SOCIAL ACTIVISM THROUGH ART
And changes in society don’t happen by themselves. By combining activism and art we can tackle people’s minds and also touch them emotionally for a certain social or political issue. The need to combine these two comes as a result of many factors which a society faces. Even in Kosovo it is necessary for such a thing to happen. A time has passed since different social groups have chosen art as a tool to react, and they do this through performances, paintings and different installations.
Illustration: Argjira Kukaj
On the 14th of February, 2014, four girls with their heads covered in silk scarfs kissed in the middle of the city center. These girls are the group HAVEIT, the artist collective that was formed in 2011 by Lola Sylaj, Vesa Qena, Alketa Sylaj and Hana Qena.
This group constantly raises its voice for different cases that touch on society, by dealing with social and political subjects. And they do this through art and activism.
Art and activism work in different directions in the world, activism has the aim of changing or having an effect on something, and art on the other side is undefined and it’s difficult to say that art is for or against a subject, but art has the power to move us emotionally.
And changes in society don’t happen by themselves. By combining activism and art we can tackle people’s minds and also touch them emotionally for a certain social or political issue. The need to combine these two comes as a result of many factors which a society faces. Even in Kosovo it is necessary for such a thing to happen. A time has passed since different social groups have chosen art as a tool to react, and they do this through performances, paintings and different installations.
“We’re inspired by our daily lives” says Lola Sylaj. The group HAVEIT focuses in different issues such as violence against women, the LGBTQ community and every issue that preoccupies the Kosovan society. For the impact on people to be larger “Have It” group performances are done on the streets.
“In the gallery and theater there is a public that is repetitive and aware of these issues”, added Sylaj. This group does its performances on the street since people passing by cannot avoid what they’re offering, by making anyone passing raise questions to themselves for that problem.”
Like this group, Fitore Berisha, an artist that turns people’s daily problems into different paintings that present our collective suffering as a society.
Fitore Berisha in the year 2016, based on the festival “FemArt”, opened her first exhibition in Kosovo “Revolt against violence” that had a dancing performance and different paintings that in a way were protesting against violence and raising their voice for fundamental human rights.
Fitore Berisha sees art as the strongest tool to bring changes in society.
“I want to believe and have hope that with art we can change a society”, she says.
Not only artists, but also students of different study backgrounds, activists of Study, Critique, Action, in the end of 2018, in front of the Ministry of Education, brought the installation “New year old habit” that expressed the injustices carried out in these universities by asking for a better quality of education, without plagiarism, sexism and power.
Zgjim Zyba, is another artist that has finished his studies at the Faculty of Arts in Pristina, and through different mediums has managed to promote his art, mediums as installations, video-art, pictures and performances.
“My art, what I’ve worked in through these years, is based in causes that concern and include us as a society”, says Zyba.
One of the latest performances of Zgjim is focused on the rights of women on property, which he named “Honor at the door”, where during 10 minutes the artist deals with a door, by painting it with two red lines (that symbolize the positive test of pregnancy), then he breaks the door, showing that the door is equal, and this performance tells the public that a woman today is on the doorstep, if she comes out she is homeless, if she goes in she is under her husband.
The subject Zyba deals with mostly focus on social causes. According to him, art is a tool for social activism, and has historically proven that it can bring change, through different actions, we can lead the cause further.
About the author: Linda Mustafa is a 17 years old girl from Prishtina who has already finished high school studies in “Ahmet Gashi” high school.
This activity is supported by Engagement for Equity Program – E4E, financed by United States Agency for International Development – USAID, and implemented by Advocacy Training and
Resource Center –ATRC.
