with this project is already positive and I am happy that the project had an impact.
What artwork do you never get bored with?
Although I breathe photography, music is another medium that is always with me. I start with it from the start of the day... I like listening to the radio, in general. Maybe one of my favorites is "djam" radio. If I were to single out something it would be Liro Rantala, Alice Coltrane, Esbjörn Svensson, Bonobo.
Is there anything you want to add?
I'm just a five-year-old child who loves to play.
