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Toronto Sun
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Toronto Sun
Sarajevo street art marks out brighter future
Street artists in the Bosnian capital are using their work to reshape a city steeped in history Published Jul 28, 2025 • 3 minute read Street artist Kerim Musanovic puts the finishing touches to touches to a painting on the former Olympic bobsled track at Mount Trebevic, near Sarajevo. Photo by ELVIS BARUKCIC / AFP Reviews and recommendations are unbiased and products are independently selected. Postmedia may earn an affiliate commission from purchases made through links on this page. SARAJEVO — Bullet holes still pockmark many Sarajevo buildings; others threaten collapse under disrepair, but street artists in the Bosnian capital are using their work to reshape a city steeped in history. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account A half-pipe of technicolour snakes its way through the verdant Mount Trebevic, once an Olympic bobsled route — now layered in ever-changing art. 'It's a really good place for artists to come here to paint, because you can paint here freely,' Kerim Musanovic told AFP, spraycan in hand as he repaired his work on the former site of the 1984 Sarajevo Games. Retouching his mural of a dragon, his painting's gallery is this street art hotspot between the pines. Like most of his work, he paints the fantastic, as far removed from the divisive political slogans that stain walls elsewhere in the Balkan nation. Old buildings renovated with murals in a city which still bears the physical scars of war three decades onELVIS BARUKCIC/AFP Photo by ELVIS BARUKCIC / AFP 'I want to be like a positive view. When you see my murals or my artworks, I don't want people to think too much about it. 'It's for everyone.' Plan your next getaway with Travel Time, featuring travel deals, destinations and gear. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. During the Bosnian war, 1992-1995, Sarajevo endured the longest siege in modern conflict, as Bosnian Serb forces encircled and bombarded the city for 44 months. Attacks on the city left over 11,500 people dead, injured 50,000 and forced tens of thousands to flee. But in the wake of a difficult peace, that divided the country into two autonomous entities, Bosnia's economy continues to struggle leaving the physical scars of war still evident around the city almost three decades on. 'A form of therapy' 'After the war, segregation, politics, and nationalism were very strong, but graffiti and hip-hop broke down all those walls and built new bridges between generations,' local muralist Adnan Hamidovic, also known as rapper Frenkie, said. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Frenkie vividly remembers being caught by police early in his career, while tagging trains bound for Croatia in the northwest Bosnian town of Tuzla. The 43-year-old said the situation was still tense then, with police suspecting he was doing 'something political'. For the young artist, only one thing mattered: 'Making the city your own'. Graffiti was a part of Sarajevo life even during the war, from signs warning of sniper fire to a bulletproof barrier emblazoned with the words 'Pink Floyd' — a nod to the band's 1979 album The Wall. Sarajevo Roses — fatal mortar impact craters filled with red resin — remain on pavements and roads around the city as a memorial to those killed in the strikes. When he was young, Frenkie said the thrill of illegally painting gripped him, but it soon became 'a form of therapy' in a country recovering from warELVIS BARUKCIC/AFP Photo by ELVIS BARUKCIC / AFP When he was young, Frenkie said the thrill of illegally painting gripped him, but it soon became 'a form of therapy' combined with a desire to do something significant in a country still recovering from war. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'Sarajevo, after the war, you can imagine, it was a very, very dark place,' he said at Manifesto gallery where he exhibited earlier this year. 'Graffiti brought life into the city and also colour.' 'A way of resisting' Sarajevo's annual Fasada festival, first launched in 2021, has helped promote the city's muralists while also repairing buildings, according to artist and founder Benjamin Cengic. A photo shows old buildings renovated with murals by Bosnian street artist Benjamin Cengic and his creative team who seek to 'create bonds' between peopleELVIS BARUKCIC/AFP Photo by ELVIS BARUKCIC / AFP 'We look for overlooked neighbourhoods, rundown facades,' Cengic said. His team fixes the buildings that will also act as the festival's canvas, sometimes installing insulation and preserving badly damaged homes in the area. The aim is to 'really work on creating bonds between local people, between artists'. Mostar, a city in southern Bosnia, will also host the 14th edition of its annual street art festival in August. With unemployment nearing 30 percent in Bosnia, street art also offers an important springboard to young artists, University of Sarajevo sociology professor Sarina Bakic said. 'The social context for young people is very difficult,' Bakic said. Ljiljana Radosevic, a researcher at Finland's Jyvaskyla University, said graffiti allowed youth to shake off any 'nationalist narrative or imposed identity'. 'It's a way of resisting,' Radosevic said. Canada Editorial Cartoons Sunshine Girls Relationships Editorials
eNCA
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- eNCA
Sarajevo street art marks out brighter future
