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Clairefrom : Chester, UK personal object : a teddy bear My teddy bear, Luio, came from Yugoslavia. My dad travelled a lot with work and spent a long period of time in the former Yugoslavia. The teddy was a gift from my dad when I was 8 years old. I fell in love with the bear as it was so soft and fluffy and the shape of him meant it felt like he was putting his arms around me. He was named after my dad’s friend, Luio, from Yugoslavia. Luio has been everywhere with me. In my teens, whilst living in Bristol, I moved around a lot. I was homeless at points and very ill with my mental health. Even at that age I got a lot of comfort from the bear, who I still had in my bed into adulthood. I have now passed him on to my daughter, Lola. Luio went through a lot of trauma with me, but I have also felt sadness that the country he came from no longer exists and that it has also been through so much conflict and trauma. I feel I have a little bit of Yugoslavia from more peaceful times. chosen artwork : Young Serbs: Vesna Phil Collins, 2001 I was very moved when I saw the photograph of me and Luio, and I went into another room in the gallery to take a breather. On my way there, I glanced at the portrait photograph of Vesna in the artwork by Phil Collins, Young Serbs. I thought it was very beautiful and it resonated with me, somehow. When I was ready to look around the gallery to choose an artwork, I went back to this haunting photograph. In it, Vesna looks child-like and vulnerable and, again, it resonated with me having just had my own portrait taken. When I read the blurb about the artwork, I discovered that these were five young Serbs who had been caught up in the Bosnia/Serbia conflict. I didn’t need to look any further around the gallery; this was the image and story I had connected with. |
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