Ana

Ana works in visual arts. She obtained her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in arts at the Academy and pursued post-graduate studies in digital art. Currently, she works at the University of Belgrade as a teaching assistant in subjects related to animation pre-production and character design.

The Serbia that Ana envisions for the future is one that invests in education and culture, a country without divisions. ‘I would like to see a country that invests more in education and culture, one that understands the importance of these aspects of our lives. All other industries depend on up-to-date knowledge, which means that even farmers, for example, must be educated to achieve the best results. If we don’t have a good attitude toward education and culture in general, then our values collapse. I’d like to see a moment when there are no social divisions, which often result from vanity. Sometimes the differences are significant, leading to conflicts. We divide ourselves into urban and rural, scientists, artists, or even sub-categories within the arts. We are always dividing amongst ourselves. Anytime the economic aspects are unstable, it leads to various responses, some interesting, some negative, good and bad, depending on individual perception.’

The maturity of the Serbian people makes Ana proud of her country. ‘Despite difficult life circumstances, numerous wars, sanctions, and everything we’ve endured in recent decades, it has resulted in a specific kind of maturity. It makes us value life more and celebrate the little things. Even though we might be a bit behind in understanding neoliberal-capitalism, I have to agree. It is a global movement that highlights the beauty of simplicity and connection with nature, whether it’s through food production or other crafts. We’ve started appreciating these things more now that we’ve lost them or are losing them.’

However, the value system is something that concerns Ana. ‘Perhaps the most concerning aspect is our system of values. I grew up with a different system that is no longer dominant here. Less educated people are easily manipulated through political ideology, and I find that troubling. This is not a unique scenario, but it’s unsettling that it occurs under the guise of democracy and European integration, which, in reality, erodes the values we associate with more developed European countries. It seems like we’re always playing catch-up. Instead, we should prevent certain things from happening, things that have already occurred in European Union countries, and learn from their mistakes to avoid repeating them. Unfortunately, we seem to hit the same obstacles repeatedly.’

Ana is constantly seeking variety in her life. She’s interested in many things and wants to explore them all, believing that she must make the most of her time because life is short.