Dardan Zhegrova, born in Prishtina in 1991, creates works that are object- and performance-oriented. His works are often based on poems. His texts deal with partially fictional and actually experienced events, which are mostly described from the first-person perspective. Often an (imaginary) counterpart who is sought after by the artist is addressed. There are no pronouns such as her and him – the narrative unfolds between the I and the You. Here, the border between the artist’s subject and the addressed person often seems to blur. This dissolution of the boundaries of a classical narrative form can also be seen in relation to the structure of time in the poems, often blurring future, present and past. This breaking down of the different boundaries in Zhegrova’s work also reflects his queer identity, which oscillates between female and male attributes and deliberately rejects and transcends a normative understanding of gender.

 

Here

Video

2014

In 2014 Dardan Zhegrova was part of Hajde! #01, an exchange programme at Villa Romana, Florence. The programme was initiated by the artist Petrit Halilaj who was awarded the Villa Romana prize 2014. Zhegrova shifted this two-week artist-in-residence program from Florence to Pristina, in an attempt to become a permanent artist in residence. Using the tools and the resources provided by the programme, Here is an attempt to create a sustainable, permanent working space in a setting where such spaces are in-existent.

https://youtu.be/i_HTF59qIxc
HERE - Session 1, 2014, 2'47''
https://youtu.be/D3_Z3FTQRDQ
HERE - Session 2, 2014, 2'30''
https://youtu.be/l0g4R7kVmFI
HERE - Session 3, 2014, 1'48''
https://youtu.be/JASZicNdh5E
HERE - Session 4, 2014, 1'20''
 

Hajde

HAJDE! #01 – 2014 was an exchange programme for young artists from Kosovo. Young artists and artist groups from Kosovo were invited to spend a short residency at Villa Romana, Florence. The programme was initiated by the artist Petrit Halilaj who was awarded the Villa Romana prize 2014. A jury consisting of Petrit Halilaj, Filipa Ramos (curator in Milan and London) and Angelika Stepken (director of Villa Romana) selected the participants in an open call.