Prishtina, 30 August, 2024
The Prime Minister of the Republic of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, this evening, participated in the opening of the second edition of the “Fotoist” Festival.
The festival includes a rich program of photography, bringing us numerous exhibitions from well-known artists, as well as young ones who bring unique perspectives.
Prime Minister Kurti evaluated this festival as very important, since it leads us to a reality built on optics, and a festival like this in our region has great value beyond photography as a medium.
“In 2021, we found the budget for the independent cultural scene at 1 million euros, while this year marks the biggest increase ever with 9 million euros, including the independent sector in culture and cultural heritage. The Government of the Republic of Kosovo, together with the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports, strongly supports such organizations that develop art, that raise sensitivity and awareness of beauty and at the same time understanding that through beauty , through aesthetics one is also educated in addition to being happy”, said the Prime Minister, adding that we will continue to stand behind the events that bring and unite the Kosovar public with art.
He said that the photo is the silent historian of our journey—every photo is a testimony of the democratic values of Kosovo, of this people, who have suffered a lot, and yet have the power to look ahead and move forward, with In fact, the photo captures the essence of our growth.
Well-known names in the field such as Ron Haviv, Barry Lewis, Paul Lowe, Amra Abadzic and Imre Szabo participate in this edition, as well as local artists who present their exhibitions, such as Atdhe Mulla and Korab Basha, among others.
Prime Minister Kurti’s speech:
Honorable Blerim Myftiu, director of the “Photoist” Festival,
Honorable author of the exhibition Korab Basha and curator of the exhibition Elton Koritari,
The Honorable Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports, Hajrullah Çeku,
The honorable mayor of the Municipality of Pristina, Përparim Rama,
Ambassador of the United Kingdom, Jonathan Hargreaves,
Dear Ron Haviv,
Dear cultural professionals and intellectuals,
Dear art lovers,
Dear attendees,
It is a special pleasure to be here with you tonight at the opening of the second edition of the “Photoist” Festival.
I don’t know what impresses you about this festival. However, for me, I was most impressed from the very beginning by the name of the Festival “Photoist”. I had not heard this name before, what does “Photoist” mean, is a “Photoist” someone who for photography is like an artist for art, does it mean to be a fan of photography, to be a photophile, to be fascinated by the process or by the result.
Here we saw Korab being a bit embarrassed in front of you, as he felt photographed. He is used to taking pictures and now suddenly he was in front of the camera. But, in any case, for my conviction this festival is very important, since the second year is even better than the first year and we live in a reality built on optics, and a festival like this in our region has value great beyond photography as a medium.
The festival already includes a rich program of photography, bringing us numerous exhibitions from well-known artists, as well as young ones who bring unique and fresh perspectives. From August 30 to September 2, you will have the opportunity to meet, visit, travel through works such as “Last Seen” or “I saw recently” by Hrair Sarkisian and “Echoes Of The Past” or “Echoes from the Past” ” by Atdhe Mulla, then Korab Basha with “Keep Calm And Smile,” “Be calm and smile” and some outstanding exhibitions including works by Imre Szabó and Ilvy from the Seven Foundation, “The Ark Of Memory” and “Behind The Veil – Albania Through Isolation and Transition” by Barry Lewis, from London, who is also here with us tonight.
In 2021, we found the budget for the independent cultural scene at 1 million euros, while this year marks the biggest increase ever with 9 million euros, including the independent sector in culture and cultural heritage. The Government of the Republic of Kosovo, together with the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports, strongly supports such organizations that develop art, that raise sensitivity and awareness of beauty and at the same time understanding that through beauty , through aesthetics, one is also educated in addition to being happy. And we will continue to stand behind events that bring and unite the Kosovar public with art.
Photography is the silent historian of our journey—each photo is a testimony of the democratic values of Kosovo, of this people, who have suffered a lot, and yet have the power to look ahead and move forward, in which case exactly the photo also captures the essence of our growth.
At the very end, allow me to greet some special guests. We have resident journalists here from Ukraine, and the last time at the Barabar center where we will see the exhibition tonight, I was just then when a compilation of war photographs from there was promoted.
I wish you a good start and a very successful continuation of this edition, and of the third edition next year. There are some authors who think that children’s character is formed until the age of three, then they become hopeless. Maybe so, but the second year is very hopeful.
Thank you Blerim!
Last modified: September 2, 2024