'Sorrow' is Šejla Kamerić's third self-portrait to date. The artist is depicted naked and vulnerable. Her face is covered. Her head is resting on her arms, which she has laid across her knees in silent grief. There is a drawing by Vincent van Gogh showing the same pose. It is almost a female counterpart to the male pose seen in 'The Thinker'.
Toward the end of the last century, the collapse of the Yugoslavian multiracial state and striving for independence on the part of the former constituent republics led to brutal wars and civil conflicts, resulting in many deaths and unimaginable atrocities. These included: the war in Slovenia (1991), the Croatian War (1991–1995), the Bosnian War (1992–1995) and the Kosovo War (1999). Naturally, people's traumatic experiences during these periods and their efforts to come to terms with the deep scars are reflected in the visual arts. In order to combat racist, nationalist ideologies, the artists are working to create the foundations of a cultural identity that would satisfy the needs of a modern, open-minded, and tolerant society.