Anatomical Theatre, (self-portrait) in Uppsala, Sweden
"In her earlier works, such as Anatomical Theatre (self-portrait), Snežana depicts herself in a variety of situations and environments. Whereas her more recent works still deals with ideas of identity, the focus has shifted from auto-portrait to remembrance of memories and construction of identity through this process. Being born in Belgrade, former Yugoslavia, she questions the means of her double nationality through these self-portraits, investigating what implications this has had to her identity as such. The piece presented here depicts her body in the Anatomical Theatre in Uppsala. It was built in 1662 and served as a place for exhibiting anatomical dissections of deceased bodies, an institution divided between entertainment and science. In 1996, Snežana was involved in a project organized by Konstfack on the geographical route between Stockholm and Uppsala. She decided to center her work for this project on Anatomical Theatre and create a self-portrait where her body would function as a metaphor for the civil war in former Yugoslavia (1992-2000), as well as the dissolution of the country. Anatomical Theatre (self-portrait) is conceptually portrayed, attempting to capture the performed setting in a documentary and unembellished way."
- Silvia Thomackenstein, from catalogue text Body and Control, Köttinspektionen, Uppsala, SWE
Exhibition view: Anatomical Theatre, (self-portrait) in Uppsala, Sverige (left: work by Anna Ting Möller)
Anatomical Theatre, (self-portrait) in Uppsala, Sverige, 140x140cm,
1996, c-print mounted on MDF and oak wood.