Grieving Mother

Grieving Mother is a sculptural response to the tragic events of November 1st, 2024, when the canopy of the Belgrade railway station collapsed due to systemic negligence and corruption, resulting in the deaths of sixteen people, including two toddlers. This event ignited nationwide civil unrest and exposed a deep societal wound, one that extends far beyond a single tragedy.

At the center of the composition stands the grieving mother, embodying the universal agony of loss. Her form bends under the unbearable weight of sorrow and injustice. Behind her rise two figures inspired by ancient Roman caryatids: Justitia, the personification of justice, and Eunomia, the spirit of lawful order and good governance. Yet here, their symbolic authority is fractured—both hold broken swords, representing the collapse of moral, legal, and civic responsibility.

The sculpture also references the public humiliation faced by Diana, a mother who lost her son in the collapse and later endured mockery from state representatives, including the playing of a song whose lyrics taunted: “Mother went to find her son.” During her hunger strike, these actions became a symbol of the state’s cruelty and detachment from its people.

Grieving Mother stands not only as a monument to the victims, but as an indictment of a society where justice has fallen silent—and where grief becomes resistance.