Art and Democracy: At least there’ll be wine

Kosovo 2.0 kindly invites you to join this open event on May 7th at Qendra Multimedia.

The event will begin at 6pm with the premier screening of a series of video-interviews with Kosovar activists, artists, and members of civil society talking about their personal experiences of cooperation with Serbian society, as part of the project ‘Moving Ahead,’ by Kosovo 2.0 (Kosovo) and Heartefact Fund (Serbia).

Following this, there will be a discussion about the role of artists in democracy starting at 7pm.

Speakers:

Skender Boshtrakaj, Division for Integrated Management, Ministry of Culture,
Ilir Bajri, Jazz Festival
Hana Qena, Haveit, SKENA UP Festival
Jeton Neziraj, Qendra Multimedia

Moderator: Arban Mehmeti, political scientist and researcher in Cultural Diplomacy
Kosovo’s art scene is often portrayed as rich and alive in international media . Within the country, however, many say there is not enough support.

Cultural and artistic initiatives, whether they be exhibitions, concerts, discussions or entire festivals, are created to facilitate and inspire a collective atmosphere of active dialogue on topics like territory, freedom, power, identity, gender or even civil disobedience.

But what do artists do for democracy in Kosovo, and most questionable, what should they do?

Are artists part of an elite? Or are they integrated within different layers of society?

How is the artist-government relationship? Is there room for critique? Is it being done?

What is, and what should be, the relationship between art and the public? Do cultural patrons and artists have the resources to work freely and independently?

Should artists work for ‘the beautiful’ or for ‘the useful’? How are artists in Kosovo contributing toward encouraging a critical viewpoint on topics and issues that evolve the state? Ultimately, what is the role of art and artists in democracy?K