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André Raatzsch

50 Photographs Without Anti-Roma Racism

Nihad Nino Pušija | Palast der Republik 2008 | photography | Germany | 2008 | pho_00257_23 Rights held by: Nihad Nino Pušija | Licensed by: Nihad Nino Pušija | Licensed under: CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 International | Provided by: Nihad Nino Pušija – Private Archive

A series of photographs by Nino Nihad Pušija

“How difficult is it to get to know a culture through photographs, and how does this process play out specifically in the case of the culture of Sinti and Roma?”1 And how can it coincide with the self-determination and self-representation of “Sinti and Roma photographers”? Can a contemporary photography series awaken unprejudiced interest in “being different” and take a stand against automatic anti-Roma prejudice? Furthermore, how can the canon of visual representations of Sinti and Roma be disrupted? In this context, what is the meaning of Roma folklore movements, nation-building processes or cultural hybridity, among others? Can (cultural) institutions emancipate or legitimize “Roma artists”?

Previous examples of Sinti and Roma art exhibitions show that explanatory programs and exhibition texts very rarely contributed to determining or expanding the exhibited art pieces, video works or photographs, even though one of the most important functions of the “additional information” was supposedly to change the conservative, “typical”2 way of seeing.

It is important for viewers to be able to understand new perspectives on a Roma art exhibit, which go well beyond their preconceived notions. This revives and activates important impressions and thought processes, such as the question of the autonomy of “Sinti and Roma artists” as compared to “German artists”.

Through the performative transformation of the Instituto Cervantes into a (fictive) “Roma Cultural Institute”, the exhibited works and artists experienced an expanded positioning and meaning, which gave everyone involved food for thought. The “change of institution” clearly raised the question of who the exhibition was meant for.

I was able to achieve a successful disruption of the canon of Roma people's visual representation by selecting the photographic works of Nihad Nino Pušijas. I invited him to exhibit a small collection of photographs which where not “typical of Gypsies”. My goal was not to repeat the images expected by the “ethno-industry” and thus to highlight a very important issue: Roma artists do not need to create work that is “typical of Gypsies” to legitimize themselves as artists. I will go one step further: the versatility of the photographic motives in Pušija's works (see also the essay by Dr. Sibylle Badstübner-Gröger in the exhibition catalogue) refers to the complexity of ethnicized definitions of identity, national affiliation and simultaneous hybridities – in Pušija's case, the culture of ex-Yugoslavia and Germany – in a much more “honest” manner than is the case in “traditional” representations of Roma people.

