The facades of the houses and apartment-blocks are full of gaping wounds. Holes left by machine-gun fire and the white blotches of concrete used to fill in many such holes caused by the bombings, look like imaginary constellations throughout the whole of Bosnia.

Memories, despite the implacable passing of time, are filled with scars. Yet, it is not the destruction that calls to mind the horrors of war, neither is it simply the pain for the loss suffered, above all, it is the daily struggle to recuperate thousands of missing identities, many of which are lost forever. Twenty years on from the beginning of the conflict in Bosnia and Herzegovina, still ten thousand human beings who disappeared into thin air, are relentlessly being looked for. For that reason, I have tried to give an account of life after death, over a period of four years, by interweaving visual documentary work together with my own personal experience, along a journey amid some of the purest and most brutal pulsations within the human soul. From the “protected” enclave in Srebrenica, scene of the largest massacre in European territory since the Second World War, in Cerska where the entire population of a farming community was decimated after being compelled to defend themselves with rifles and hatchets against Serb mortars and hand-grenades, the slaughter carried out by the Serb-Bosnian armed forces have left indelible signs on the country and on the expressions of its populace as far as the Drina Valley. For me, resentment together with an alleged incompatibility but, also common-places, friendships, mixed marriages and their black humour, represents the roots of that Balkan population who are seemingly ill-tempered with harsh looks yet, at the same time, extremely kind, hospitable and forthright. To the cauldron of oblivion made up of the fleeting collective imagination nurtured by the media I, therefore, decided to counterpoise the importance of these negligible stories with my own way of seeing Bosnian culture, from the inside of that circumnavigation of peoples and their cultures which have always constituted the essence of a multi-ethnic nation. It wasn’t easy being a child in Bosnia. Children grew up very quickly; they had to fight to survive. Many of them lived by the rules out on the streets, more or less consciously influenced by the “myth” of the war profiteers with an illusion of easy money, where the laws of the strongest seemed to be the only rules possible. Today, some dream of bettering their homeland while others want to abandon it. Entering into peoples’ daily lives on tip toe, mine has been more or less a sharing of visions and memories, some actually experienced, others only imagined. Therefore, in shades of black and white, between frozen emotions, Bosnia stays blocked in transition, still trapped between past and future with the missing parts of the Bosnian identity puzzle lost or, only missing, among the ashes of the former Yugoslavia. 

A man taking a walk in the city-centre during an autumn snowstorm. Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, 2010. © Matteo Bastianelli
A man taking a walk in the city-centre during an autumn snowstorm. Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, 2010. © Matteo Bastianelli
An old house that survived the bombing. Šekovici, Serb Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, 2009. © Matteo Bastianelli
An old house that survived the bombing. Šekovici, Serb Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, 2009. © Matteo Bastianelli
Two women who survived a massacre which took place during the war in Bosnia. Cerska, Serb Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, 2009. © Matteo Bastianelli
Two women who survived a massacre which took place during the war in Bosnia. Cerska, Serb Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, 2009. © Matteo Bastianelli
A watch which was found in a mass grave. Tuzla, Bosnia and Herzegovina, 2009. © Matteo Bastianelli
A watch which was found in a mass grave. Tuzla, Bosnia and Herzegovina, 2009. © Matteo Bastianelli
A child, born after the war, with psychological problems. Cerska, Serb Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, 2009. © Matteo Bastianelli
A child, born after the war, with psychological problems. Cerska, Serb Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, 2009. © Matteo Bastianelli
A man with an Ak 47 in his daughter's room. A lot of families still have guns and military equipment in their homes, because they fear for the possibility of another outbreak of war here in The Balkans. Cerska, Serb Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina 2009. © Matteo Bastianelli
A man with an Ak 47 in his daughter’s room. A lot of families still have guns and military equipment in their homes, because they fear for the possibility of another outbreak of war here in The Balkans. Cerska, Serb Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina 2009. © Matteo Bastianelli
Emina Kurtalic, head of the project in the ICMP identification centre, pushes the elevator trolley in order to place a corpse into cold storage. Tuzla, Bosnia and Herzegovina, 2010. © Matteo Bastianelli
Emina Kurtalic, head of the project in the ICMP identification centre, pushes the elevator trolley in order to place a corpse into cold storage. Tuzla, Bosnia and Herzegovina, 2010. © Matteo Bastianelli
A widow in her house. Cerska, Serb Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, 2009. © Matteo Bastianelli
A widow in her house. Cerska, Serb Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, 2009. © Matteo Bastianelli
