[spectre] Fwd: EXH: Cont. Positions from Albania and Kosovo at Ludwig Museum, Budapest

[Andreas Broeckmann]

Betreff: Contemporary Positions from Albania and Kosovo at Ludwig 
Museum, Budapest
Datum: 	Thu, 14 Jul 2016 08:01:09 -0400
	

The Whale That Was a Submarine
Contemporary Positions from Albania and Kosovo
July 15–September 11, 2016

Ludwig Múzeum Budapest
Budapest
Komor Marcell u. 1
1095
Hungary
Hours: Tuesday–Sunday 10am–6pm

T +36 1 555 3444

http://www.ludwigmuseum.hu
https://www.facebook.com/ludwigmuseum

One of the priorities at Ludwig Museum – Museum of Contemporary Art, 
Budapest is to keep track of the contemporary art scenes and new 
tendencies of the Central and Eastern European region and the 
post-socialist countries. The exhibition presenting a selection of 
contemporary positions from the art scenes of Albania and Kosovo in the 
summer of 2016 is part of this tendency. Focusing on the art practices 
of the last 10–15 years in the two areas, the exhibition juxtaposes the 
freshest voices from the two countries.

The exhibition does not aim to be complete: it does not provide 
retrospective overview of the evolution of the two cultural milieus, nor 
does it examine the activity of artists from a historical aspect. An 
array of 25 artists and art collectives, the selection grasps the 
dynamics pervading the two scenes: the exhibition at once presents works 
that can be considered milestones, statements that facilitated the 
international presence of each scene, and projects engendered as 
imprints or witnesses of long processes. It is through these positions 
that the selection explores the phenomena that have functioned as the 
driving force in each country and its artists.

The exhibition is arranged into thematic units along relevant issues 
that shape the two scenes separately or collectively. The selected works 
revolve around thematic threads focusing, for instance, on the critical 
analysis of the geographical location and social status of the artists; 
visual experiments reflecting on the weight of past regimes; the 
attitude aiming to push the delicate boundaries between personal 
narratives and collective memory; the painful, occasionally absurd 
phenomenon of seeking an identity; gender issues through the 
visualization of unwritten stories; the decoding of the urban 
environment of Albania and Kosovo as a kind of social, economic, and 
political imprint, relying on "landscape schemes."

Spanning several generations, /The Whale That Was a Submarine/ attempts 
to explore the powerful contemporary artistic positions of the two 
countries, Albania and Kosovo, outside the context of the Balkans. The 
selection endeavors to create a dialogue and to provide a possible 
interpretation of the relation between the two scenes, outlining common 
points, contrasts as well as delicate, subtle tones and transitions, 
opening up further considerations and inquiries, and providing an 
opportunity for the international public to get acquainted with these 
cultural milieus.

Participating artists

Albania:
Endri Dani, Helidon Gjergji, Alban Hajdinaj, Edi Hila, Ardian Isufi, 
Ilir Kaso, Olson Lamaj, Armando Lulaj, Violana Murataj, Matilda 
Odobashi, Adrian Paci, Remijon Pronja, Anri Sala, Gentian Shkurti, Fani 
Zguro

Kosovo:
Jakup Ferri, Flaka Haliti, Haveit, Majlinda Hoxha, Genc Kadriu, Koja, 
Dren Maliqi, Alban Muja, Driton Selmani, Sislej Xhafa

Curator: Julia Fabényi


Ludwig Museum - Museum of Contemporary Art, Budapest

The Museum collects and displays masterworks of modern and contemporary 
art. The permanent collection contains valuable pieces of American pop 
art (Andy Warhol, Claes Oldenburg, Robert Rauschenberg, etc.). Yet 
focusing on Eastern and Central European art, it also puts a special 
emphasis on presenting the Hungarian art of the '60's to recent days in 
an international context. Besides, temporary exhibitions showcase 
leading artists of the international scene as well as the best-known 
Hungarian masters.

The Ludwig Museum – Museum of Contemporary Art houses the latest 
contemporary culture; it is a member of the international Ludwig network 
and the leading contemporary art museum of Hungary.

The Museum has been collecting and presenting the works of Hungarian and 
international fine art since the 1950s until the present day and is an 
important methodological centre of the museum's scientific and education 
work.

Its building is a worthy place in the first rank of contemporary 
artworks collected here and it uses the global language of contemporary 
architecture.