For Freedom: Fight against Corruption. Students and State Violence in Serbia

This lecture examines the contemporary student protest movement in Serbia in the context of systematic corruption and escalating state violence. Focusing on recent mobilizations led by students and young activists, it explores how universities have become central sites of democratic struggle. The lecture analyses the dynamics between collective resistance and institutional power, including the role of police repression in shaping protest strategies and public perception. Drawing from personal experience of student activism in Serbia, as well as broader regional civic engagement, it reflects on how collective bodies in public space confront both corruption and coercion. The talk also considers the importance of visibility—how protests circulate through images, media, and transnational academic networks—and why these movements demand sustained international attention and solidarity.

Olja Triaška Stefanović is a visual artist, researcher, and Associate Professor at the Academy of Fine Arts and Design in Bratislava, where she leads the Studio of Photography and Critical Practice. Her research and artistic work focus on visual culture, political memory, collectivity, and the role of photography within socio-political transformation. She works across photography, video, archival research, and interdisciplinary methodologies, examining how images operate within public discourse and political imaginary.

Her projects have been presented internationally in exhibitions, conferences, and academic forums across Europe and the United States. She has participated in research residencies in the U.S., including  Fulbright Scholarship, and regularly contributes to discussions on critical artistic practice, protest movements, and the political agency of visual media. Her work connects artistic research with contemporary political realities in Central and Southeast Europe.