Driton Selmani: Time is a construct of our imagination

“Every moment is just a fragment – ​​real only until it passes, while the future exists only in anticipation. For me, this understanding shows how time is a construct of our imagination,” says the artist from Kosovo in an interview for the magazine “MQ” of the cultural center “MuseumsQuartier” in Vienna. It is precisely the notion of time that he examines with his work “Only Time Will Tell” in the main courtyard of the Viennese institution.

Bernardo Vortisch

Kosovar artist Driton Selmani uses poetic and humorous works to deconstruct our perception of reality. In doing so, he does not shy away from big concepts like time, space, politics and history. His light installation, titled “Only Time Will Tell,” can be visited in the main courtyard of the “MuseumsQuartier” cultural center in Vienna until April 21. “MQ” magazine spoke with the artist about his cultural background.

Driton Selmani was born in 1987 in Ferizaj, Kosovo. He currently lives and works between Pristina and Doganaj. He graduated with a master’s degree from the University of the Arts “Bournemouth” in the United Kingdom. Selmani has participated in numerous solo and group exhibitions, including those at the “Stacion” Center for Contemporary Art, the “Ludwig” Museum in Budapest, the “Kunstraum Niederösterreich” Museum in Vienna, Casa São Paulo, Mediterranea Biennale 16 Ancona, the “U10” Gallery in Belgrade, the 5th Marrakech Biennale and many others.

Driton, your installation “Only Time Will Tell” has been described as a call to actively engage and help shape the present and future. Where should we start?

Selmani: “Only Time Will Tell” explores the idea that time exists only through the perception of the human mind. Each moment is merely a fragment – ​​real only until it passes, while the future exists only in anticipation. For me, this understanding shows how time is a construct of our imagination. In the end, it seems more cyclical than linear – a sense that encourages us to reconsider our relationship with the present and how we shape what is to come.

Your works often deal with themes of identity and belonging. How much of yourself is there in the installation “Only Time Will Tell”?

Selmani: The installation reflects a personal connection, but it also transcends individual experience to become a “meeting of experiences” for others, thus addressing broader themes of identity and belonging. It is an intimate monument to personal stories and a deliberate statement, inviting viewers to reflect on their own sense of time, place, and the complexity of political and historical contexts. My perspective on time resonates with the empiricist philosophies of thinkers such as David Hume and George Berkeley, who argued that our reality is filtered through individual observation and that what we perceive may not correspond to any objective truth. “Only Time Will Tell” embodies this uncertainty, inviting viewers to confront the shifting boundaries between personal memory and collective history. In this way, the work reflects a part of me – my preoccupation with the limits of understanding and how we attempt to reconcile the subjective with the universal.

Words play a central role in your work. Is there a poet who inspires you?

Selmani: I wouldn’t say poet, but I am drawn to the unknown—it excites me. I don’t believe in poets, but I do believe in poetry. My use of language is not to offer definitive descriptions, but to probe the mystery and complexity that exists in words and their meanings. I often explore the pre-alphabet period, where hearing was faith. The introduction of the phonetic alphabet changed this dynamic, replacing the magical world of the ear with the analytical and impartial world of the eye.

As William Wordsworth wrote: “The eye cannot choose but to see. We cannot command the ear to be still. Our bodies feel, wherever they are, against or with our will.” For me, language is a powerful tool to provoke thought, stir emotion, and challenge social norms. Words are my primary artistic tool, used in a variety of formats and contexts to engage audiences deeply. They encourage the re-examination of assumptions about time and experience, embracing paradoxes that reveal the elusiveness of reality. Ultimately, words have the potential to reframe perception, prompt reflection, and even challenge the simulated realities in which we often find ourselves trapped.

One of your works says: “I wish you were a plastic bag so you could be eternal.” How do current concerns about ecology influence your art?

Selmani: Ecological concerns are undeniable in the geography where I live. I didn’t choose plastic as a medium – it’s just everywhere. But I notice, hear, feel, remember and question, reconceptualizing it in comparison to Peter Handke’s approach to tragedies and silence.

Speaking of eternity: what aspects of your work do you want to outlive you in the distant future? What should people take away from it?

Selmani: The only ferment of significance is humor—eternal, profound, and enduring. Good humor transcends time, with no expiration date. It disarms, connects, and reveals truths that survive beyond transient cultural contexts. I seek it, embody it, and plant it as a seed for the future—a quiet yet powerful force that shapes how we navigate and interpret the complexities of existence.

The title is from the KOHA editorial office.