An Orthodox church built without the necessary authorization on the territory of a Muslim citizen. It is thought that beneath the church-foundations lies a large mass grave. Konjević Polje, Serb Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, 2009. © Matteo Bastianelli
An Orthodox church built without the necessary authorization on the territory of a Muslim citizen. It is thought that beneath the church-foundations lies a large mass grave. Konjević Polje, Serb Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, 2009. © Matteo Bastianelli
Three children play in the city centre. Gorazde, Bosnia and Herzegovina, 2010. © Matteo Bastianelli
Three children play in the city centre. Gorazde, Bosnia and Herzegovina, 2010. © Matteo Bastianelli
The human remains of 37 people discovered in a mass grave. It turned out that twenty-five of the skeletons were incomplete of limbs or skull. Šekovici, Serb Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, 2010. © Matteo Bastianelli
The human remains of 37 people discovered in a mass grave. It turned out that twenty-five of the skeletons were incomplete of limbs or skull. Šekovici, Serb Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, 2010. © Matteo Bastianelli
One of the oldest survivors of the genocide perpetrated by the Serbian-Bosnian army. Potočari, Serb Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, 2010. © Matteo Bastianelli
One of the oldest survivors of the genocide perpetrated by the Serbian-Bosnian army. Potočari, Serb Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, 2010. © Matteo Bastianelli
A widow looking at pictures of her children, killed during the period of the genocide in Srebrenica. In this picture her children are seen with some UN "peacekeepers", the soldiers who had the task of protecting the population in Srebrenica. Srebrenica, Serb Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, 2010. © Matteo Bastianelli
A widow looking at pictures of her children, killed during the period of the genocide in Srebrenica. In this picture her children are seen with some UN “peacekeepers”, the soldiers who had the task of protecting the population in Srebrenica. Srebrenica, Serb Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, 2010. © Matteo Bastianelli
A false limb together with other objects on the sitting-room table in Adis Smajic’s house. Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, 2010. © Matteo Bastianelli
A false limb together with other objects on the sitting-room table in Adis Smajic’s house. Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, 2010. © Matteo Bastianelli
Naida Vreto Smajic in her house where she lives with Adis. Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, 2012. © Matteo Bastianelli
Naida Vreto Smajic in her house where she lives with Adis. Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, 2012. © Matteo Bastianelli
Adis writing his nickname: “Topa” which, in the Bosnian language means both a way of being and a type of cheese. His friends often say: "Topa is mad". Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, 2010. © Matteo Bastianelli
Adis writing his nickname: “Topa” which, in the Bosnian language means both a way of being and a type of cheese. His friends often say: “Topa is mad”. Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, 2010. © Matteo Bastianelli
Adis Smajic in a recording studio. Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, 2011. © Matteo Bastianelli
Adis Smajic in a recording studio. Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, 2011. © Matteo Bastianelli
A view of the city. Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, 2009. © Matteo Bastianelli
A view of the city. Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, 2009. © Matteo Bastianelli
Adis Smajic and Naida Vreto Smajic in Dobrinja, the district where they live, near the ex front-line on the outskirts of Sarajevo. Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, 2011. © Matteo Bastianelli
Adis Smajic and Naida Vreto Smajic in Dobrinja, the district where they live, near the ex front-line on the outskirts of Sarajevo. Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, 2011. © Matteo Bastianelli
Monela Mulabdic, 24 years old, daughter of a muslim father and an orthodox mother, at work in her family hotel. Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, 2010. © Matteo Bastianelli
Monela Mulabdic, 24 years old, daughter of a muslim father and an orthodox mother, at work in her family hotel. Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, 2010. © Matteo Bastianelli
Teenagers and families at the Jablanicko lakeside. Jablanica, Bosnia and Herzegovina, 2011. © Matteo Bastianelli
Teenagers and families at the Jablanicko lakeside. Jablanica, Bosnia and Herzegovina, 2011. © Matteo Bastianelli
Nihad Bostandja, member of a small gang in Sarajevo, on holiday in Croatia. Gradac, Croatia, 2010. © Matteo Bastianelli
Nihad Bostandja, member of a small gang in Sarajevo, on holiday in Croatia. Gradac, Croatia, 2010. © Matteo Bastianelli
Trial of strength between Tarik and another boy. Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, 2010. © Matteo Bastianelli
Trial of strength between Tarik and another boy. Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, 2010. © Matteo Bastianelli
The results of a shoot-out in the centre of Skenderja. Two criminals armed with Kalashnikovs opened fire while the police tried to intervene during an exchange of drugs. Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, 2010. © Matteo Bastianelli
The results of a shoot-out in the centre of Skenderja. Two criminals armed with Kalashnikovs opened fire while the police tried to intervene during an exchange of drugs. Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, 2010. © Matteo Bastianelli
