"Retrosintezë" inaugurates the Pristina Gallery with the works of pioneers

Since the late 70s, when the Pristina Art Gallery opened, it has flourished and become a space for the exhibition of pioneers of visual art in Kosovo. It was located in one of the spaces of the Youth Palace. After the last war, that institution became the National Gallery of Kosovo. And on Saturday night, the Pristina Art Gallery opened in the place where it once functioned. This initiative has come not only as an additional exhibition space, but also as a collective memory of the capital

The Pristina Art Gallery was a kind of oasis for the visual art scene in Kosovo. Since the late 70s, when it opened, it would flourish and become a space for the exhibition of pioneers of visual art in Kosovo. It occupied one of the spaces of the Youth Palace. After the last war, that institution became the National Gallery of Kosovo. And on Saturday night, the Pristina Art Gallery opened in the place where it once functioned. This initiative came not only as an additional exhibition space, but also as a collective memory of the capital. 

Founded in 1979, the Gallery would come as a necessity after the establishment of the Academy of Arts in 1973. From then until 1990, the country's artists would promote their works and receive recognition. In the last decade of the last century, Kosovo's art would be institutionally silenced. Exhibitions would be interrupted as a result of the political situation when Albanians lived under the violent Serbian regime. 

Now that the state has the National Gallery of Kosovo, artists and art lovers have gathered for the inauguration and reopening of the Pristina Art Gallery as an initiative of the Municipality of Pristina. 
The mayor of the capital, Përparim Rama, remembered the former Gallery when he used to walk by it as a child. 

"It's a real emotion, because it reminds me of my childhood. This space was opened around the end of the '70s by a wonderful team at the time, with Shyqri Nimani and other artists. In the '80s, I remember my father taking me by the hand as a child, as I see now that some parents have taken their children with them. I am inspired by art, by the many works, by the exhibitions I saw as a child. And from here we would go upstairs to the Red Hall to see performances by the orchestra, ballet or some dance", he said at the opening ceremony of the Pristina Art Gallery. 

He said that the process of reclaiming the space was a four-year struggle to return it to the artistic community. 

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"This has been an emotion that the capital has been missing or the spaces that have been key to stimulating creativity, innovation, to providing space for art and culture, to raising the level of our society. For a period of time, they have been closed or transformed into commercial areas. We need them, but to drown out a point that has been key not only in Pristina, but throughout Kosovo, for the creativity of our artists to find themselves through art," he said. 

The Director of Culture, Sibel Halimi, said that this project was initiated to be a continuation of collective memory. 

"Today, the works of our artists, our doyens, who in the most difficult times, have had an emancipatory role in our Kosovar society, weigh heavily. For this reason, I am very happy that even with the name of the current exhibition, we wanted to make a connection between the past, the present and also the future. As an institution, we have wanted to never initiate a project without being a continuation of a collective memory and without a doubt this space contains an extraordinary memory in itself where art has also served as a catharsis, as a spiritual food," she said. 

The reopening of the Pristina Art Gallery has been seen as a significant moment for the city’s cultural scene. The inaugural exhibition “Retrosynthese” has brought the golden generation of visual art. It was organized by the Association of Visual Artists of Kosovo and curated by Zeni Ballazhi. As a kind of dialogue between artistic heritage in the era of contemporary art. 

There are the hazy landscapes of Tahir Emra and forms with traditional motifs. The formations of irregular heads by Gjelosh Gjokaj, as well as unstructured human bodies. Graphics and sculptures by Agim Çavdarbasha, the mythical forms of Nysret Salihamixhiqi, the explosions of color by Muslim Mulliq, the cubist paintings of Ibrahim Kodra and more. There are also the precious works of Rexhep Ferri, Adem Kastrati, Daut Berisha, Engjëll Berisha, Hamdi Bardhi, Kadrush Rama, Tahir Emra and Svetozar Kamenovic.

Artist Kamuran Goranci, director of the Association of Visual Artists of Kosovo, said that the inaugurated space is a reward for these names. 

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"It is a reward for the creators who kept art alive during difficult times. They did not let it go, even though it was closed for a time, it still returned to them. It is not just an administrative decision, but a very courageous and symbolic decision for the identity and rights of Kosovo artists," he said. 

There are a total of 64 works on display in various mediums and techniques. Curator Zeni Ballazhi said that they belong to expressionism, impressionism, cubism, abstraction, and abstract expressionism. 

"The 'Retrosynthesis' exhibition builds a bridge between memory and analysis by returning attention to the roots and most significant developments of visual art during the years 1950 to 1990. In this context, the 'Orni' collection created by Fatlum Haliti and Mirlinda Sefa-Haliti represents a homage to the creative spirit of the artists of this period. Through carefully selected works, the collection offers an unparalleled insight into the visionary contribution of the artists who shaped the identity", he said. 

Artist Ismet Jonuzi recalled the beginning of his journey as an artist, also at the Pristina Art Gallery. 

"This space makes me nostalgic, because this is where I became known. In the 80s, this was the National Gallery, as the Gallery of Arts was called then. All the exhibitions were held here, only in the 90s did it move to the facility there. I think this is the most wonderful space and every time I've been near this space, it has taken me back to the past, because it was a miracle, there was education for generations. It was a kind of culture, that in addition to walks, people would also come here," he said. 

He hopes that the reopened Gallery will be preserved and not misused. He said that the work of the exhibited artists is identified with this space. 

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"All the participating artists tonight, all of them in the '80s exhibited in this space. In the '90s, very few of them exhibited in the National Gallery, they identify with this space and this is where we started. Art, culture, the gallery, started in this space. Shyqri Nimani was the director, he led it in a wonderful way and thanks to him the National Gallery today has an extraordinary collection", said the artist and art professor, Ismet Jonuzi. 

In early October, the National Gallery of Kosovo opened its archive, which included the activity from the beginning. Also of the Art Gallery. “From the archive: Social greetings”, curated by Hana Halilaj through archival materials, witnessed the role of the newly created cultural institution in 1978 to its development and vision, in parallel with the influence of the patriarchal mentality on the artistic scene.