In an old building in downtown Savigniano, Italy, the International Photography Festival "SiFest" has arrived at the gallery. Fifteen arts photo exhibitions have been put up at the gallery, and amongst those is one of Republic of Kosovo native's Blerim Racaj. Racaj is a photographer who lives in London.

Produced by Massimo Sordi and Steffania Rosl, the show is part of a year round photographic project in Savignano that focuses on the connections between identity, environment and culture - lots of fabulous and familiar names in there, with a strong focus on concentrated portraiture. These "Global Photographies" are exposes to world wide known photographers such as Evan Baden (USA), Colin Pantall (England), Shen Wei (China), Michele Cera (Italy), and Andres Marroquin Winkelmann (Peru); but it doesn't stop there. The show will be traveling to Venice in March and Rome in January.

Through images, these artists create an identity of their chosen portrait, an identity such as of Republic of Kosovo. "The exhibition aims to not only explore the identities of people, but groups of all ages, different cultures, identity, sexual, religious...," says Racaj, emphasizing that participation in these types of festivals has a special importance and such works presented have a value.

Racaj has so far participated in several collective exhibitions in England. In July of this year, he has opened his first personal arts exhibition in the Republic of Kosovo entitled "Current Issue", an ongoing project portraying the land and the people of the Republic of Kosovo.

Starting November 12, 2009 thru February 28th, 2010 at the Contemporary Museum in Vienna (MUMOK) will open the artistic exhibition "Gender Check" which will be presented also the artistic work of Kosovar famous painter, Muslim Mulliqi.

The organizers of the exhibition are MUMOK and Erste Stiftung Fundation. The exhibition will present the gender position in the society in Eastern Europe since 1960 by including the 30 year period of state communist and the early period of post-communism.

The exhibition tents to demonstrate that at what level the visual representations have contributing in constituting of gender roles in Eastern European states, with emphasis of the changes in gender identity after the fall of communist regimes.

The artistic masterpiece Hamalli of the famous painter from Kosovo, Muslim Mulliqi was selected to participate at this exhibition. This masterpiece was realized in 1967 and its part of Kosovo Art Gallery.
1934-1998

Theworks of Muslim Mulliqi in particular clearly express this urge to "paint" the spiritual and ideological pulsation of time, to "record" visually the ups and downs of national aspirations.

There is a significant overlap between the themes he espoused during the stages of his development with the phases of Kosovo's cultural and political development; actually, Mulliqi's art can be taken as a kind of their visualization. Thus, in the 1950's and 1960's  Mulliqi began to paint in the manner of cruel social-realism, which was artistically very powerful but was permeated by the 1970's when Kosovo become equal entity in Yugoslavia and powers close to that of a state, Mulliqi first produced a series of the Albanian towers symbolizing resistance, the feeling of rootedness, only to change the theme and begin to paint a cycle of blue skies, stressing the longing for the elevation of collective aspirations likened to the flight of Icarus.

 

Only in his last phase, in the 1980's and 1990's,  did the artist suffer a kind of a break-down of motivation. However, he made a come-back by returning to pure art and working on intimate and melancholic paintings: simple landscapes and portraits.

 

These are artistically very powerful reminding of eternity and of incomparable enlightement.

 

Mulliqi, born in 1934 and died in 1998, is one of the most famous painters of all times in Kosovo.  

The fourth edition of the European Heritage Days in Kosovo was launched today, on September 11 in the City Hammam of Mitrovica. The Heritage Days, organized under the patronage of the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports of the Republic of Kosovo, and supported by a joint project of the EC Liaison Office and the Council of Europe, will last until October 2.

Hammams have been chosen as the focus of this year's heritage days' activities. Throughout the events during the three-week-long program, people can learn more about this particular heritage in Kosovo through various workshops, exhibitions and debates. As part of the program, another edition of the Tour de Culture, the cycling tour along cultural heritage sites, will be organized in several cities of Kosovo on 27 September.

The European Heritage Days is a joint action of the Council of Europe and the European Commission. Since 1991, various activities are organized all over Europe in September to celebrate European Heritage Days, highlighting local skills and traditions, architecture and works of art, as well as opening up historical buildings normally closed to the public.

Click here to download the European Heritage Days program.

PriFilmFest – Prishtina International Film Festival in Kosovo will start with "East, West, East: The Final Sprint" directed by Gjergj Xuvani. The film is about an amateur cycling team from Albania who heads to France to take part in a tournament only to discover on the way that revolution has broken out back home.

This festival is set to happen in September 2009. The founders of the festival are experienced professionals from the field of film, television, marketing, PR, event organisation and design, that have gathered to make this festival a success from its first edition. The statue of the festival is also ready. This great piece of art done with a very careful and sophisticated work by the famous artist Luan Mulliqi, reflects the symbol of Prishtina and it is called ‘Golden Goddess’. Washed in gold and carved with a modern touch, Golden Goddess of PriFilmFest will bring a special glory to the festival in September.

A lot of organizers are expected to appear in the Festival, including new directors like Yll Qitaku with his "Beyond the Road" film, Arzana Kraja with her "The Clock Tower", and Mumin Jashari. famous actor and producer from Kosovo.

PriFilmFest by now has also the compiled list of films that have been invited to be part of the first edition, of which one part has already confirmed participation.

Amongst the countries that will present the films in the festival are: Germany, France, Turkey, Kosovo, Albania, Great Britain, Afghanistan, Bosnia, United States of America, etc. PriFilmFest seeks to bring the best of world cinema to Prishtina and throughout Kosovo, and to promote the best of Kosovar film to the international audience. It will also provide an invaluable cultural benefit to the people of Kosovo.

PriFilmFest's mission is to open doors of the newest country in the world, Kosovo, to welcome different cultures of the world through cinema, using it as a medium to promote open dialog between cultures and nations. "This location will include main projections of films that were introduced in the competition as well as films that fit in the category of "winners", says Vjosa Berisha, PriFilmFest Director.

Ms. Vanessa Redgrave, famous British actress, Oscar and Golden Globe winner, has confirmed that she will be the President of the Board of PriFilmFest, and will support the festival through her network of contacts from the world of film. This festival is set to happen in September 2009. The founders of the festival are experienced professionals from the field of film, television, marketing, PR, event organization and design, that have gathered to make this festival a success from its first edition. The statue of the festival is also ready. This great piece of art done with a very careful and sophisticated work by the famous artist Luan Mulliqi, reflects the symbol of Prishtina and it is called ‘Golden Goddess’. Washed in gold and carved with a modern touch, Golden Goddess of PriFilmFest will bring a special glory to the festival in September.

PriFilmFest is also planning to organize various tour visits for the guests of the festival which will enable the promotion of cultural and historic heritage and landscape of Kosovo.