Alia Bostandja, Nihad’s father, in front of his house. Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, 2011. © Matteo Bastianelli
Alia Bostandja, Nihad’s father, in front of his house. Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, 2011. © Matteo Bastianelli
Nihad, and the other members of the gang, speaking to a policeman in the hospital waiting-room in Sarajevo, while one of their friends undergoes an operation after being wounded in a shoot-out. Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, 2010. © Matteo Bastianelli
Nihad, and the other members of the gang, speaking to a policeman in the hospital waiting-room in Sarajevo, while one of their friends undergoes an operation after being wounded in a shoot-out. Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, 2010. © Matteo Bastianelli
Nihad by Deniz’s graveside, one of his friends killed in 2008 by gunfire. Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, 2011. © Matteo Bastianelli
Nihad by Deniz’s graveside, one of his friends killed in 2008 by gunfire. Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, 2011. © Matteo Bastianelli
Nihad in a bar in the centre. Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, 2011. © Matteo Bastianelli
Nihad in a bar in the centre. Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, 2011. © Matteo Bastianelli
War souvenirs sold in the streets in the old town-centre. Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, 2010. © Matteo Bastianelli
War souvenirs sold in the streets in the old town-centre. Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, 2010. © Matteo Bastianelli
Elvedina Mirvic cooking cevapcici, a typical dish from the Balkans. Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, 2011. © Matteo Bastianelli
Elvedina Mirvic cooking cevapcici, a typical dish from the Balkans. Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, 2011. © Matteo Bastianelli
Tarik pretends to shoot one of his “rivals”, while Nihad, Buqva and Djenan look on. Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, 2010. © Matteo Bastianelli
Tarik pretends to shoot one of his “rivals”, while Nihad, Buqva and Djenan look on. Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, 2010. © Matteo Bastianelli
Some children from a school in Cerska, a village a few kilometers from Srebrenica, on a trip to Sarajevo as part of an adoption-at-a-distance program with animation by an NGO organization. Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, 2009. © Matteo Bastianelli
Some children from a school in Cerska, a village a few kilometers from Srebrenica, on a trip to Sarajevo as part of an adoption-at-a-distance program with animation by an NGO organization. Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, 2009. © Matteo Bastianelli
A building near the children’s hospital which was bombed during the four-year siege of the Bosnian capital. Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, 2009. © Matteo Bastianelli
A building near the children’s hospital which was bombed during the four-year siege of the Bosnian capital. Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, 2009. © Matteo Bastianelli
A woman in the courtyard where she lives. Cerska, Serb Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, 2009. © Matteo Bastianelli
A woman in the courtyard where she lives. Cerska, Serb Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, 2009. © Matteo Bastianelli
Some men bear coffins containing the remains of their loved ones at the memorial service in Srebrenica, the town where at least 8 thousand Muslims were slaughtered. Potočari, Serb Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, 2010. © Matteo Bastianelli
Some men bear coffins containing the remains of their loved ones at the memorial service in Srebrenica, the town where at least 8 thousand Muslims were slaughtered. Potočari, Serb Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, 2010. © Matteo Bastianelli
Two boys in a pub in the town centre. They call themselves “Chetniks” and call for a separation between Serb Republic and Bosnia. Pale, Serb Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, 2010. © Matteo Bastianelli
Two boys in a pub in the town centre. They call themselves “Chetniks” and call for a separation between Serb Republic and Bosnia. Pale, Serb Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, 2010. © Matteo Bastianelli
Families of the victims beside the remains of their loved ones, contained in the 775 coffins lined up inside the UN headquarters, home to the soldiers who had the task of protecting the population of Srebrenica. Potočari, Serb Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, 2010. © Matteo Bastianelli
Families of the victims beside the remains of their loved ones, contained in the 775 coffins lined up inside the UN headquarters, home to the soldiers who had the task of protecting the population of Srebrenica. Potočari, Serb Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, 2010. © Matteo Bastianelli
The Lion's Cemetery with Alija Izetbegovic’s tomb. Before the war it was a public park, a meeting place for lovers, subsequently it was converted into a Muslim cemetery like many other parts of the city. Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, 2010. © Matteo Bastianelli
The Lion’s Cemetery with Alija Izetbegovic’s tomb. Before the war it was a public park, a meeting place for lovers, subsequently it was converted into a Muslim cemetery like many other parts of the city. Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, 2010. © Matteo Bastianelli

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THE BOSNIAN IDENTITY (2009-2012)