Artists of Tomorrow Awards 2023
Renea Begolli, Shkamb Jaka, Arbesa Musa

10/11/2023 - 09/12/2023

Opening: 10/11/2023, at 20:00
Announcement of the winner: 02/12/2023, at 20:00

Stacion – Center for Contemporary Art Prishtina is pleased to announce that the jury of the Artists of Tomorrow Award 2023, has chosen a winner for the award. The Jury is comprised of Julieta Aranda, artist and founding member of e-flux, Berlin, Miljana Dunđerin, artist, director of the private cultural center "Akvarijus", Mitrovica North, Agrina Vllasaliu, artist, winner of Artists of Tomorrow Award 2022, based in Berlin and Prishtina, Alper Turan, curator and writer, based in New York and Istanbul, Driton Selmani, artist, based in Prishtina
The jury gathered in Prishtina from November 30th to December 2nd to look at the work, speak with the artists, discuss, and select the winner of the Artists of Tomorrow Award 2023.
After their deliberation, the jury has issued the following statement:

It was enriching for us as a jury to meet each of the finalists Renea Begolli, Shkamb Jaka, and Arbesa Musa, and to discuss the works presented in the exhibition.

The jury was impressed by the way in which the finalists discussed their ideas and the process of bringing them into the exhibition space, and the sensitivity with which they took the architecture of the Boxing Club into account for the presentation of their projects. For the production and installation of their works, the three artists collaborated with the curatorial team and the production team of Stacion - Center for Contemporary Art Prishtina. Each artist presented their unique vision and approach in the exhibition that we believe will continue to make a vital contribution to contemporary art practice in Kosovo and beyond.

The work of Arbesa Musa shows in a highly effective way her reflection of being part of the Diaspora, and how this condition has affected the development of her practice. There is a precise conceptual elegance to Musa’s presentation in the exhibition space, and to that, the artist adds another layer, by way of using methodologies of social practice to make visible parts of the process of making her work, which normally are not visible in the presentation of artworks. This play of the work, dancing between two fields of representation, is very successful, and gives as a result an emotionally effective and elegant, vulnerable and precise installation.

Shkamb Jaka is an artist who has been influenced by scientific research, both in the field of astrophysics, as well as in the physicality of the digital space. In his work, he pays a lot of attention to materials, which he uses effectively to bring into being the utopic, possible worlds that he imagines. Jaka’s work is his way to articulate the experiments and pathways of science, without resorting to either theory or language to convey meaning. In addition, the artist responds to the exhibition context and space, giving to the work a kind of site-specificity that is very much his own.

Looking at the work of Renea Renea Begolli, it is clear that she has been trained as a painter. However, she has chosen to extend her work beyond the two-dimensional limitations of the canvas surface, and presents an installation that could be described as “expanded painting”. Her use of color is intuitive and engaging, often resulting in productive contradictions between her subject matter and her color palette, or between the planes of representation -like in the work in this exhibition, where the floor represents the sky. The work requires the viewer to take in the full three-dimensionality of the exhibition space, and as the viewer moves around Begolli’s installation, they also become part of the installation, casting shadows, and interacting with the elements at play.

The following criteria were taken into account in the selection: the artistic portfolios, previous and current achievements and exhibitions, the interviews, the potential shown and the artist's relationship to the Kosovar scene. In the jury's discussion, all these points were taken into account, recognizing the different strengths of each artist in relation to these criteria. This was a difficult but productive selection process, with the jury spending time looking closely at the strengths of the work of these three young artists.

After much deliberation, the jury chose Renea Begolli as the winner of the Artists of Tomorrow Award 2023. The coherence of Renea’s practice and her clear articulation of her motivations and ambitions, the better positioning of herself and her practice in the larger web and lineage of socio-political discourse in Kosovo poses poignant questions about the relationship between humanity and nature and alludes to the possibility of the body, an Other that can be unlocked. The jury firmly believes that Begolli’s work will benefit from the opportunity of a residency in New York and that she will encounter a community that will enable her to develop her already very promising work to its full potential.

We wish Renea Begolli much success in New York and for the future. We would like to congratulate all the finalists this year, and highly encourage Shkamb Jaka, and Arbesa Musa and all artists under 35 working in Kosovo, to continue their commitment to their practice and to seriously consider applying for the 2024 award.

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Members of the jury for the Artists of Tomorrow Award 2022
Julieta Aranda, Miljana Dunđerin, Driton Selmani, Alper Turan and Agrina Vllasaliu.

Stacion – Center for Contemporary Art Prishtina thanks all Kosovo artists who applied for the Artists of Tomorrow Award 2023 for their continuous work and collaboration.

Stacion – Center for Contemporary Art Prishtina thanks the Jury of the Artists of Tomorrow Award 2023 for their work and collaboration.

The Artists of Tomorrow Award is organized by Stacion – Center for Contemporary Art Prishtina.

Stacion – Center for Contemporary Art Prishtina
Artists of Tomorrow Award 2023
10/11/2023 - 09/12/2023

Artists: Renea Begolli, Shkamb Jaka, and Arbesa Musa
Winner of the Artists of Tomorrow Award 2023: Renea Begolli

Curatorial work: Vala Osmani and Albert Heta
Exhibition architecture: Vala Osmani
Project coordinator: Laureta Hajrullahu
Assistant project coordinators: Edvina Musaj, Aranit Krasniqi
Exhibition installation: Skender Xhukolli, Laureta Hajrullahu
Photo documentation: Alban Nuhiu
Poster: DZG

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The main sponsor of the Artists of Tomorrow Award is Trust for Mutual Understanding (TMU), New York.

The Artists of Tomorrow Award 2023 is supported by the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports of the Republic of Kosovo, the Municipality of Prishtina, Hej Taxi, x-print and DZG.