Western Balkans Project: Events Recap
WESTERN BALKANS PROJECT
The Manifesta 14 Prishtina Western Balkans Project was set up with the intent to create stronger ties between cultural insititutions and organisations in the Western Balkans and to expand the outreach of the Manifesta 14 by reaching out to a cross-regional audience. This was achieved by organising an array of cultural and civic activities that took place in different countries across the Western Balkans.
These included longer term projects (such as the Urban Vision of Manifesta 14), in depth Expert Talks, exhibitions, installations and performances across the region, and regional projects showcased within the biennial programme. Here we present some of the activities developed under this fruitful collaboration with our partners:
Events in Prishtina
Together with NGO Aktiv, a concert session with two groups from Mitrovica Rock School took place at the Palace of Youth and Sports in Prishtina. The school aims to break down barriers, stereotypes and prejudices through music and bringing together different ethnic communities by finding commonalities through culture.
NGO Aktiv also led several talks and discussions about culture and art in Kosovo and in the region.
Events in Tirana
Harabel is a Contemporary Art Platform that focuses on the promotion of public art and the creation of an open archive of artists’ portfolio in Albania. In Tirana, together with Harabel Contemporary, several talks were held with some of the most prominent Albanian artists, to expand our collaboration and shed light on the cooperation of our cultural scenes. These included:
– Installation by Silva Agostini titled “THREE TIMES BLACK”
– Suspended Movements – a performance by The Two Gullivers
– Inauguration of Lumturie Blloshmi’s installation titled “Kafka”
– Expert talk with Ana Frangovksa – Attempt for Equation
– Expert Talk with curator Edi Muka – Tryin Anew in a Time of Flux
– Expert Talk with The Two Gullivers
Events in Belgrade
In Belgrade, several collaborations were held together with Manifesta 14 Prishtina participants at HESTIA, a cultural centre in the capital that focuses on art practices and contemporary issues “close to the global south”. These included exhibitions and panel discussions.
In addition, there were organised talks by The European Roma Institute for Arts and Culture, which fights to combat prejudice and discrimination against Roma communities.
Events in Skopje
In 2021, two expert talks took place: the first of which was held in Skopje, North Macedonia at the MOCA-Museum of Contemporary Art. During this event, experts Santiago Zabala, Shiraz Greenbaum Oren Ziv, and artists Jonas Staal and Filippo Minelli shared their vast experience on the politics of contemporary arts concerning social inclusion.
Throughout the Western Balkans Project, audiences from across the region were invited to take part in these different cultural activities; shared ambitions were highlights and an example of how a broader cross-border network structure can be implemented was shown.
We would like to thank our nine partners from the Western Balkans and Europe for the collaboration on this project: Post-Conflict Research Center Sarajevo (PCRC); RRITU (Termokiss) Prishtina; Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) Skopje; Qendra Harabel Tirana; APPS Institute Podgorica; NGO Aktiv Kosovo; Meydan D.O.O. (Hestia) Belgrade; Kosovo Architecture Foundation (KAF); Institute of Contemporary Art Sofia (ICA) and the European Roma Institute for Arts and Culture (ERIAC) Berlin.