Familiar Characters is a photographic series depicting an odyssey of a grown-up revisiting childhood, created in Serbia over the past three years. Life away from home allowed me to see my upbringing from a distance and with more clarity. Despite historical currents that I could only sense but not comprehend as a child, I developed a deep sentiment towards my childhood that I cherish to this day. Realising that the physical and immaterial remains of my formative years represent a mirror of culture that shaped significant parts of my identity, I wanted to better understand my fascination with childhood and its aesthetics. Whimsical figures emerged from my archival images and fragments of early life, acting as guardians of the worlds I once inhabited and witnesses to their enduring presence.
In this process, I became a little kid again, playing with toys and making imaginary kingdoms. Soon enough, memories acquired a strange appeal as I was gathering a wider picture of events that took place in my early years. Growing up in the aftermath of war didn’t stop me from finding joy, as my family made sure to provide and protect an image of a happy childhood. Yet, returning to the uncanny places of my hometown made clear the feeling of displacement, of being both at home and estranged, both host and visitor on this journey. Past or present and memory or fact, no longer had a clear boundary or significance. My world became one big playground, a field for building new memories and fantasies while confronting the absences and ruptures left behind.
The innocence of childhood dreams that became distorted by the reality of an adult world made my sentiment almost synonymous with a lucid dream. A sense of displacement marks this return, evoking a yearning for a home that could feel whimsical again, for memories that remain unspoiled, and for the possibility of reimagining both. I tried to portray how these desires shaped my memory and imagination now, turning them into a shelter in times of uncertainty and a source of hope and perseverance. Familiar Characters developed into a personal mythology that is not only a case study of my childhood and its archive but also a general note on human nature and our need to return and save our sacred (inner) places. It reflects how displacement, in all its forms, creates both rupture and possibility. By opening the gates of my kingdom, I allow others to peek into my world, hoping to awaken that curious child inside them, too.