Art World
Controversial Crime Scene Selfie Artist Aleksandrija Ajdukovic Speaks Out
Photo: Aleksandrija Ajdukovic
Aleksandrija Ajdukovic is a Serbian photographer best known for taking images of and with crime scenes—often prominently featuring grisly details like human corpses covered by body bags.
When she debuted her project in 2008, it was met with mixed responses. Many people were offended by images of her standing, or in some cases smiling next to a dead body. But in today’s selfie-obsessed culture where people often act as though anything is fair game for documentation (see Artist Displays Dead Body as Part of “Selfie” Exhibition), the project seems even more relevant.
Photo: Aleksandrija Ajdukovic
In a recent interview with Vice, Ajdukovic explains: “There is…what I like to call death tourism—taking photos next to certain objects or at locations where a death has occurred. So I thought I should try to insert myself in these scenes and see how people react to that.”
Photo: Aleksandrija Ajdukovic
“I see the whole thing as documenting my performance in researching the anthropological aspect of the spectacle of death and accidents in modern society,” she continues. “In conventional conversations about the division of space in art performance—there is the audience space and the space reserved for the artists. This project blends the two.”
Might we suggest a selfie stick to help get a broader angle on things? We hear they’re banned at museums (see Are Museum Selfies Endangered? Museums Ban Selfie Sticks), but no word yet on crime scenes.
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