Festival 'PAF!' officially opened at the Historical Museum of Bosnia and Herzegovina

(Patria) - As part of the ceremonial opening of one of the most important cultural events in Sarajevo - the "PAF!" festival, an exhibition titled "New Waves 4" was held tonight at the Historical Museum of Bosnia and Herzegovina, attended by a large audience and guests.

The exhibition featured works by artists Alisa Kreso, Ilda Halilčević, Emina Lagumdžija, Medina Đukić, Sergej Mačar, Amila Dervišbegović, Anđela Banović Kuduzović, Dino Tozo, Aiša Kečo, Tarik Barčić, Snežana Popović, Emina Veladžić, Una Filipović, Džejlana Karaman Pašić, Mustafa Mlinarević, Maja Hodžić, and Rebeka Abdagić.



The ceremony was also an opportunity to award the Anur Hadžiomerspahić Prize, dedicated to promoting young authors. This prize, which includes a monetary incentive of 1,000 KM, bears the name of one of the most important visionaries of contemporary art, Anur Hadžiomerspahić, and symbolizes his significant contribution to the art scene of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

This year's jury, consisting of Elma Hodžić, Jusuf Hadžifejzović, and Aida Bičakčić, awarded the Anur Hadžiomerspahić Prize to Alisa Kreso.

- The exhibition "New Waves 4", as an initiative with a certain tradition, this year again presents significant young artists and artistic practices that remind us why culture is important, even when the world is dominated by various crises.



These seventeen artists, in a formally mature way, raise their voices against what pains us daily, against wars, violence, injustice, and divisions - said curator Adna Muslija.

As part of the festival, a documentary film "Imprints of Time" will also be presented, which through short portraits records the experiences and traces of contemporary BiH artists. The film brings reflections and works of artists Adis Kutkut, Aida Redžepagić, Adna Muslija, Aleksandra Nina Knežević, Amer Hadžić, Benjamin Čengić, Denis Haračić, and Marko Frančešević.

It is conceived as a digital catalog and archive accessible to a wider, including international, audience, and in the years to come it will be supplemented with new content. Students of the International Burch University in Sarajevo worked on its realization, in cooperation with the Pogon Association.

To remain "PAF" means to be left speechless before the power of art. The Pop Art Festival can no longer be understood within the framework of a classic festival - it has transformed into an individual's feeling, a community spirit, and a state of mind that arises and lasts after an encounter with art.



PAF is an idea. PAF is a feeling. PAF (one) remains. The organizer of this year's "PAF!" festival is the Pogon Association in cooperation with the Historical Museum of Bosnia and Herzegovina.