  • Nihad Nino Pušija | Familienstudio Kotti 2001 | photograph | Germany | 2001 | pho_00257_01 Rights held by: Nihad Nino Pušija | Licensed by: Nihad Nino Pušija | Licensed under: CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 International | Provided by: Nihad Nino Pušija – Private Archive
  • Nihad Nino Pušija | WTC New York 1990 | photograph | United States of America | 1990 | pho_00257_02 Rights held by: Nihad Nino Pušija | Licensed by: Nihad Nino Pušija | Licensed under: CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 International | Provided by: Nihad Nino Pušija – Private Archive
  • Nihad Nino Pušija | America 1990 | photograph | United States of America | 1990 | pho_00257_03 Rights held by: Nihad Nino Pušija | Licensed by: Nihad Nino Pušija | Licensed under: CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 International | Provided by: Nihad Nino Pušija – Private Archive
  • Nihad Nino Pušija | America 1990 | photograph | United States of America | 1990 | pho_00257_04 Rights held by: Nihad Nino Pušija | Licensed by: Nihad Nino Pušija | Licensed under: CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 International | Provided by: Nihad Nino Pušija – Private Archive
  • Nihad Nino Pušija | America 1990 | photograph | United States of America | 1990 | pho_00257_05 Rights held by: Nihad Nino Pušija | Licensed by: Nihad Nino Pušija | Licensed under: CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 International | Provided by: Nihad Nino Pušija – Private Archive
  • Nihad Nino Pušija | America 1990 | photograph | United States of America | 1990 | pho_00257_06 Rights held by: Nihad Nino Pušija | Licensed by: Nihad Nino Pušija | Licensed under: CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 International | Provided by: Nihad Nino Pušija – Private Archive
  • Nihad Nino Pušija | America 1990 | photograph | United States of America | 1990 | pho_00257_07 Rights held by: Nihad Nino Pušija | Licensed by: Nihad Nino Pušija | Licensed under: CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 International | Provided by: Nihad Nino Pušija – Private Archive
  • Nihad Nino Pušija | Familienstudio Kotti 2001 | photography | Germany | 2001 | pho_00257_08 Rights held by: Nihad Nino Pušija | Licensed by: Nihad Nino Pušija | Licensed under: CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 International | Provided by: Nihad Nino Pušija – Private Archive
  • Nihad Nino Pušija | Sarajevo 1996 | photograph | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 1996 | pho_00257_09 Rights held by: Nihad Nino Pušija | Licensed by: Nihad Nino Pušija | Licensed under: CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 International | Provided by: Nihad Nino Pušija – Private Archive
  • Nihad Nino Pušija | Sarajevo 1988 | photograph | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 1988 | pho_00257_10 Rights held by: Nihad Nino Pušija | Licensed by: Nihad Nino Pušija | Licensed under: CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 International | Provided by: Nihad Nino Pušija – Private Archive
  • Nihad Nino Pušija | Sarajevo 1996 | photograph | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 1996 | pho_00257_11 Rights held by: Nihad Nino Pušija | Licensed by: Nihad Nino Pušija | Licensed under: CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 International | Provided by: Nihad Nino Pušija – Private Archive
  • Nihad Nino Pušija | Sarajevo 1996 | photograph | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 1996 | pho_00257_12 Rights held by: Nihad Nino Pušija | Licensed by: Nihad Nino Pušija | Licensed under: CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 International | Provided by: Nihad Nino Pušija – Private Archive
  • Nihad Nino Pušija | Sarajevo 2003 | photograph | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 2003 | pho_00257_13 Rights held by: Nihad Nino Pušija | Licensed by: Nihad Nino Pušija | Licensed under: CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 International | Provided by: Nihad Nino Pušija – Private Archive
  • Nihad Nino Pušija | Sarajevo 1996 | photograph | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 1996 | pho_00257_14 Rights held by: Nihad Nino Pušija | Licensed by: Nihad Nino Pušija | Licensed under: CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 International | Provided by: Nihad Nino Pušija – Private Archive
  • Nihad Nino Pušija | Charlotte von Mahlsdorf 1997 | photography | Germany | 1997 | pho_00257_15 Rights held by: Nihad Nino Pušija | Licensed by: Nihad Nino Pušija | Licensed under: CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 International | Provided by: Nihad Nino Pušija – Private Archive
  • Nihad Nino Pušija | Nadejda Tretjak 2000 | photograph | Germany | 2000 | pho_00257_16 Rights held by: Nihad Nino Pušija | Licensed by: Nihad Nino Pušija | Licensed under: CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 International | Provided by: Nihad Nino Pušija – Private Archive
  • Nihad Nino Pušija | Bosnien 2014 | photograph | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 2014 | pho_00257_17 Rights held by: Nihad Nino Pušija | Licensed by: Nihad Nino Pušija | Licensed under: CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 International | Provided by: Nihad Nino Pušija – Private Archive
