A series of photographs created at the Austrian festival Nova Rock 2015.
A remembrance of summer festivals, when people formed a single mass in close contact, colliding in a musical ritual driven by heavy metal sounds.
Definition of a mosh pit: an aggressive dance accompanied by pushing and crashing into one another, taking place in the concert area in front of the stage.
A chaotic exchange of energy, unpredictable body movements, and a friendly audience that, although it may not appear so, is very open to everyone — even to a girl with a camera.
This series of photographs offers a glimpse into another world for those who have never experienced a mosh pit, revealing one of its many faces. It also celebrates those who already practice this dance ritual, which they surely missed during the pandemic.
The result is a set of documentary photographs, created without the time or conditions for a perfect shot — creating an inner conflict within the author, who nevertheless strives to achieve it.
The theme of the concert audience — capturing energy, emotion, and movement — is an ongoing project that may take on a new form in future exhibitions.
Jovana Milovanović (Skullcheez) is a multiple award-winning concert photographer and the youngest participant in the exhibition “50 Years of Concert Rock Photography in Serbia.”
She was most actively present on the local music scene between 2012 and 2015, when she photographed for local portals and magazines such as Nocturne Magazin, Urban Bug Magazin, Metal Srbija, and Politikin Zabavnik. After that, she began independent collaborations with local bands and festivals.
She graduated from the Belgrade Polytechnic (VŠSS), majoring in Graphic Design, with a final thesis in photography titled “Photography and Music.” Her thesis explores the history of photography and concert photography — where it once stood and where it is today — as well as significant international and domestic photographers.
She has exhibited her work in group exhibitions organized by the Foto savez Srbije and at the International Salon of Photography. Her concert photography has been presented in 13 group exhibitions and two solo exhibitions.
She has won five awards in music photography — three first prizes and two second prizes. Her photograph of Nikola Vranjković taken from a bird’s-eye perspective won first place at the international women’s exhibition and competition “Čisto oko, puno srce.” With an energetic portrait of Johnny Rotten, she won the Golden UPI Medal at the international competition and touring exhibition “ROCK 2013.” Her photograph of Tomi Joutsen, singer of Amorphis, caught the attention of renowned Austrian photographer Matthias Hombauer, who awarded it second place in 2014 at the world competition “Rock Star Concert Photography.”
Since 2018, she has collaborated with the American music portal Music Existence. At the end of 2019, she also began working with the American metal band Unearth, joining them as their photographer on a European tour in February 2020.