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By:
Besarte Elshani
- 16 January 2026 19:02
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With less than four months left until the presentation of Kosovo art at one of the most important artistic events in the world, preparations are already being finalized. Brilant Milazim’s painting “Strong Teeth” for the Kosovo Pavilion at the 61st edition of the International Art Biennale in Venice will take place in the church “Chiesa di Santa Maria del Pianto”. The gloomy and strange environment of the work “Strong Teeth” by the artist Milazim is housed in the baroque church, one of the precious spaces of Venetian architecture.
The 17th-century building near the Venetian canal will host the Kosovo Pavilion this year.
The “Chiesa di Santa Maria del Pianto” is an octagonal church and monastery facing the Venetian lagoon, designed by architect Francesco Contino and built in 1658. Dedicated to Our Lady of Sorrows, the church was built during a period of war uncertainty.
In the early 19th century, the complex was reused as a school, hospital, barracks, and storage space, undergoing major changes before being rededicated in 1851. With the nuns' departure in 1970, the church was closed to the public and remained untouched for decades after it was sold.
The buildings are now owned by a private company, while the former monastery is used for outpatient activities. The church is in a state of abandonment.
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According to the National Gallery of Kosovo, the work representing the country this year at the Venice Biennale "marks the rare reopening of this closed space, followed by cycles of dedication, abandonment, and institutional waiting."
The 17-meter-long painting by artist Milazim will be on display in the Baroque-style church from May 9 to November 22.
Designed by Francesco Conti, construction began in 1647 and was completed in 1658. The exterior of the church is surrounded by a high wall. From the outside it has an octagonal plan, while the interior has a refined appearance both in precious materials and in works of art. As it is written about it, the works reveal a collection of the best painters in Venice at that time.
It is one of the event spaces considered one of the most prestigious and influential in contemporary art in the world and the most traditional. Founded in 1895, the Venice Biennale is the first art biennale in history.
Kosovo traditionally participates by presenting its visual art culture, using its space for cultural and political dialogue. This year, for the first time, with painting.
According to the National Gallery of Kosovo as the commissioner, the impressive exhibition “Strong Teeth” curated by Mexican José Esparza Chong Cuy, “invites viewers to observe and experience it up close. The figures resist, they stand in anticipation, with their teeth clenched tightly.”
"Brilant Milazim's new work is anchored around a 17-meter-long landscape painting, which presents a series of figures lined up close to each other, like mountain ranges that remind us of the rural terrain of Kosovo. Echoing images of long processions of people, the work unites fragile bodies that seem to lie within the landscape," the GKK announced, providing details about the work.
"What awaits is never known. This suspension of time and destination reflects decades of lived uncertainty, shaped by political transition, contested recognition, and unfinished bureaucracy of Kosovo's sovereignty. 'Strong Teeth' gives shape to the physical and psychological strain of this endless waiting," it is further revealed about the work of artist Brilant Milazim.
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The color red dominates this work. The use of dark colors is minimal, while the light ones create a kind of chiaroscuro. They shape his figurations into forms where the person from a far-from-near perspective is blurred.
His paintings articulate an ominous and poetic vision of contemporary life, as is written about the working practice of the 31-year-old artist from Gjilan.
“Brilant Milazim translates his perception of the world into images that are simultaneously bitter, tender, darkly humorous, and disturbing. Drawing on the logic of the unconscious and the fictional imagination, his paintings articulate an ominous and poetic vision of contemporary life, marked by exaggerated physiognomies, animalistic presences, and the recurring motif of clenched teeth—symbols through which social tensions and unresolved conflicts emerge,” writes GKK about Milazim.
In July, the jury, consisting of Inke Arns, Erëmirë Krasniqi, Christine Macel, Valentine Umansky and Rein Wolfs, chose him to be the artist who opens the next chapter of the Kosovo Pavilion at the Venice Biennale. The votes for him were unanimous. Milazim, an artist of the new generation, was among seven competitors, whose names were not made public.
The jury appreciated the clarity of vision, the powerful visual language, and his engagement with the medium of painting.
"The exhibition aims to evoke a deep emotional response through atmosphere and presence. In an immersive, somber and strange environment, visitors will be confronted with figures suspended in a quiet tension, embodying unresolved states of expectation, stability and restraint. These experiences reflect ambiguous political states, such as the partial recognition of Kosovo on the international stage itself, while also resonating globally in an era of migration crises, bureaucratic gridlock and collective insecurity," the justification for the work, curated by José Esparza Chong Cuy, was written.
He is a curator, writer, editor, and architect from Mexico. He was born in 1984. His biography states that he has held various institutional roles at the international level and has collaborated with dozens of artists around the world. “He is co-editor of the upcoming book ‘Empty Plinths: Monuments, Memorials, and Public Sculpture in Mexico’, which will be published in 2026 by ‘Harvard Design Press’ at Harvard University,” his biography states.
The 61st edition of the Venice Biennale runs from May 9 to November 22. The theme of the Biennale, curated by Koyo Kouoh, is “In the Eye of the Storm – Chronicles of the Minor Key.” Kouoh died suddenly last June at the age of 57. She was a leading figure in the art world and an uncompromising advocate for African artists. Born in Cameroon, Kouoh was at the peak of her career.
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Kosovo had opened the call for state representation in May. According to the Ministry of Culture's call for applications, the call was open for joint artist-curator or collective project proposals, for the realization of one or more new artistic works. The call stated that projects could be of various forms, including personal, group or thematic exhibitions. The application deadline was June 20.
In the previous edition, in 2023, Kosovo was represented with “The Ringing Silences of Metal and Leather” by the new generation artist, Doruntina Kastrati, under the curation of Erëmirë Krasniqi. It was Kosovo’s sixth representation at the Art Biennale, which culminated in success. The Kosovo Pavilion, competing with 80 countries, received a “Special Recognition” in the 60th edition, where the “Golden Lion” was awarded to Australia.
