The tower at the falls on the river Korana 1993

Editor: This is Alfred Freddy Krupa's "The tower at the falls on the river Korana," a drawing made with ink in 1993. The stark black lines against the white paper give it a feeling of urgency, almost like a memory fading. What do you see in this piece? Curator: I see a landscape wrestling with its own representation. Krupa created this work during the turmoil of the Balkan conflicts. The Korana River, flowing through a region marked by ethnic tensions, becomes more than just a geographical feature. What appears to be a simple scene transforms into an observation about imposed borders and contested identities, wouldn't you agree? Editor: I hadn’t thought about the political landscape at all! So, the starkness isn’t just aesthetic. Curator: Precisely! The almost brutal application of ink captures a sense of fragmentation mirroring the sociopolitical climate of the time. How do you read the image’s reflection on the water? Does it provide clarity or further obscure the scene? Editor: It definitely adds to the obscurity. The reflection almost feels like another layer of chaos. So the abstraction here could symbolize the distortions of reality experienced during conflict? Curator: It could. And the ladder depicted near the water... does it provide access or is it broken? Perhaps this element reflects the failed promises and infrastructure that existed within the region during its period of strife. Editor: Wow, I definitely have a different perspective on it now. Thanks for showing me the historical context behind the visual chaos. Curator: The historical background invites us to question the narratives around the work itself, but the real impact stems from allowing it to initiate critical dialogue regarding our own social experiences and shared humanity.