Artistic Intervention – Flaka Haliti

If you have ever seen the sun set against a bushfire sky or the smouldering embers of war, Flaka Haliti’s uncanny horizon will doubtless cause your throat to tighten a little, your muscles to contract – all the more so if you recognise the pattern of clouds camouflaging the radiance at the edge of her constructed sky.

In Under the Sun – Explain What Happened, as in many of her works, the artist took as her point of departure building material found in the military context.

In this instance, the material she appropriates and adapts stems from a former base of the KFOR, the NATO-led international peacekeeping force in Kosovo. Located near the Kosovar city of Prizren, it is now home to Autostrada Hangar, a new cultural institution to have grown out of the Autostrada Biennale.

What captivated the artist about the material is what might equally intrigue us as viewers: some enigmatic process has inscribed itself on the material, has left behind a trace, a photo of sorts, a haunting piece of evidence, a historical narrative yet to be told.

Due to the severe weather conditions in Prishtina on Sunday the 24^th of July, the work of Flaka Haliti entitled Under the Sun – Explain What Happened was damaged. For safety reasons the work was deinstalled. Manifesta 14 Prishtina, together with the artist, is investigating how and when to reinstall the work.

We apologise for not being able to present this important newly commissioned work at this current moment in time.