Serbian fashion photographer Jovana Mladenovic explores 'monumental fear'

Fashion photographer Jovana Mladenovic wanted to expand her practise to present these objects to the world not just as historical artefacts, but as moments in art history. Her presentations of them place them in synchronicity with the female body, as her models swoop and dance between them to create scenes that feel theatrical and vibrant, rather than static and reverent.

The 26-year-old photographer lis based in Belgrade, Serbia, and her work has been published in magazines including Elle, Faar, and RePhoto. Her Monumental Fear series is currently on show at the Interruption group exhibition of Balkan art at London's Library near Covent Garden, which aims to raise the profile of contemporary artists from the Balkan states including Romania, Montenegro, Serbia, Bulgaria, and Bosnia.

According to the exhibition organisers, Contemporary Balkan Art (CoBA), "contemporary art from the Balkans is characterised by social fragmentation, cultural interruption and economic uncertainty leading to rapid cultural and demographic changes." It adds that collectively, these artists' work "explores abstract humour to counterbalance existential difficulties arising from a multi-faceted national identity".