"I GREW UP IN A KOSOVO recovering from war and in a state of transition. This directly shapes the work I do today. But although Kosovo is where the work begins, it doesn't end there; it expands into something shared, something that can resonate with different experiences and stories."
"Milazimi's paintings depict wide-eyed figures baring their teeth in exaggerated, grotesque smiles—creaturely expressions that betray their tormented psychological states. These are figures presumably waiting for food, news of a loved one (the bright screens of cell phones feature frequently), or simply a place to sleep. In other words, people experiencing displacement."
"We began discussing the idea of waiting, which has always been part of the human experience, and how it relates to Kosovo's historical context. The more we talked, the more it seemed like a project that fit the Kosovo pavilion and could resonate with others."
Pristina-based artist Brilant Milazimi creates paintings featuring wide-eyed figures with exaggerated, grotesque smiles that reveal tormented psychological states. His 2026 Kosovo pavilion exhibition, curated by José Esparza Chong Cuy, centers on a massive eight-panel work depicting figures in suspension and anticipation—waiting for food, news, shelter, or connection through cell phones. These compositions address displacement and human vulnerability. Milazimi's work originates from growing up in post-war Kosovo during transition, expanding beyond local context to resonate universally. Created during an Autostrada Biennale residency in Prizren's Sharr Mountains, the installation emerged from a notebook sketch of people in mountains. The project explores waiting as a fundamental human experience intertwined with Kosovo's historical context.
#contemporary-art #displacement-and-migration #kosovo-pavilion-venice-2026 #psychological-portraiture #post-war-trauma
Read at Artforum
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]