Letters to Irena

Letters to Irena is a participatory public intervention at the intersection of art and activism. The project engages with the case of Irena Karić, a woman sentenced to nine and a half years in prison for killing her husband, who had abused her and their four children for years, despite reports to the authorities.

The work begins as a gesture of solidarity: a neon sign reading "Dear Irena," ("Draga Irena,") installed on the Crvena collective’s balcony in the center of Sarajevo. A second component of the work involved postcards featuring a photograph of the neon sign, written to Irena by participants from across the region within the exhibition setting. Irena received the postcards in prison, along with the artist’s letter, which initiated their correspondence, and they have remained in contact to this day.

Letters to Irena examines the systemic dependence on and normalization of male violence, as well as the criminalization of women’s survival responses to prolonged abuse. It addresses gendered double standards in the recognition of trauma within legal systems across the Balkans, through which violence, responsibility, and survival are interpreted.

While PTSD has gained broad legitimacy in judicial contexts, most visibly in cases involving war veterans, trauma resulting from long-term domestic violence is frequently minimized or insufficiently acknowledged.

The project is ongoing and has continued through subsequent iterations in Bihać and Tuzla after its initial site-specific intervention in Sarajevo.