Damir Nikšić
Personal details
Born (1970-12-06) 6 December 1970
Brčko, SR Bosnia and Herzegovina, SFR Yugoslavia
NationalityBosnian
Political partyOur Party (2022–present)
Other political
affiliations		Social Democratic Party (2018–2019)
Alma materAcademy of Fine Arts Sarajevo
University of Arizona
Known forConceptual art

Damir Nikšić (born 6 December 1970) is a Bosnian conceptual artist, standup comedian, blogger and politician. One of his best known art works is a seven-minute-long video entitled "If I wasn't muslim" (2005).[1]

Since 2022, Nikšić has been a member of Our Party, a social-liberal party that is a member of the ALDE group of European parties. Previously, from 2018 to 2019, he was a member of the Social Democratic Party.

Biography

General

Nikšić was born 6 December 1970[2] in Brezovo Polje, Brčko.[2] He was a student at fine arts academies in Sarajevo, Milan and Bologna.[2][3] In 2000 he graduated at Academy of Fine Arts Sarajevo, Painting department.[2][3] He has lived in the USA 2000–2004; he has studied as a postgraduate at the University of Arizona (UA) until 2004.[2][3] He magistered fine arts and art history in 2004 at UA;[2][3] after that, he gave lectures at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois.[2][3] He was a member of Maxumim art group.[4][2][3] He exhibited at Venice Film Festival[5] in 2003 international selection.[2][3] He works and lives in Sarajevo.[2][3]

Education

In 2000 he acquired a BFA degree from Academy of Fine Arts Sarajevo[2][3] and moved as a graduate student to Indiana, Pennsylvania, USA. In 2001 he moved to Tucson, Arizona, where he graduated at the University of Arizona in May 2004.[2][3] In 2004 he moved to Chicago, Illinois.[6]

Sing Sing

Nikšić was a co-founder and member (vocal singer) of rhythm and blues band "Sing Sing". The band played four concerts in CDA Mladost.[7]

Maxumim

Damir Nikšić is also a co-founder of Maxumim art group,[4][3] together with Anur Hadžiomerspahić, Anela Šabić, Ajna Zlatar, Eldina Begić, Dejan Vekić, Almir Kurt, Samir Plasto, Hamdija Pašić, Rachel Rossner, Nebojša Šerić, Suzana Cerić, Alma Fazlić, Zlatan Filipović. In 1997, the group has its first exhibition "Maxumim I," at Collegium Artisticum, Sarajevo, which would be followed up in 1998 with "Maxumim II," and in 1999/2000 with "Maxumim III," at Collegium Artisticum, Sarajevo; Pavarotti Music Center, Mostar; Bosnian Cultural Center, Tuzla; City Gallery, Zenica; City Gallery, Bihać.[8]

Other activities

In 2011, he protested regarding the closing of the Art Gallery of Bosnia and Herzegovina, setting up daily video updates.[1]

Work method – criticism

He mostly presents his art through YouTube and social networks, where he uploads short videos and comments of humorous character in which he seriously and symbolically refers to the reality of Bosnia and Herzegovina. He also commented on the attack on Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vučić during his visit to the event marking the 20th anniversary of the Srebrenica crime, saying in his video Srebrni pir: Manipulacija razjedinjenih nacija ("Silver Feast: A Disunited Nations Manipulation") published on 13 July 2015[9] that "a corrida was made of Potočari"; this has received a notable media attention in his home and neighbouring countries.[3][10][11][12]

Political engagement

Nikšić in 2016

In mid-2016, he decided to run for mayor of the Sarajevo Center Municipality, as a "libertarian, individualist and anarchist."[13] In an interview with the BiH portal Klix.ba, he said the following:[13]

I am someone who is an individualist, someone who really believes in individualism, not collectivism. I became disappointed with the collective and became a great cynic and individualist. (...) The state is giving more money to that kind of smeared folklore tradition where some imaginary people are celebrated, somewhere out there... some tribe in the forest or on the mountain or in a small village, but no one is really that people, so that's a good place to hunt in the murky and money laundering. For this reason, an individual is important, he can engage in dialogue, while the people cannot, because they cannot speak unison. (...) We have very big fascist problems on our own soil and I have no intention of hiding, as some 'Bosniak', what 'my' [people is] are doing to me and insisting on what 'another' [one] is doing to us. No, it's all individual, and I want to set some parameters for you by my own example, on how to combat it both through art and through politics.[13]

His goal, he said, was to make a more European city of Sarajevo and prevent the feudalisation of BiH, and that his office would always be covered by a camera whose footage would be broadcast online so that citizens could watch the "one municipality mayor's reality show" live.[13] He did not win 2016 elections,[14] but later became a member of the Sarajevo Canton Assembly. From 23 May 2018, until his expulsion on 16 March 2019, Nikšić was a member of the Social Democratic Party.[15][16] He announced his candidacy for mayor of the same municipality in the 2020 elections.[14]

