Installation: REVERSE DANUBE, Jahninsel, Regensburg

For centuries, the Danube has been one of Europe’s most important river routes. Its eastward course has been shaping the economic, social, and political development of empires and nations. In a stark reversal of this natural flow, migration trends have moved predominantly from east to west.

In his in-situ installation REVERSE DANUBE, Bojan Stojčić explores the complex interplay between East and West, the river’s flow, ecology, migration, and geopolitics. Through an artistic twist, he juxtaposes the natural eastward movement of the Danube with the westward flow of human migration.

The installation features a scaled model of the 2,830 km-long river at a ratio of 1:100,000, resulting in a structure roughly 28 meters in length. A water channel traces the river’s path - yet with a striking inversion: the model’s highest point lies in the east, where the Danube would typically empty into the Black Sea. When it rains, this reversal creates a miniature artificial river flowing westward.

Installed on Jahninsel in Regensburg, parallel to the Danube, the work serves as a reflective space - inviting contemplation on migration, geopolitics, and the evolving relationship between Eastern and Western Europe.