Thrilled to exclusively share with you the theme of the 8th Edition of the Festival of Murals.

“FRAGMENTS OF UTOPIA” with curator @douggillen

Stay Tuned..

Tejet të entuziazmuar për të ndarë me juve ekskluzivisht tematikën e Edicionit të VIII të Festivalit të Muraleve.

“FRAGMENTS OF UTOPIA” me kurator Doug Gillen

Qëndroni me ne..

Me kënaqësinë më të madhe zbulojmë para jush formacionin e super-artistëve
që do i bashkangjiten edicionit të VIII të Festivalit të Muraleve,
“Fragments of Utopia”,qëdo të zhvillohet nga 16 deri më 23 Qershor në Ferizaj!

Kuruar nga kritiku britanez i artit dhe bashkë-prezantues i Radio Juxtapoz, Doug Gillen,
festivali i këtij viti premton të jetë një kremtim i krijimtarisë artistike të artit të rrugës.

Bëhuni gati për t’u zhytur në një botë me shumë ngjyra!

Ndiqni më poshtë formacionin e sivjetëm!

 Shënoni datën dhe bashkohuni me ne nga 16 deri më 23 Qershor në Ferizaj për një festë njëjavore të artit,
kulturës dhe krijimtarisë. Së bashku do gjallërojmë rrugët tona me murale frymëzuese, punëtori, shfaqje live dhe shumë më tepër!

We are thrilled to unveil the super-artist lineup for the 8th edition of the Festival of Murals,
“Fragments of Utopia,” happening from June 16th to June 23rd in Ferizaj!

Curated by the Scottish art critic and co-host of Radio Juxtapoz, Doug Gillen,
this year’s festival promises to be a true celebration of artistic creativity.

Get ready to dive into a world of vibrant colours!

Check out this edition’s lineup below!

 Mark your calendars and join us from June 16th to June 23rd in Ferizaj for a week-long celebration of art, culture, and creativity.
The streets will come alive with inspiring murals, workshops, live performances, and so much more!

Time is ticking and we are happy to announce the first artist participating in the 8th edition of the Festival of Murals – “Fragments of Utopia”!

Introducing the incredible talented LONAC!

Hailing from the beautiful city of Zagreb, Croatia, @Lonac is a visionary muralist, illustrator, and painter whose work transcends boundaries and captivates hearts around the globe.

His art is a testament to the power of creativity and its ability to inspire change and provoke thought.

We can’t wait to witness the magic that Lonac will create as he joins us during “Fragments of Utopia.”

Stay tuned for updates and get ready to immerse yourself in an awe-inspiring experience!

https://www.lonac.art/

8th Edition

Curated by Doug Gillen

Ferizaj are you ready to join a colorful experience starting June 16th?!

Introducing DALAL MITWALLY, a bright artist coming all the way from Jordan to join Fragments of Utopia” and further elevate the spirit of our city.

Get ready to be captivated by the mesmerizing artwork that Dalal brings to the Festival of Murals in Ferizaj this June.

Dalal’s artworks convey a profound sense of emotion and inspire us to question the status quo. She effortlessly captures the essence of moments, thoughts, and dreams, inviting viewers to engage in a deeper understanding of the world around them. Prepare to be transported to a world of wonder through her stunning creations!

 Explore more about Dalal Mitwally’s art and the Festival of Murals here: https://www.dalalmitwally.com/

 Join us in celebrating the extraordinary talent of Dalal Mitwally during this years edition of the Festival of Murals – “Fragments of Utopia”

8th Edition

Curated by Doug Gillen

We introduce you to @Ian Strange, the next artist who joins this year’s edition of the Festival – Fragments of Utopia.

“Ian Strange is a multidisciplinary artist whose work explores architecture, space, and the home.

His practice includes collaborative community-based projects, architectural interventions, and exhibitions resulting in photography, film, sculpture, installation, site-specific works, research, and documentary works.

His studio practice includes painting and drawing, as well as ongoing research and archival projects. Additionally, he has created collaborative projects with other practitioners and institutions in the fields of dance, music, performance, and film.

Strange is best known for his ongoing series of architectural interventions, film, and photographic works that subvert the archetypal domestic home.”

Check out ianstrange.com to learn more about Ian Strange’s professional activity.

Curated by Doug Gillen

It is with deep pleasure to announce that Lucy McLaughlan is the next artist joining this year’s edition of the Festival of Murals – Fragments of Utopia.

Lucy McLauchlan is an artist who creates large-scale paintings and prints that respond to the specific locations where they are created. She draws inspiration from her surroundings and allows them to guide her intuitive and exploratory artistic process.

With a background in DIY culture, Lucy is the co-founder of Beat13 along with Matthew Watkins. Beat13 serves as an independent platform for self-initiated projects. Watkins has produced award-winning films that provide a close look at Lucy’s artistic practice, including “Tacit” (Metropolis Art Prize, New York, 2010) and “New Zealand” (Flatpack Short Film Awards, UK, 2018).

Visit https://lucy.beat13.co.uk to learn more about Lucy’s professional background.

#8thedition

Curated by Doug Gillen

We are thrilled to unveil Nelio, the extraordinary French artist joining this year’s Festival of Murals – “Fragments of Utopia”!

