Choose your fighter

Playroom as a space: Instead of a parliament, a war zone or a conference hall, leaders are placed in a space of fun, escapism and simulation. Video consoles symbolize control, but also the illusion of control - as if historical decisions were "games" with a reset button. Petrić uses video games as a metaphor for simulating historical processes where wars, disintegrations, negotiations and ideologies are reduced to "level", "score" and "respawn".
- Shown leaders: Former presidents of the SFRY, FRY, as well as leaders of newly formed states — all in the same space, without hierarchy, which suggests the alignment of historical differences through the prism of contemporary populism and media banalization. Leaders become avatars, inauthentic, replaceable — a critique of post-truth, where history is reinterpreted through media, memes and nostalgia.
The playroom is a space for children - Petrić thereby suggests that grown men who decided the fate of millions actually acted like children in a game of power. This irony is brutal: a historical tragedy portrayed as a playful dynamic, which causes discomfort and laughter at the same time.

In an age when politicians appear on TikTok, play chess in front of cameras, or compete for popularity as influencers, Petrić's work is a precise critique of the spectacularization of politics. Leaders are no longer ideological representatives, but participants in media performance.

View Less