Kukaj, 26 August 2026
Last night, Acting Prime Minister of the Republic of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, attended the official opening of SERPENTINE 2026 in the village of Kukaj, Prishtina, a new multidisciplinary space for art and culture, with a programme bringing together contemporary theatre, music, artistic and sound installations, and other forms of artistic creation.
After stating that a new chapter had opened for art and culture in Kosovo, Prime Minister Kurti spoke about the new cultural space in the village of Kukaj.
“SERPENTINE is not simply a venue where cultural events take place. With three theatre spaces, permanent artistic and sound installations, the ‘Emotional Museum’, the ‘Houses of Memories’, the ‘Aquarium of Memory’, and an artistic residency programme, it creates conditions for art to emerge, develop and be presented in the same place. It also opens up new opportunities for cooperation between artists from Kosovo and those from the region and Europe,” he said.
The Prime Minister said it was particularly meaningful that this development was taking place precisely in this small village, which has demonstrated that the size of a place does not determine the scale of the cultural life that can be created there.
“Two cultural spaces in a small village are a great asset for all of Kosovo. They differ in character, but complement each other beautifully: EtnoFest keeps alive our connection with our cultural heritage, tradition and memory, while SERPENTINE creates new ground for contemporary theatre, installations, music, experimentation and new forms of artistic expression,” the Prime Minister said.
Prime Minister Kurti congratulated SERPENTINE founders Arta and Ilirjana Arifi and their team, while expressing gratitude to Professor Fadil Hysaj and everyone involved who, through EtnoFest, have made Kukaj a recognized name in the cultural scene for years.
Full Speech by Acting Prime Minister Kurti:
I am emotional; I believe that is a good thing. The opposite would be strange, and one would have to apologize if there were no emotions.
Tonight, here in Kukaj, we are jointly opening a new chapter for art and culture in Kosovo.
With SERPENTINE – GENESIS, a new multidisciplinary space is officially launching its full artistic programme, giving Kukaj another important address for creativity, experimentation, and encounters between artists and audiences.
SERPENTINE is not simply a venue where cultural events take place. With three theatre spaces, permanent artistic and sound installations, the “Emotional Museum”, the “Houses of Memories”, the “Aquarium of Memory”, and an artistic residency programme, it creates conditions for art to emerge, develop and be presented in the same place. It also opens up new opportunities for cooperation between artists from Kosovo and those from the region and Europe.
The name SERPENTINE – GENESIS itself carries a special symbolism: serpentine reminds us of a winding road, one that constantly changes direction in order to move forward, revealing new horizons and allowing us to rise higher, while genesis signifies a beginning, an origin, a source, the birth of something—and right here in Kukaj, a new cultural journey is coming to life.
It is particularly meaningful that this is happening precisely in the village of Kukaj.
This small village has already demonstrated that the size of a place does not determine the scale of the cultural life that can be created there. For years, EtnoFest, founded by Professor and Director Fadil Hysaj and organized and sustained by Sheqerie Buqaj, has transformed Kukaj into a meeting place of tradition and art, memory and creativity, and generations. In the courtyards, houses and spaces of EtnoFest, our culture has been preserved not by being confined to the past, but by being lived, revitalized, interpreted and passed on to younger generations. Today, with the arrival of SERPENTINE, Kukaj gains a new dimension.
Two cultural spaces in a small village are a great asset for all of Kosovo. They differ in character, but complement each other beautifully: EtnoFest keeps alive our connection with our cultural heritage, tradition and memory, while SERPENTINE creates new ground for contemporary theatre, installations, music, experimentation and new forms of artistic expression.
In one space, memory is inherited and reinterpreted; in the other, artistic forms are built from it. It is precisely this coexistence of heritage and contemporary art that makes Kukaj a unique case on the cultural map of our Republic.
Culture is neither a luxury nor an embellishment of society. It is how a people preserves its memory, understands the present and creates an imagination for the future. Therefore, every new space for artists, every new stage, every festival and every cultural institution is an investment in our society and in the generations to come.
Congratulations to the founders, Ilirjana and Arta, and the SERPENTINE team, as well as to the artists and creators who will bring this space to life. Gratitude also goes to Professor Fadil Hysaj and everyone who, through EtnoFest, have made Kukaj a recognized name in our cultural life over the years.
Today, Kukaj demonstrates this to us once again: with two important cultural spaces, it is becoming a place where heritage is firmly preserved, art is created continuously, and the future is imagined beautifully.
Thank you for the invitation and for your attention.
