Friday, June 12, 2015

5,000 dresses transform Prishtina stadium into a powerful exhibition


On the 16th anniversary of the end of the Kosovo War, a powerful exhibition-‘Thinking of You’ is bringing tribute to survivors of wartime sexual violence. A conceptual artist Alketa Xhafa-Mripa has made a Prishtina city stadium into a powerful art exhibition, with thousands of dresses hung on in washing lines. 
Prishtina City Stadium 

“I want those thousands of dresses to hit you with the reality of what happened and I want people to talk about it. The installation can be grasped by anyone, no matter what language they speak,” said Kosovo born- British artist Mrs Xhafa-Mripa. 

Thousands of women were raped by Serbian police, military and paramilitaries during the 1999 Kosovo war as Albanian UCK Fighters fought against the Yugoslav regime led by Dictator Slobodan Milosevic.

“I started questioning the silence, how we could not hear their voices during and after the war and thought about how to portray the women in contemporary art,” said Xhafa-Mripa.    

Among those who donated dresses for this exhibition are the world popstar Rita Ora, Tony Blair's wife Cherie Blair, famous American/Albanian actress Eliza Dushku, Kosovo President Atifete Jahjaga etc

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