PERFORMANCE: NETTLES. NIKOLIJA RADOVIC

“Through the nettle, I reactivate my childhood discomfort, placing my own nostalgia into a critical framework. I project an image of physical endurance through a model I was offered while growing up, questioning the relationship between the physical and emotional within the boundaries of the patriarchal family. The physical fears from childhood (of bugs, darkness, the stinging of nettles) were replaced through my socialization by societal fears of others’ opinions and shame, but I inherited defense mechanisms only against the former. Nettles, as a form of punishment, are also an ingredient in traditional cuisine. I explore the connections between health and pain, maturing and punishment, and the central role the female experience in the upbringing process. Through performance in front of an audience, I push my defense mechanisms to the limit, showing how strong I am even when consumed by shame, how much pain I can swallow, and how I will rather place myself in a position of staged vulnerability than allow myself to be truly exposed to anyone.”
(From the artist statement)

Nikolija Radović (2003) is in her fourth year at the Faculty of Media and Communications in Belgrade, at the Department of Digital Arts. She works in graphic design, film, video, and performance. Her work explores the themes of nostalgia, confusion, and infatuation. She has exhibited at annual student exhibitions at her faculty and organized a “fictional exhibition” in her own apartment. She received the award for the best student project in her second year, for a poetry/photography publication.