Driton Selmani's exhibition 'The Grave is Better Than Not Knowing' memorializes Kosovo War missing persons
In 2021, the Palace of Youth and Sports in Prishtina, Kosovo, hosted the exhibition 'The Grave is Better Than Not Knowing,' created by artist Driton Selmani. Curated by Blerta Hocia and commissioned by The Humanitarian Law Center Kosovo (HLC Kosovo), the exhibit explores the absences resulting from the Kosovo War of 1998-99, which led to over 13,000 fatalities and 4,000 individuals reported missing, with 1,620 still unaccounted for as of 2022. The installation features a white tunnel displaying information about the missing, with one sheet removed upon the identification of Nuredin Dvorani on January 21, 2022. Additionally, the exhibition showcases coffin-like stones and digital clocks, reflecting Selmani's documentary research and the broader context of post-socialist trauma.
Key facts
- Driton Selmani's exhibition 'The Grave is Better Than Not Knowing' opened in 2021 at the Palace of Youth and Sports in Prishtina, Kosovo
- The exhibition was curated by Blerta Hocia and commissioned by The Humanitarian Law Center Kosovo (HLC Kosovo)
- The Kosovo War (1998-99) resulted in over 13,000 deaths and 4,000 disappearances, with 1,620 people still missing as of 2022
- The installation includes a tunnel with information sheets about missing persons and a dark room with coffin-like stones and digital clocks
- Nuredin Dvorani was identified and reburied on January 21, 2022 in Tërstenik, Drenas, leading to removal of his sheet from the exhibition
- Selmani collaborated with HLC Kosovo, using documentary research including interviews and memorabilia
- The exhibition addresses political dialogues between Kosovo and Serbia (Brussels Dialogue) that prioritize normalization over missing persons
- The show is part of broader artistic efforts in Southeastern Europe to address post-socialist conflicts and trauma
Entities
Artists
- Driton Selmani
- Blerta Hocia
- Sislej Xhafa
- Alban Muja
- Petrit Halilaj
- Eliza Hoxha
- Kumrije Jahmurataj
- Smajli Jahmurataj
- Nuredin Dvorani
- Saidiya Hartman
- Sezgin Boynik
- Albin Kurti
- Aida Šehović
- Latent Community
- Edit András
- Ana Lupaş
- Miška Mandić
- Kuba Dorabialski
- Mladen Miljanović
- Ilona Németh
- Hana Halilaj
Institutions
- The Humanitarian Law Center Kosovo (HLC Kosovo)
- Palace of Youth and Sports
- National Gallery of Kosovo
- European Union
- U.S. Government Publishing Office
- Venice Biennale
- Tate St Ives
- Arts University Bournemouth
- Documentation Center Kosovo
- Self-Determination (political party)
- ARTMargins Online
Locations
- Prishtina
- Kosovo
- Serbia
- Tërstenik
- Drenas
- Southeastern Europe
- Brussels
- Belgrade
- Bournemouth
- United Kingdom
- Albania
- Yugoslavia
- Central Europe
- Eastern Europe
- St Ives
- Venice
- Italy