SARAJEVO - Bullet holes still pockmark many Sarajevo buildings; others threaten collapse under disrepair, but street artists in the Bosnian capital are using their work to reshape a city steeped in history. A half-pipe of technicolour snakes its way through the verdant Mount Trebevic, once an Olympic bobsled route -- now layered in ever-changing art. "It's a really good place for artists to come here to paint, because you can paint here freely," Kerim Musanovic told AFP, spraycan in hand as he repaired his work on the former site of the 1984 Sarajevo Games. Retouching his mural of a dragon, his painting gallery is this street art hotspot between the pines. Like most of his work, he paints the fantastic, as far removed from the divisive political slogans that stain walls elsewhere in the Balkan nation. AFP | ELVIS BARUKCIC "I want to be like a positive view. When you see my murals or my artworks, I don't want people to think too much about it. "It's for everyone." During the Bosnian war, 1992-1995, Sarajevo endured the longest siege in modern conflict, as Bosnian Serb forces encircled and bombarded the city for 44 months. Attacks on the city left over 11,500 people dead, injured 50,000 and forced tens of thousands to flee. But in the wake of a difficult peace, that divided the country into two autonomous entities, Bosnia's economy continues to struggle leaving the physical scars of war still evident around the city almost three decades on. 'A form of therapy' "After the war, segregation, politics, and nationalism were very strong, but graffiti and hip-hop broke down all those walls and built new bridges between generations," local muralist Adnan Hamidovic, also known as rapper Frenkie, said. Frenkie vividly remembers being caught by police early in his career, while tagging trains bound for Croatia in the northwest Bosnian town of Tuzla. The 43-year-old said the situation was still tense then, with police suspecting he was doing "something political". For the young artist, only one thing mattered: "Making the city your own". Graffiti was a part of Sarajevo life even during the war, from signs warning of sniper fire to a bulletproof barrier emblazoned with the words "Pink Floyd" -- a nod to the band's 1979 album The Wall. Sarajevo Roses -- fatal mortar impact craters filled with red resin -- remain on pavements and roads around the city as a memorial to those killed in the strikes. AFP | ELVIS BARUKCIC When he was young, Frenkie said the thrill of illegally painting gripped him, but it soon became "a form of therapy" combined with a desire to do something significant in a country still recovering from war. "Sarajevo, after the war, you can imagine, it was a very, very dark place," he said at Manifesto gallery where he exhibited earlier this year. "Graffiti brought life into the city and also colour." 'A way of resisting' Sarajevo's annual Fasada festival, first launched in 2021, has helped promote the city's muralists while also repairing buildings, according to artist and founder Benjamin Cengic. AFP | ELVIS BARUKCIC "We look for overlooked neighbourhoods, rundown facades," Cengic said. His team fixes the buildings that will also act as the festival's canvas, sometimes installing insulation and preserving badly damaged homes in the area. The aim is to "really work on creating bonds between local people, between artists". Mostar, a city in southern Bosnia, will also host the 14th edition of its annual street art festival in August. With unemployment nearing 30 percent in Bosnia, street art also offers an important springboard to young artists, University of Sarajevo sociology professor Sarina Bakic said. "The social context for young people is very difficult," Bakic said. Ljiljana Radosevic, a researcher at Finland's Jyvaskyla University, said graffiti allowed youth to shake off any "nationalist narrative or imposed identity". "It's a way of resisting," Radosevic said. by Anne-sophie Labadie
Toronto Sun
02-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Toronto Sun
Nazi-sympathizing singer's huge gig to paralyze Zagreb
Published Jul 02, 2025 • 2 minute read ELVIS BARUKCIC/AFP Photo by ELVIS BARUKCIC / AFP ZAGREB — A concert by a singer known for pro-Nazi sympathies will draw a record-breaking 450,000 fans to Zagreb this weekend and Croatian authorities on Wednesday warned people to steer clear as the event jams its streets. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account A dozen hospitals have been put on alert to brace for a surge in demand during the Thompson concert on Saturday, while thousands of police will be deployed to manage the influx into a city already hosting summer tourists. A field hospital with 200 beds will also be set up near the racecourse venue and fans have been warned to prepare for summer heat. Marko Perkovic, known by his stage name Thompson, has been banned from performing in several countries due to his sympathies with Croatia's Second World War fascist Ustasha regime. Ustasha symbols are common at Thompson concerts, and he begins one of the most popular songs by screaming a fascist slogan infamously used by the Nazi-allied regime. 'People adore him' The concert sold out in just a few days in April, with a third of his fans under 28, according to the ticketing platform Entrio. Police said there would be at least 450,000 people at Croatia's biggest concert. Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'People adore him, due to his patriotic songs and affection for Croatia,' 22-year-old Nikola, who did not give his family name, told AFP ahead of the concert. The student ignores the Ustasha shouts from Thompson and said it just reflects the 'wartime' era in which the song was recorded. 'I was not even born when it was released.' A folk-rock icon of Croatia's right-wing, Thompson first became popular for his nationalist songs in the 1990s during the country's war of independence. But his manager, Zdravko Barisic, told local media that it was 'inappropriate' to accuse him of Ustasha sympathies and that he was hosting a 'concert, not a political rally.' Zagreb's left-wing mayor, Tomislav Tomsic, rejected earlier calls to ban the performance, saying they were 'counter-productive.' This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. In recent years, Croatia has seen a growing tolerance for its pro-Nazi past and critics accuse authorities of failing to sanction the use of Ustasha emblems. The Ustasha persecuted and killed hundreds of thousands of Serbs, Jews, anti-fascist Croatians, Roma and others in concentration camps during the Second World War. But historian Hrvoje Klasic told AFP that the singer's popularity does not reflect an increasing support for far-right movements in mainstream society. The vast majority of fans perceive Thompson as a 'patriot, presenting traditional values like homeland, religion, family', Klasic told AFP. 'Croatian society traditionally leans slightly to the right, with a patriotic charge.' The last parliamentary elections, however, saw the Homeland Movement (DP), known for its nationalist and anti-migrant rhetoric, join the coalition government. RECOMMENDED VIDEO Toronto Maple Leafs Toronto Maple Leafs Ontario Ontario Sports