Philosophy

Nikšić's political philosophy aims for others to understand that one is living in a crisis of civil society and thus the civil state, that is—ethnocracy is present instead of democracy. Instead of the idea of people and collectivism, he advocates individualism and the notion of citizens as individuals, calling the ideology he follows "liberal progressive individualist discourse" and "stratoseparatism."[13]

Most notable works

  • If I wasn't muslim (2005)
  • Krunisanje Kralja Tvrtka (2007)
  • Totalitarni fatalizam (2015)

Songs

  • "Ta to ti" (2012)
  • "Gdje si" (2012)
  • "Sjedio sam u kafani sam" (2013)
  • "Na rubu plača" (2015)
  • "Stranac u svome plemenu" (2016) - izvedba pjesme grupe Major (autor: Masa Mor)
  • "Još jedna revolucionarna" (2018)
  • "Hastahana" [demo] (2020)

References

  1. 1 2 Sandić-Hadžihasanović, Gordana (8 November 2011). "Damir Nikšić: Ljudi su odustali od države". Radio Slobodna Evropa (in Bosnian). Slobodna Evropa. Retrieved 20 May 2013.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 "Idi bolan umij se, okupaj se, poslušaj me, operi se dole… (VIDEO)" (in Bosnian). Tuzlanski.ba. 15 November 2012. Retrieved 10 December 2019.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 "Damir Nikšić: Od Potočara bolan koridu napravili! (VIDEO)" (in Croatian). Mojahercegovina.com. 14 July 2015. Retrieved 11 December 2019.
  4. 1 2 "Untitled Document". Archived from the original on 6 July 2011. Retrieved 7 July 2010.
  5. ↑ "Bijenale i bh. umjetnici: Između države i entiteta" (in Bosnian). Radio Sarajevo. 17 March 2011. Archived from the original on 20 March 2011. Retrieved 20 May 2016.
  6. ↑ "Art Theory and Practice". Archived from the original on 15 July 2010. Retrieved 7 July 2010.
  7. ↑ "Damir Niksic". Archived from the original on 14 July 2010. Retrieved 7 July 2010.
  8. ↑ "Opservatorij" (in Bosnian). Archived from the original on 7 January 2011. Retrieved 7 July 2010.
  9. ↑ Nikšić, Damir (13 July 2015). NNS - SREBRNI PIR - manipulacija razjedinjenih nacija (in Bosnian). Archived from the original on 12 December 2021. Retrieved 20 May 2016.
  10. ↑ "Damir Nikšić: Od Potočara ste napravili koridu" (in Serbian). Nezavisne.com. 15 July 2015. Retrieved 20 May 2016.
  11. ↑ "Nikšić o napadu na Vučića: Gledam izginu, eto nam rata!" (in Bosnian). N1. 15 July 2015. Archived from the original on 27 October 2018. Retrieved 20 May 2016.
  12. ↑ "Bosanac opisao dešavanja u Srebrenici i oduševio sve" (in Serbian). Telegraf.rs. 15 July 2015. Retrieved 20 May 2016.
  13. 1 2 3 4 5 "Damir Nikšić kandidat za načelnika općine Centar: Libertarijanac, individualista i anarhista" (in Bosnian). Klix.ba. 17 May 2016. Retrieved 20 May 2016. Ja sam neko ko je individualista, neko ko stvarno vjeruje u individualizam, a ne u kolektivizam. Razočarao sam se u kolektiv i postao sam veliki cinik i individualista. (...) Država daje više novca za tu neku razmazanu folklornu tradiciju gdje se veliča neki imaginarni narod, tamo negdje... neko pleme u šumi ili na planini ili u nekom seocetu, ali niko zapravo nije taj narod, tako da je to dobro mjesto za lovljenje u mutnom i pranje novca. Iz tog razloga je važan pojedinac, on može da se uključi u dijalog, dok narod ne može, jer ne može uglas da govori. (...) Mi imamo jako velike fašističke probleme na svom sopstvenom tlu i ja nemam namjeru da kao neki 'Bošnjak' krijem to što meni 'moji' rade i da insistiram na tome šta 'nama' radi neki drugi. Ne, to je sve individualno i hoću da svojim primjerom postavim te neke parametre kako se boriti protiv toga i kroz umjetnost i kroz politiku.
  14. 1 2 "Damir Nikšić ponovo kandidat za načelnika Centra, evo i njegove poruke" (in Bosnian). Faktor.ba. 1 November 2019. Retrieved 10 December 2019.
  15. ↑ "Bh. konceptualni umjetnik Damir Nikšić se priključio SDP-u BiH" (in Bosnian). Klix.ba. 23 May 2018. Retrieved 10 December 2019.
  16. ↑ "Damir Nikšić zvanično isključen iz SDP-a". Klix.ba. 16 March 2019. Retrieved 10 December 2019.
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