Yesterday, on 8 January 2023, the temporary exhibition of the contemporary artist, Alban Muja, was opened in the premises of the Documentation Center Kosovo. The artwork 'Family Album – Between Recollection and Reality' was presented to the public, drawing a parallel with the exhibition 'Once Upon a Time and Never Again', which has been set up there since 2019.
The video installation consisted of three videos: Besa, Besim & Jehona and Agim, named after the protagonists themselves, who recall the difficult moments experienced during the wartime, stand as a story of hope as they are children of that time, who luckily can tell themselves their history of war, or more specifically, the history of their image in war.
This artwork was first shown in the Pavilion of Kosovo, at the 58th Venice Art Biennale, and during the opening discussion, yesterday, the artist told the story behind the ‘Family Album’ and how this artwork was started from a personal photo of him taken during the war in Kosovo.
Alban Muja told the public that the idea was born there that the theme of war in his artwork should not be treated directly, but should be shown through the characters that are portrayed in the iconic photographs.
Alban Muja told the public that the idea was born there that the theme of war in his artwork should not be treated directly, but should be shown through the characters that are portrayed in the iconic photographs.
The stories selected by the artist are stories of a nation’s survival, represented through the images of photojournalists. The images/photographs that make up what for the artist is the family album - among others, were important images of the iconography of the Kosovo war that triggered the compassion of a wide international public.
Visit the exhibition ‘Family Album – Between Recollection and Reality’ every working day from 09:00 to 16:00 at the Documentation Center Kosovo.
This project is supported by the Swiss Confederation - the Swiss Federal Department for Foreign Affairs and NED.