Brilant Milazimi to Represent Kosovo at 61st Venice Biennale with 'Hard Teeth'

Brilant Milazimi will represent Kosovo at the 61st Venice Biennale with a monumental painting installation titled 'Hard Teeth (Dhëmbë të Fortë)' at the Chiesa di Santa Maria del Pianto. The exhibition, curated by José Esparza Chong Cuy with design by LANZA Atelier, comprises eight panels, additional paintings, and a sound piece by Liburn Jupolli composed in minor keys. Milazimi, who was unable to travel freely from Kosovo until 2024, draws on themes of isolation, waiting, and endurance. He sees the Biennale as a platform for Kosovo to assert its presence globally, having first participated in 2013. The work relates to the Biennale theme 'In Minor Keys,' translating musical melancholy into visual language. Milazimi emphasizes that his art raises questions rather than providing answers, resisting expectations of easily readable narratives from smaller nations. He looks forward to his family attending their first international opening and to visiting other pavilions like Taiwan's.