Artistic Intervention – Lulzim Zeqiri

As anachronistic as they may seem, wheelbarrows have survived the victory march of motorised transport across the developed and developing worlds. Whether you visit the markets of Prishtina or Portsmouth, Madrid or Mumbai, you will inevitably still see porters pushing produce by barrow from the stalls to some loading point nearby.

And you will also see the same porters using their barrows as a seat. Often assembled in circles, the barrows form improvised gathering sites, places to rest and share stories in between loads.

Lulzim Zeqiri is captivated by this interplay between commerce and comfort, coexistence and conviviality. His site-specific installation is based on a long-term research project looking into market porters’ customs and concerns.

Located on one of Prishtina’s few shady lawns, a stone’s throw away from the old market, Zeqiri’s work consists of an assembly of weathered market barrows. By using them to the take the weight off their feet, passers-by inadvertently adopt the posture of the porters – and of the produce they push.