Serbia
Igor Schiller:
FAMILIAR CHARACTERS
Created over three years in his hometown in Serbia, this work began when Igor Schiller—living abroad at the time—felt the urge to revisit his childhood environment from a distance, and to better understand the sensations of being a child.
In familiar places, he staged himself as the imaginary characters of his youth, using photography to recreate the landscapes of an inner kingdom. In this process, he discovered how past and present, memory and fact, could merge—and how the familiar could become a playground for new fantasies.
The series evokes the beauty and fragility of childhood dreams—once lived, yet always accessible as an inner refuge beyond time.
Created over three years in his hometown in Serbia, this work began when Igor Schiller—living abroad at the time—felt the urge to revisit his childhood environment from a distance, and to better understand the sensations of being a child.
In familiar places, he staged himself as the imaginary characters of his youth, using photography to recreate the landscapes of an inner kingdom. In this process, he discovered how past and present, memory and fact, could merge—and how the familiar could become a playground for new fantasies.
The series evokes the beauty and fragility of childhood dreams—once lived, yet always accessible as an inner refuge beyond time.
Created over three years in his hometown in Serbia, this work began when Igor Schiller—living abroad at the time—felt the urge to revisit his childhood environment from a distance, and to better understand the sensations of being a child.
In familiar places, he staged himself as the imaginary characters of his youth, using photography to recreate the landscapes of an inner kingdom. In this process, he discovered how past and present, memory and fact, could merge—and how the familiar could become a playground for new fantasies.
The series evokes the beauty and fragility of childhood dreams—once lived, yet always accessible as an inner refuge beyond time.
Igor Schiller (1996) is a Serbia-born, Amsterdam-based artist who graduated in photography from the Royal Academy of Art, The Hague, in 2021. The following year, he was nominated for the FOAM Paul Huf Award. In 2024, he received the Mangelos Award, recognising him as Serbia’s best young visual artist. His work has been showcased at the International Film Festival Rotterdam, Unfair Amsterdam and Art Rotterdam, among others.
Rooted in the rich traditions of his Balkan upbringing, Schiller explores themes of cultural identity, memory, and how childhood shaped his worldview. Revisiting his early years through his family archive, he blends fictional and subjective elements to create elaborate cinematic sets, saturated with strangeness and gloom, yet contrasted with tenderness and warmth. He views toys, lullabies, games, and other remnants of childhood as historical artefacts that reflect the socio-political climate. By analysing their influence on children’s content, he explores how they perpetuate cultural legacies shaped by rigid systems. With his installations and films, Schiller constructs imaginary kingdoms populated by characters who serve as metaphors for his thoughts on identity, isolation, and belonging. Through humor, he creates a space for reflection, engaging with serious subjects through a lens of lightness and wit.
Igor Schiller (1996) is a Serbia-born, Amsterdam-based artist who graduated in photography from the Royal Academy of Art, The Hague, in 2021. The following year, he was nominated for the FOAM Paul Huf Award. In 2024, he received the Mangelos Award, recognising him as Serbia’s best young visual artist. His work has been showcased at the International Film Festival Rotterdam, Unfair Amsterdam and Art Rotterdam, among others.
Rooted in the rich traditions of his Balkan upbringing, Schiller explores themes of cultural identity, memory, and how childhood shaped his worldview. Revisiting his early years through his family archive, he blends fictional and subjective elements to create elaborate cinematic sets, saturated with strangeness and gloom, yet contrasted with tenderness and warmth. He views toys, lullabies, games, and other remnants of childhood as historical artefacts that reflect the socio-political climate. By analysing their influence on children’s content, he explores how they perpetuate cultural legacies shaped by rigid systems. With his installations and films, Schiller constructs imaginary kingdoms populated by characters who serve as metaphors for his thoughts on identity, isolation, and belonging. Through humor, he creates a space for reflection, engaging with serious subjects through a lens of lightness and wit.
Igor Schiller (1996) is a Serbia-born, Amsterdam-based artist who graduated in photography from the Royal Academy of Art, The Hague, in 2021. The following year, he was nominated for the FOAM Paul Huf Award. In 2024, he received the Mangelos Award, recognising him as Serbia’s best young visual artist. His work has been showcased at the International Film Festival Rotterdam, Unfair Amsterdam and Art Rotterdam, among others.
Rooted in the rich traditions of his Balkan upbringing, Schiller explores themes of cultural identity, memory, and how childhood shaped his worldview. Revisiting his early years through his family archive, he blends fictional and subjective elements to create elaborate cinematic sets, saturated with strangeness and gloom, yet contrasted with tenderness and warmth. He views toys, lullabies, games, and other remnants of childhood as historical artefacts that reflect the socio-political climate. By analysing their influence on children’s content, he explores how they perpetuate cultural legacies shaped by rigid systems. With his installations and films, Schiller constructs imaginary kingdoms populated by characters who serve as metaphors for his thoughts on identity, isolation, and belonging. Through humor, he creates a space for reflection, engaging with serious subjects through a lens of lightness and wit.
See You at SEEEU!
Organizer:
Supported by:
European Union
seeeu@koi.lt
Europe Photo Month Tokyo
Oct 23 - Nov 23 2025
See You at SEEEU!
Organizer:
Supported by:
European Union
See You at SEEEU!
Organizer:
Supported by:
European Union