Steel Friendship: ▪︎Jelena Micić and mirko nikolić

Jelena Micić is an artist and artistic director of the festival WIENWOCHE. Awarded the Dimitrije Bašičević Mangelos Award, the Ö1 Talentestipendium Bildende Kunst and the kültüř gemma! Fellowship. Doctoral studies at the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna. Representative at the GPA as part of the IG Flex advocacy group.

mirko nikolić is a visual artist, environmental justice researcher and organiser. nikolić holds a PhD in Arts & Media Practice from the University of Westminster, and is currently a researcher at Södertörn University.

Pokret Tvrđava, founded in 2018 in Smederevo, emerged as a response to local issues and the need for civic engagement. Through street activism, legal initiatives, and public performances, the movement has stood out in the fight for a cleaner environment, against corruption, and for workers’ rights.

Franz Thalmair is a Vienna-based curator, writer, and editor. They curate contemporary art at mumok and co-direct Kunstraum Lakeside in Klagenfurt. Thalmair lectures at universities in Vienna, Klagenfurt, and Linz, and has curated numerous exhibitions and published widely in media, catalogues, and art books.