Dr Bojana Janković

Bojana’s PhD at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama (London), investigates the construction of Eastern European identities in the work of immigrant artists. Outside of her PhD, she has contributed to research projects on audience development, politics of translation, and theatre criticism. In 2022, she won the TaPRA Postgraduate Essay Prize.

Outside of her solo practice, Bojana thinks/writes/performs about borders and internationalism as part of Critical Interruptions, a Serbo-Romanian critical cooperative she founded with Diana Damian Martin. She works with Migrants in Culture, a migrant-led organisation building radical imagination and capacity to live without borders and she is currently a Research Associate at the Centre for Contemporary Art in Derry.

Education

PhD Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, University of London, 2023

MA Performance Making, Goldsmiths, University of London, 2010

BA Theatre Directing, Faculty of Dramatic Arts, University of Arts, Belgrade, 2009

Research Interests

migrant performance, participatory performance, migration in cultural policy, performance and organising, radical and experimental practices

Publications

• Janković, B. (2023) ‘Essential work: Eastern European immigrants and models of participation’, Contemporary Theatre Review [forthcoming, accepted]
• Janković, B. (2023) ‘Janez Janša, Dušan Jovanović, Anja Suša, Dijana Milosević, Jagoš Marković’, The Cambridge Encyclopedia of Stage Directors and Directing. Edited by M. Delgado and S. Williams. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.[forthcoming]
• Janković, B. (2022), ‘Four thoughts in two voices and one dodgy passport’ in Czajka, A. and O’Brien, Á. (eds.) Art, Migration and the Production of Radical Democratic Citizenship, London: Rowman & Littlefield International
• Janković, B.(ed.) (2021) ‘The Live Art Almanac Volume 6’, Live Art Development Agency. Available at: https://www.thisisliveart.co.uk/resources/the-live-art-almanac-volume-6/
• Leara, M. and Janković, B. (2020) Londra: Brexit Stage Left, Rome: Cue Press
• Janković, B., Keidan, L., and Vaughn, M. (eds.) (2019) Live Art Almanac Vol. 5, London: Live Art Development Agency
• Janković, B. (2018) ‘SPILL Festival in Ipswich’ in Damian Martin, D. (ed.) SPILL Reader: On Time, Ipswich: Pacitti Company
• Critical Interruptions (eds.) (2018) Critical Interruptions Vol 1: Steakhouse Live, London: Live Art UK
• Janković, B. (2018) ‘Brexit, Brexit, Brexit: UK theatre and the Foreign Element’, Critical Stages, Vol. 18
• Janković, B. and Olărescu, D. (2017) ‘Eastern Europeans for Dummies’, Kajet Journal, Vol 1
• Janković, B. and Olărescu, D. (2017) ‘Eastern Europeans are Blunt. So is their advice.’, in Marchevska E. (ed.)
• Toolkit for itinerant artists, London: Live Art Development Agency
• Janković, B. and Olărescu, D. (2017) Immigrant/Expat, Auckland: Gloria Books

Conference Presentation (selected)

• 2022 ‘Inscribing diaspora: Eastern Europeans as Birmingham locals’, Theatre and Performance Research Association; Performance, Identity, Community working group, University of Essex, Colchester, UK 
• 2021 ‘Unknowing Eastern Europeans: dismantling low skilled work through participatory performance’, Theatre and Performance Research Association; Theatre, Performance and Philosophy working group, Liverpool Hope University, UK 
• 2020 The precarious nature of the new university: the prospects, problems and aspirations of ‘early career’ theatre and performance researchers, Intersections conference co-chair, Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, London, UK 
• 2019 ‘No box to tick: Eastern European artists and the Creative Case for Diversity’, In-Between Spaces: Central and Eastern European Art and Artists in the UK, University of Birmingham, Birmingham 
• 2019 ‘(Re)Claiming Eastness: constructions of Eastern European identities in the work of UK-based immigrant artists’, Fictions of Europe: Imaginary Topographies and Transnational Identities across the Arts, Frije Universiteit Brussels, the University of Antwerp, and Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Brussels 
• 2018 Collective Works: Questioning Collectivity in Contemporary Theatre, symposium co-chair, AICT-IATC and Sterijino Festival, Novi Sad, Serbia 

Artistic Creation
Performance and installation (selection)

• 2023 The Uncommon (Travel Area), An Táin Arts Centre, Dundalk, Ireland
• 2022 The Uncommon (Travel Area), Centre for Contemporary Art, Derry, UK
• 2022 Remote…Local, Good Stuff in St Leonards-on-Sea / Home Live Art, UK
• 2022 The Ottoman Avantgarde, part of Choreographic Devices, ICA, London, UK
• 2021 Just Gibanica, FIX21, Catalyst Arts, Belfast, UK
• 2020 Temporary Works, performing borders LIVE 20, Deptford Lounge, The Albany, digital/UK
• 2019 Patrolling, performing borders, Live Art Development Agency, London, UK
• 2018 Durational Performance of Journalistic Insults, Tate Lates, Tate Modern, London, UK
• 2018 The Romanians Are Coming Back, ODD & Tranzit.ro, Bucharest, Romania
• 2018 How to uhygge with an alien, CAMP, Copenhagen Culture Night, Copenhagen, Denmark
• 2016 – 2018 Trigger Warning, venues and festivals include Tate Exchange (London), Journeys Festival International (Leicester), Eurotopia (Transform Festival, Leeds), National Maritime Museum (London), b-side (Portland/Dorset)
• 2013 – 2018 Text HOME to 78080, commissioned by Giving in to Gift; venues and festivals include SPILL National Platform (Ipswich), Experimentica (Chapter, Cardiff), dis/placed (LADA and Counterpoints Arts, Shoreditch Town Hall, London), Performing Britain Festival (Leeds)
• 2012 Waste of Space, commissioned for the Streets of Gold exhibition, Museum of London
• 2011- 2016 Eastern Europeans for Dummies, venues and festivals include Brunel Museum, Rich Mix, Rosemary Branch (London), (in)Xclusion Festival (Leeds), The Basement (Brighton), Migration Matters Festival (Sheffield)