In Dayton, exhibition of war photos by Rikard Larma: 'Enduring the Siege of Sarajevo: Images of Survival'

(Patria) - The International Museum of Peace in Dayton, on the occasion of marking 30 years since the
signing of the General Framework Agreement for Peace in BiH, better known as the Dayton Peace Agreement, opened an exhibition of photographs by Rikard Larma taken during his reporting for the Associated Press from Sarajevo under siege from 1992 to 1995.

„From 1992 to 1996, the citizens of Sarajevo endured the longest siege of the modern era, facing relentless shelling, sniper fire, and severe shortages of basic necessities such as food, water, and electricity. Although faced with extreme adversity - people carried water, shared what little they had – they preserved hope.

'Enduring the Siege of Sarajevo: Images of Survival' is a powerful photographic exhibition by Rikard Larma that captures this spirit of perseverance. Through compelling images, the exhibition documents both the daily horrors and the quiet heroism of the citizens of Sarajevo as they navigated one of the most devastating conflicts of the late 20th century,“ the museum wrote in the announcement of the exhibition, which is open from May 2 to August 3, 2025.

Rikard Larma himself does not hide his joy over this event.

„This exhibition means a lot to me, and I am very grateful to the Associated Press for preserving the photographs and enabling their display both in this place and on such an important occasion for all of us who live in Sarajevo, and I am generally grateful to them for enabling those photographs to be published back then, during the siege, so that the world could see the reality we were going through,“ says Larma, who recently returned from America to Sarajevo to continue his life and work there.

The permanent exhibition „The Dayton Peace Agreement“ at the International Museum of Peace marks the process leading to the historic 1995 agreement that ended the war in Bosnia. This interactive exhibition showcases the diplomatic process with artifacts, photographs, and multimedia presentations that bring the negotiations to life. The Museum explains that „visitors can explore Dayton's unique role in hosting these peace talks and learn more about the lasting impact of the agreement on global diplomacy,“ and that the exhibition serves as a „powerful reminder of the importance of negotiation and cooperation in resolving conflicts and fostering lasting peace.“

Incidentally, this international Museum, through several permanent exhibits, pays tribute to the vital work invested in peacebuilding, and in its presentations reiterates that its mission is „to inspire people to work towards greater peace, understanding, and compassion through education, dialogue, and cooperation.“

Rikard Larma, as a photojournalist for the Associated Press from besieged Sarajevo, became the most published author of the 1990s. The pinnacle of his work from that era was the prestigious cover of Newsweek magazine.

As a young amateur photographer in Bosnia and Herzegovina, he was recognized as very talented and promising, and later confirmed this by working for the highest-circulation magazines in Yugoslavia such as Sportske novine, VEN, UNA, ORBIS, Privredne novine... and reporting from the most important cultural and sports events of that time.

During the siege of Sarajevo, he became the AP's greatest asset. After the war in BiH, his private life and starting a family led him to America, where he discovered the charms of artistic photography and light painting (Painting with light). However, he never stopped publishing photographs from the time and space of the siege of Sarajevo, in his own exhibitions such as the one in the Sarajevo City Hall in 2023, in books, collective museum displays...

Although he discovered by DNA that he is a Slovene, Rikard Larma says of himself that he will live slowly and long and always only as a Bosnian.