Kismet

                                                               Kismet 

The sign “do not touch anything” is the saying I would like to start my story on the visit to the just-opened exhibition “Pa limit” in the Gallery of the Faculty of Arts, and “Antique Dardania” in the Museum of Kosovo.

Now that I am writing the story of the visit to the exhibition, I cannot think of the last time I was in an art gallery. The exhibition “Pa limit” definitely broke the chain. “Pa limit”, in my opinion is related to the power which art has on being limitless and timeless, as the name of the exhibition suggests. As I entered the first room of the gallery, the first piece of art I saw was a typical Albanian installation, “Bunari”. This installation made me think of what it could mean: was it a place where you make wishes since it was surrounded by money or a dangerous place where people lost themselves trying to be rich? Lastly, my favorite thought was a sort of travelling throughout the history of my nation. While you pull out the bucket of water, a euro shines and brings memories of my country. 

The one which had an everlasting effect on me was "Kismet (if it is meant to happen)". The dirt at the bottom gives me the feeling that it has just been brought to the exhibition. The time portrayed on is 16:04, which is the time when the working hours end. The battery on the other hand, 8% indicates the energy that the people have after so many working hours. The word itself is highly used by Albanians. Everything we want to do it starts with kismet. This work of art even though it is easily thought for me it has a deep meaning inside.

The second room of the exhibition had an installation to which I could relate myself with. It was a table with two chairs made of guns. In the middle was a flower, a symbol of peace. This installation made me feel really bad with the situation that is going on the world right now. A war going on, people dying, no peace achieved yet and that breaks my heart. Few years ago, my country experienced a similar thing. Yet after so many years, I still experience pain for the loved ones that were killed in the last war that happened in Kosovo, and I never got the chance to meet. War got that chance from me, and it should not do so for others.

The second part of the day I spend at the “Museum of Kosovo”. One of the installations that had a deep meaning for me was “Hyjnesha ne fron”, part of Neolithic culture. This represents a female deity, a great idol of a mother. The reason which made me choose it as a representation of my whole experience in the museum is none of the reasons above. It is the symbol of my city, Prishtine, where I was born and raised. This symbol lies at the edge of my bed, and I proudly look at it every single day. There would be no better option for another symbol that we could have rather than a female mother and deity.  

All this experience that I got from visiting the art gallery and the museum added valuable memories to me. I got closer to art and appreciated art. The installations were uniquely presented such “Bunari”, Kismet”, and “Hyjnesha ne fron”. I would like to end this story with a sentence: I hope to get to go to other exhibitions, with kismet.

Other pictures captured

Picture taken by Tolga Begoli