Talk with Driton Selmani

On the occasion of the exhibition “The Barking of the Clouds Does not Hurt the Dogs” of the Kosovar artist Driton Selmani, a presentation and a conversation between the artist and the curator Vladimir Janchevski will be held.

We will talk about the specific process of conceptualization, the selection of works, and the installation of the exhibition, as well as the themes that are the focus of Selmani’s artistic work.

The exhibition in MoCA-Skopje presents a selection of works, in different media, that try to establish new relations in the given context, clearly showing the ways in which Selmani wittily uses a specific form of humor to explore and question the everyday, which usually it binds itself to absurd traditions and hierarchical structures.
The event is part of the program of presentations and talks with young artists, awarded at last year’s 13th International Biennale of Young Artists at MSU – Skopje, as well as the educational program of the Museum, intended for students of art and art history, young artists, and is open to the general public.

The entrance is free.

Driton Selmani (Ferizaj, Kosovo / 1987) currently works and lives between Prishtina and Doganaj. He completed his MA studies at the Arts University Bournemouth, UK. Selmani approaches the idea of perceived reality by deconstructing formations of social, political, and cultural topics that have been embodied around him. At a young age, he was told to worship a country that no longer existed, which caused him to form a basis of skepticism towards any supposedly given reality. He later used this as a beneficial tool to reconstruct his beliefs into visual artefacts. In 1999, old simulacra have been replaced by new ones; the ornaments of a previous space have been refurbished to unfold with new meanings, but also new uncertainties. Selmani confronts himself as a spectator of this “on-going event” and positions himself as an actor, enacting his performances based on his personal histories, beliefs and doubts. He has exhibited at solo and group exhibitions (in the Stacion Center For Contemporary Art Pristina, Ludwig Múzeum in Budapest, Kunstraum Niederosterreich Vienna, Casa Contemporanea São Paulo, Mediterranea Biennial 16 Ancona, U10 Belgrade, 5th Marrakesh Biennale, Amsterdam Light Festival, Fabbrica del Vapore Milan, Bregenz Biennale, Exchiesetta Polignano a Mare, National Art Gallery Tirana, Thessaloniki Center of Contemporary Art, Eugster || Belgrade, Norrköping Light Festival, Kunstmuseum Basel, as well as at 14th Manifesta in Prishtina 2022).

At the event the exhibition catalog will also be launched.

The exhibition is supported by the Ministry of Culture of North Macedonia and will be open until February 25, 2023.