Artist and filmmaker Saidin Salkic doesn’t shy away from the past, allowing his narrow escape from the 1995 Srebrenica genocide in Bosnia- Herzegovina to colour – literally – all he does.
“What we’ve gone through will inevitably influence what we create,” the 32-year-old (also known as Mido) says.
An exhibition of Salkic’s paintings, Mido: From the Midst, will be at Sunshine Art Spaces from September 20. “I’d describe the works as a fusion between Western European and indigenous art, bridging the gap,” he says. “I’m a European living in Australia and I really appreciate the indigenous culture.”
Salkic says his paintings depict inner energy and reflect the many layers that comprise human beings. “They are funk in colour.”
As part of the exhibition, there will be weekend screenings of his acclaimed films, Kovent and Karasevdah: Srebrenica Blues.
“[Karasevdah] … is a deep, poetic meditation on the nature of suffering and the possibility of reconciliation,” he says.
The exhibition opens 6pm, September 20. The Sunshine Arts Space is open Tuesday to Friday, noon-4pm, and Saturday from noon-3pm.