  • Nihad Nino Pušija | Sarajevo 2013 | photograph | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 2013 | pho_00257_18 Rights held by: Nihad Nino Pušija | Licensed by: Nihad Nino Pušija | Licensed under: CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 International | Provided by: Nihad Nino Pušija – Private Archive
  • Nihad Nino Pušija | Sarajevo 2002 | photography | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 2002 | pho_00257_19 Rights held by: Nihad Nino Pušija | Licensed by: Nihad Nino Pušija | Licensed under: CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 International | Provided by: Nihad Nino Pušija – Private Archive
  • Nihad Nino Pušija | Sarajevo 2004 | photograph | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 2004 | pho_00257_20 Rights held by: Nihad Nino Pušija | Licensed by: Nihad Nino Pušija | Licensed under: CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 International | Provided by: Nihad Nino Pušija – Private Archive
  • Nihad Nino Pušija | Sarajevo 2004 | photography | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 2004 | pho_00257_21 Rights held by: Nihad Nino Pušija | Licensed by: Nihad Nino Pušija | Licensed under: CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 International | Provided by: Nihad Nino Pušija – Private Archive
  • Nihad Nino Pušija | Einbürgerung 2008 | photography | Germany | 2008 | pho_00257_22 Rights held by: Nihad Nino Pušija | Licensed by: Nihad Nino Pušija | Licensed under: CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 International | Provided by: Nihad Nino Pušija – Private Archive
  • Nihad Nino Pušija | Palast der Republik 2008 | photography | Germany | 2008 | pho_00257_23 Rights held by: Nihad Nino Pušija | Licensed by: Nihad Nino Pušija | Licensed under: CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 International | Provided by: Nihad Nino Pušija – Private Archive
  • Nihad Nino Pušija | Gemälde Galerie 2012 | photograph | Germany | 2012 | pho_00257_24 Rights held by: Nihad Nino Pušija | Licensed by: Nihad Nino Pušija | Licensed under: CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 International | Provided by: Nihad Nino Pušija – Private Archive
  • Nihad Nino Pušija | Clärchens Ballhaus 2007 | photograph | Germany | 2007 | pho_00257_25 Rights held by: Nihad Nino Pušija | Licensed by: Nihad Nino Pušija | Licensed under: CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 International | Provided by: Nihad Nino Pušija – Private Archive
  • Nihad Nino Pušija | Reichstag 1995 | photograph | Germany | 1995 | pho_00257_26 Rights held by: Nihad Nino Pušija | Licensed by: Nihad Nino Pušija | Licensed under: CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 International | Provided by: Nihad Nino Pušija – Private Archive
  • Nihad Nino Pušija | Queen Kenny 1996 | photograph | Germany | 1996 | pho_00257_27 Rights held by: Nihad Nino Pušija | Licensed by: Nihad Nino Pušija | Licensed under: CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 International | Provided by: Nihad Nino Pušija – Private Archive
  • Nihad Nino Pušija | chequepoint fashion 1994 | photograph | Germany | 1994 | pho_00257_28 Rights held by: Nihad Nino Pušija | Licensed by: Nihad Nino Pušija | Licensed under: CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 International | Provided by: Nihad Nino Pušija – Private Archive
  • Nihad Nino Pušija | SO36 1995 | photograph | Germany | 1995 | pho_00257_29 Rights held by: Nihad Nino Pušija | Licensed by: Nihad Nino Pušija | Licensed under: CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 International | Provided by: Nihad Nino Pušija – Private Archive
  • Nihad Nino Pušija | Queen Kenny 1996 | photograph | Germany | 1996 | pho_00257_30 Rights held by: Nihad Nino Pušija | Licensed by: Nihad Nino Pušija | Licensed under: CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 International | Provided by: Nihad Nino Pušija – Private Archive
  • Nihad Nino Pušija | Tuntenball 1997 | photograph | Germany | 1997 | pho_00257_31 Rights held by: Nihad Nino Pušija | Licensed by: Nihad Nino Pušija | Licensed under: CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 International | Provided by: Nihad Nino Pušija – Private Archive
  • Nihad Nino Pušija | Flüchtlinge 1992 | photograph | 1992 | pho_00257_32 Rights held by: Nihad Nino Pušija | Licensed by: Nihad Nino Pušija | Licensed under: CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 International | Provided by: Nihad Nino Pušija – Private Archive
  • Nihad Nino Pušija | Flüchtlinge 1992 | photograph | Germany | 1992 | pho_00257_33 Rights held by: Nihad Nino Pušija | Licensed by: Nihad Nino Pušija | Licensed under: CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 International | Provided by: Nihad Nino Pušija – Private Archive
  • Nihad Nino Pušija | Heike Makatsch 1995 | photograph | Germany | 1995 | pho_00257_34 Rights held by: Nihad Nino Pušija | Licensed by: Nihad Nino Pušija | Licensed under: CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 International | Provided by: Nihad Nino Pušija – Private Archive
