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Maja Simišić (1997) is a transdisciplinary artist who explores how different environments can come to dominate our lives. Her point of departure is biopolitics: the way in which power influences and regulates human bodies and lives. Through humour and a kitsch aesthetic, Simišić lures the viewer – somewhat deceptively – into her own universe. Once inside, her practice centres on critically examining the political structures that determine whether or not someone feels at home.
Now That You Want Me I Don’t Want You Anymore (2025–2026) is a continuation of Simišić’s journey through the landscape of European bureaucracy, in which she became entangled as a Serbian living in the Netherlands. She reverses the cold, anonymous reality of ‘being a number’ within the system by portraying her relationship with the government as akin to that with a romantic partner – intimate and emotionally charged. ‘In the end, nobody wins. I am glad to have obtained permanent residency, but cannot shake the feeling of constant control and the pressure to prove myself,’ Simišić explains. By applying techniques borrowed from the advertising industry, the artist underscores this ironic nod to the impersonal systems of political power that appropriate, assess and administratively process her body and identity. In this work presented at Prospects, Simišić playfully sheds light on the difficult reality that many migrants face on a daily basis.
Written by: Kelly-ann van Steveninck