TIRANA, Oct. 29 – Albanian and Kosovo young artists have come together in a joint exhibition in Berlin in an attempt to approach the multi-layered manifestations of collectivized memory and national identity in their home countries – both discourses which play an imperative role in current art from both countries.
The exhibition’s title “This is not a Palm Tree” references a widespread image on facades of Kosovar homes: the mosaic of a palm tree, mostly formed by bigger brown and grey ornamental stones, with the leaves not always shaded by green, says German curator Annika Hirsekorn. “To interpret these facade ornaments as a reference to Albania may seem far-fetched but is, in fact, not without reason. Most Kosovars identify Albania as the motherland at the same time that they clearly feel Kosovar with regards to their nation,” she says.
The Albanian flag, for example, is omnipresent in the small country, and palm trees, that do not exist here, can only be found behind the border, on the way to Tirana or at the beaches of Albania, where many Kosovars spend their holidays now that this is possible again. “Albania, where palm trees do grow, and which is so near, yet has been out of reach for so long, retains its mythic qualities – as a place of longing and the true homeland,” she adds.
Curated by Annika Hirsekorn, the exhibition in Berlin’s Neurotitan gallery will be open from November 7 to 28.
Albania’s Alban Muja, Driant Zeneli, Silva Agostini, Enkelejd Zonja and Kosovo’s Atdhe Mulla, Dren Maliqi, Jakup Ferri are some of the artists participating in the exhibition.