  • Nihad Nino Pušija | Teddy Gala 1996 | photograph | Germany | 1996 | pho_00257_35 Rights held by: Nihad Nino Pušija | Licensed by: Nihad Nino Pušija | Licensed under: CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 International | Provided by: Nihad Nino Pušija – Private Archive
  • Nihad Nino Pušija | Komparsen | photograph | Germany | pho_00257_36 Rights held by: Nihad Nino Pušija | Licensed by: Nihad Nino Pušija | Licensed under: CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 International | Provided by: Nihad Nino Pušija – Private Archive
  • Nihad Nino Pušija | Komparsen | photograph | Germany | pho_00257_37 Rights held by: Nihad Nino Pušija | Licensed by: Nihad Nino Pušija | Licensed under: CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 International | Provided by: Nihad Nino Pušija – Private Archive
  • Nihad Nino Pušija | Komparsen | photograph | Germany | pho_00257_38 Rights held by: Nihad Nino Pušija | Licensed by: Nihad Nino Pušija | Licensed under: CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 International | Provided by: Nihad Nino Pušija – Private Archive
  • Nihad Nino Pušija | Martin Knopf 2006 | photograph | Germany | 2006 | pho_00257_39 Rights held by: Nihad Nino Pušija | Licensed by: Nihad Nino Pušija | Licensed under: CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 International | Provided by: Nihad Nino Pušija – Private Archive
  • Nihad Nino Pušija | Irm Hermann 1999 | photograph | Germany | 1999 | pho_00257_40 Rights held by: Nihad Nino Pušija | Licensed by: Nihad Nino Pušija | Licensed under: CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 International | Provided by: Nihad Nino Pušija – Private Archive
  • Nihad Nino Pušija | Chayene Teddy Gala 1996 | photograph | Germany | 1996 | pho_00257_41 Rights held by: Nihad Nino Pušija | Licensed by: Nihad Nino Pušija | Licensed under: CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 International | Provided by: Nihad Nino Pušija – Private Archive
  • Nihad Nino Pušija | Medjugorje Herzegowina 1986 | photograph | Yugoslavia | 1986 | pho_00257_42 Rights held by: Nihad Nino Pušija | Licensed by: Nihad Nino Pušija | Licensed under: CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 International | Provided by: Nihad Nino Pušija – Private Archive
  • Nihad Nino Pušija | Medjugorje Herzegowina 1986 | photograph | Yugoslavia | 1986 | pho_00257_43 Rights held by: Nihad Nino Pušija | Licensed by: Nihad Nino Pušija | Licensed under: CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 International | Provided by: Nihad Nino Pušija – Private Archive
  • Nihad Nino Pušija | Marina Abramovic 2000 | photograph | Germany | 2000 | pho_00257_44 Rights held by: Nihad Nino Pušija | Licensed by: Nihad Nino Pušija | Licensed under: CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 International | Provided by: Nihad Nino Pušija – Private Archive
  • Nihad Nino Pušija | Mostar Bosnien 1987 | photograph | Yugoslavia | 1987 | pho_00257_45 Rights held by: Nihad Nino Pušija | Licensed by: Nihad Nino Pušija | Licensed under: CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 International | Provided by: Nihad Nino Pušija – Private Archive
  • Nihad Nino Pušija | Rainer Hildebrandt 1998 | photograph | Germany | 1998 | pho_00257_46 Rights held by: Nihad Nino Pušija | Licensed by: Nihad Nino Pušija | Licensed under: CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 International | Provided by: Nihad Nino Pušija – Private Archive
  • Nihad Nino Pušija | Mostar Bosnien 1987 | photograph | Yugoslavia | 1987 | pho_00257_47 Rights held by: Nihad Nino Pušija | Licensed by: Nihad Nino Pušija | Licensed under: CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 International | Provided by: Nihad Nino Pušija – Private Archive
  • Nihad Nino Pušija | Roma in Berlin 1996 | photograph | Germany | 1996 | pho_00257_48 Rights held by: Nihad Nino Pušija | Licensed by: Nihad Nino Pušija | Licensed under: CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 International | Provided by: Nihad Nino Pušija – Private Archive
  • Nihad Nino Pušija | Roma in Bosnien 2004 | photograph | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 2004 | pho_00257_49 Rights held by: Nihad Nino Pušija | Licensed by: Nihad Nino Pušija | Licensed under: CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 International | Provided by: Nihad Nino Pušija – Private Archive
  • Nihad Nino Pušija | Teddy Gala Tony Ward 1996 | photograph | Germany | 1996 | pho_00257_50 Rights held by: Nihad Nino Pušija | Licensed by: Nihad Nino Pušija | Licensed under: CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 International | Provided by: Nihad Nino Pušija – Private Archive
Era Trammer | Reading Photography | Non Fiction | Austria, Germany | 2018 | pho_00269 Rights held by: André Raatzsch — Erika Trammer | Licensed by: André Raatzsch — Erika Trammer | Licensed under: CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 International | Provided by: RomArchive The images cited in the film were kindly provided by: Fortepan (Kornál Umann / Tamás Urbán / Katalin Eindrei / Pál Schiffer) | Magnum Photos / Agentur Focus (Burt Glinn) | Nihad Nino Pušija

Rights held by: André Raatzsch (text) — Agi Bezeczky (translation) | Licensed by: André Raatzsch (text) — Agi Bezeczky (translation) | Licensed under: CC-BY-NC 3.0 Germany | Provided by: RomArchive