The painting cycle Who Am I? by visual artist Radmila Borojević opens a space of introspection in which identity is not presented as something fixed, but as a process — a quiet and layered discovery of one’s own being through the relationship with tradition, heritage, and personal experience.
Beginning from an inner question, the artist explores identity as an encounter: between who we are and what we carry within us. In this space of introspection, the voice of the ancestors emerges — not as a memory of the past, but as a living presence of the values that shape and guide us.
Within this cycle, tradition is not an external framework, but an inner foundation. It appears as permanence — a quiet yet enduring structure that survives despite change. The circle dance (kolo), hands, circles, and ornaments become symbols of belonging: signs of togetherness, continuity, and the connection between the individual and the collective.
A special layer of the work consists of material interventions — applied traditional necklaces (đerdani), belts, and lace — which further emphasize the relationship between visible and tangible heritage. The đerdan carries the sound and rhythm of tradition, the belt symbolizes strength and protection, while lace bears witness to patience and endurance. Gold suggests value and permanence. Through these elements, values are not merely represented, but embodied — becoming part of the painting itself, as well as part of the viewer’s experience.
The female archetype occupies a central place as the bearer of memory, faith, and inner stability. She is not merely a figure, but a space through which identity is recognized and affirmed. Her presence speaks of belonging — not as limitation, but as a profound connection with one’s own roots.
In this cycle, the female archetype does not represent a specific woman, but a universal principle — a source, a space, and a bearer of continuity. She is the place where identity is not explained, but felt.
Within her presence are gathered the voices of ancestors, tradition, and the values that endure through time. She is not only the guardian of the past, but a living DNA connection between what once was and what is yet to emerge. Through her, heritage is transmitted not merely as information, but as experience — through the body, rhythm, touch, and intuition.
The female archetype symbolizes permanence within change: the ability to transform without losing essence. She embodies both tenderness and strength, silence and movement, introspection and invitation.
Within the context of the Who Am I? cycle, she represents an inner compass — a place of belonging that does not come from the outside world, but from the depth of one’s being. Through her, identity gains its spiritual dimension: not as a definition, but as a state of presence and faith in what endures within us.
The visual language of the cycle moves between the figurative and the abstract, between suggestion and clarity. Fragments of the body and subjective perspective draw the viewer into the personal experience of the painting, where introspection becomes a shared space of encounter.
At the heart of this cycle lies a question that does not seek a final answer. These paintings do not offer a definition of identity, but rather an invitation: to pause, to listen to the voices of our ancestors, and in silence recognize what endures within us — as value, as faith, as permanence, and as belonging.
