Lebibe Topalli is a 39-year-old artist from the city of Ferizaj, Kosovo.[1] An established artist, Lebibe received the Artist of the year award from the municipality of Ferizaj. She is also the director of the well-known Mural Fest, which has transformed the city of Ferizaj into the City of Murals, bringing together hundreds of renowned artists from around the world every year. Jointly with her team, mostly young women, she has produced more than a hundred murals in her city. Lebibe joins the UN Women regional initiative Mural Artivism: Breaking the walls of gender inequality with her piece ‘What you sow, you reap’. Through her participation, Lebibe aims to raise awareness on women’s property and land rights and calls for the involvement of more men as allies towards achieving gender equality.

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As part of the Generation Equality campaign, seven distinguished local artists – from Albania, Georgia, Kosovo[1], Moldova, North Macedonia, Turkey, and the curator of the initiative from the United States of America – are starting a conversation on gender equality through mural art in Europe and Central Asia.

A mural is a painting on the wall in a public space that has the unique power to reach broad audiences and engage citizens in dialogue on social issues that are vital to the city or community. From ancient times until now, vibrant murals promote new urban narratives and social change through art.

To foster a rich dialogue, each muralist selected young aspiring artists to help them with the mural. This intergenerational experience provided the artists with an opportunity to usher the next generation into a more sustainable and just future for all.

For decades, New York City has been home to an array of contemporary street art that visualizes public protest and civil rights movements. Alice Mizrachi, a New York City muralist and women’s rights advocate, curated the initiative and guided the artists in their creative process. She brought the vibe of the city to the project, as well as her robust experience in mural art creation.

Mizrachi facilitated four artist workshops that introduced the artist and youth cohorts, while unpacking conversations with muralists about providing a safe and equitable space for artists to collectively organize impactful messages in their communities.

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Në kuadër të festivalit “Mural Fest”, në qytetin e Ferizajt janë realizuar punime të ndryshme artistike në shumë prej objekteve të këtij qyteti.

Kryefjala e këtyre punimeve artistike ka qenë murali i këngëtares shqiptare me famë botërore, Rita Ora.

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CAMP BONDSTEEL, Kosovo—Young artists from the Ferizaj/Urosevac municipality in Kosovo displayed their artwork in a small exhibition at Camp Bondsteel on April 24, 2021. U.S. Soldiers assigned to Regional Command-East, Kosovo Force, viewed the paintings and spoke with the artists about their work.

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CAMP BONDSTEEL, KOSOVO 04.30.2021
Story by Staff Sgt. Tawny Schmit
KFOR Regional Command East

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The team of Mural Fest Kosova consists of 95% of girls and women of different generations. While over the years we have seen an increase in the number of women’s representation in public spaces, institutions or businesses, Mural Fest constantly engages and contributes to this aspect, always through artistic activities.

Scottish filmmaker Doug Gillen has collaborated with art collective void projects to present ‘change’, a short film exploring the intersection of culture, activism, and social change in Ferizaj, Kosovo. set against the backdrop of a global pandemic, the movie follows 10 international artists reflecting on the history of a country healing from war. in collaboration with the local community, this new generation of creatives discovers the human stories of the city of Ferizaj.

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“At that time it wasn’t easy for me to be in the public with my camera because the country was very sensitive to reporters like me,” photojournalist Hazir Reka tells a group of muralists. “Being in the public with a camera was no different to being in public with a weapon because of how much it could affect reality.” Reka’s referring to a tumultuous time in Kosovo’s history when the region was in the midst of war, an experience he shares with the artists who traveled to the region in September 2020 for Mural Fest Kosovo.

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