Beograd Lovestory

That I love to travel and try to be on the road as much as I possibly can is no secret. Even less of a secret is that I love nothing more than truly immersing myself while traveling. Not just ticking off places, but staying. Listening. Observing. Becoming a part of it, at least for a moment.

When my good friend and gifted artist Diana aka “Madama Buraka” asked me whether I’d like to accompany her to Belgrade, there were exactly two right answers: “YES” and “when?” We were invited by none other than Vladimir “Boogie” Milivojevich, one of the most influential street photographers of our time. Six days in Belgrade, two girls, cameras and no plan. That was all it took.

Boogie himself picked us up at the “Aerodrom Nikola Tesla Beograd” airport. No big fanfare, no program, just off we went. Our first feeling of arrival came when we drove by in the taxi past what is probably Belgrade’s most famous building: the Кула Генекс (Kula Geneks), in English: the Genex Tower. We were hyped!

He showed us his city and we let ourselves drift. As luck would have it, our accommodation was less than a five-minute walk from his home, which meant: Belgrade firsthand. The city carries an incredibly dense, raw atmosphere. Add to that unbelievably good food, honest people and a sense of safety you can’t explain, no matter the time of day.

Many nights blurred into one another. Soaked in rakia, heavy with cigarette smoke (I actually never smoke, yes), accompanied by the brutally honest, sometimes absurd anecdotes of an artist who has seen more than most of us. It was indescribably inspiring. The personal highlights didn’t happen outside, but inside: in Boogie’s apartment. We devoured his books, quizzed him about travel, cities, failure and pictures, and got to know a few of his people. And at some point, a camera strap from Boogie and two signed books were lying there (omfg). Unbelievable gratitude. Especially to you, dear Diana!! Once again we proved to each other that we find the best motifs and locations everywhere, and we push each other.

Belgrade itself felt like a permanent loss of control in the best sense. Whether locked inside a hijacked, iconic Belgrade tram, at a completely spontaneous editorial shoot with borrowed evening gowns, or in conversation with the city’s unconditional pigeon sympathizers, nothing was planned, everything just happened. We even ended up at a huge funeral at Belgrade’s largest cemetery. It was as random as it sounds. Chaotic, direct, sometimes absurd. And that’s exactly where the beauty lay. Belgrade doesn’t necessarily want to be understood. This city wants you to stay, look closely and let yourself drift.

I don’t want to explain too much. Some experiences don’t need to be put into words, least of all in a photo blog. Some things work best when you see them.

Context:
I shot both digitally, with my Sony and the Profoto A10X flash, and on film, with my Olympus Superzoom (which I used for the first time, and a 20-year-old film was still half-loaded inside), on black-and-white film and Kodak Gold 200. Unfortunately, my films seem to have suffered a bit under the airport security scanners, but maybe even that fits this story quite well.

Here’s to many more (Balkan) stories.

With my whole heart,
Paulina