Together with her family, Selman disas­sem­bles former status symbols like Mercedes-Benz cars in front of an audi­ence, in order to acquire the few precious metals that are still usable. The spoken perfor­mances by this artist with a Roma back­ground are usually loud, for she gives expres­sion to anger and her urge to reverse power rela­tion­ships.

In a variety of media, Selman’s art explores expe­ri­ences of discrim­i­na­tion, violence, sexism, and patri­archy in a striking way. Her multi­lay­ered work comprises perfor­mances, sculp­tures, paint­ings on car parts and scrap metal, draw­ings, and video.

At the SCHIRN, the artist presents prints, small sculp­tural works made from precious metals, and two perfor­mances that pick up on central themes of her oeuvre, as well as two newly created works. The instal­la­tion “Flowers of Life” (2024), made from multi­pronged grabs, gestures to her family’s liveli­hood, which involves collecting and reselling scrap metal. The film “Crossing the Blue Bridge” (2024) is based on her mother’s memo­ries of expe­ri­ences in her home­town of Bihać during the Bosnian War (1992–1995).

Selman takes these family expe­ri­ences as a point of depar­ture to situate herself as a femi­nist and activist artist who now campaigns inter­na­tion­ally for her commu­nity.