Known for his vibrant urban works and interventions, Nelio’s art is a passionate blend of colorful and geometric shapes.

Self-taught and inspired by graffiti, Nelio has developed a unique style that merges symbols, letters, landscapes, and geometric figures. His paintings create a captivating collage of elements, moving seamlessly between representation and abstraction.

Beyond murals, Nelio’s installations incorporate everyday materials like metal and wood, combining symbols, primary forms, and even figurative elements. With his works gracing buildings across Europe, Australia, and South America, we are honored to have him join our festival and bring his artistic magic to our community.

We welcome you to visit https://nelio.fr/ to learn more about Nelio’s professional background.

Octavi Serra (@octaviserra) will grace the 8th edition of the Festival of Murals – “Fragments of Utopia” as the next participating artist!

Get ready for Octavi Serra’s thought-provoking and innovative artwork!

With a captivating blend of creativity, social commentary, and imagination, he challenges perceptions and reshapes our world.

Join us in celebrating this extraordinary artist as he contributes his visionary talent to the Festival of Murals – “Fragments of Utopia.”

To unveil more about Octavi Serra’s professional background, we welcome you to visit his website ooss.eu

Introducing TAXIS ( Dimitris Trimintzios), a lively artist born In Poland, and living in the historical city of Athens..

Dimitris’s point of reference is the human himself. He is intrigued by the everyday inner struggle that society forces each individual to go through. In his art he aims to capture the feelings of desolation and hardship, feelings that have always tormented humanity.

His goal is to provoke the viewer into a conversation with himself in which he can expand or delve deeper according to his own perception.

Thoughts, sketches and style change day after day according to the impulses he gets. Taxis objects to stability so he always tests out every thought that he finds absorbing. Artist uses a wide variety of materials and techniques both to challenge himself and to discover new potentials.

TAXIS’ artwork has inspired many of our local mural artists, and we are thrilled to see them work together this edition.

Follow @o_taxis to see more of his artwork.

#8thEdition

Curated by @,Doug Gillen

Virginia Bersabe, the renowned artist with an extraordinary vision, is joining us to complete the line-up for “Fragments of Utopia,” and undoubtedly bring an unmatched level of artistic excellence to our festival.

With a career spanning over two decades, @virginia_bersabe is a true master of her craft, known for creating awe-inspiring and thought-provoking artworks that push the boundaries of imagination. Her unique style, blending vibrant colors and intricate details, transports viewers into captivating worlds of wonder and reflection.

We welcome you to visit her website at https://virginiabersabe.com and find out more about her professional background.

#8thEdition

Curated by Doug Gillen

Mbrëmë, më 16 Qershor, së bashku me qytetarët tanë, përfaqësues të institucioneve publike, e shumë dashamirë të artit, hapëm zyrtarosjt edicionit e VIII të Festivalit të Muraleve – “Fragments of Utopia”.

 Shiu dhe moti i zymtë nuk mundi të na e zbehte shpirtin plot ngjyra, gjersa shijuam këtë festë të ngrohtë të artit dhe komunitetit!

Përgjatë një jave, Festivali i Muraleve do të mbledhë së bashku artistë, vendas dhe të huaj, duke i bashkuar ata për të na e gjallëruar mëtutje qytetin tonë.

Dhe a ka mënyrë më të mirë për ta mbyllur këtë ditë të paharrueshme sesa me pika muzikore nga e talentuara Edona Reshitaj?

Ju faleminderit të gjithë juve që vazhdoni të jeni me ne në këtë rrugëtim tonin.

Le të fillojë festa e artit!

Photography

Sovran Nrecaj & Dren Osmani

———

The painting process of  murals throughout the 7 days of the 8th edition of the Festival of Murals – Fragments of Utopia

Photography by: Sovran Nrecaj, Doug Gillen, Dren Osmani

And after a week of tireless work, we are thrilled to unveil, one by one, the final artwork of the 8th edition of the Festival of Murals – “Fragments of Utopia”.

Lucy McLaughlan was one of our participating artists who enriched our edition and public spaces altogether. Lucy’s unique vision and perspective resulted in two magnificent murals, the concept of which you can find below:

“I paint intuitively, searching for balance as the organic shapes and natural forms break up the man-made rigid lines that surround us. During this process I thought of the people I was meeting in Kosova – full of positive energy, strong and bold – encouraging the flow and movement as the image emerged, growing upwards.”

Stay tuned as we bring together the magic pieces of “Fragments of Utopia”

Curated by Doug Gillen

Photo Fifth Wall

#fragmentsofutopia #8thEdition #ferizaj

Virginia Bersabé joined us this edition of the Festival of Murals, and put her soul into this magnificent artwork that we are proud to share with you.

Join us on finding out more on the artwork’s concept as told by the artist herself.

“I want to recover, through older women and the importance of hands, the memory and history of the women who came before us. Of those women who with their hands, in silence, took care of us. That is why it is essential to recognise ourselves in them in order to understand where we come from and to give them the value they deserve.

So that, by dealing with one woman in particular, I talk about all of them in general. To give visibility and put the spotlight on a forgotten group such as older women. In order to promote respect for them and to recover their strength and knowledge”.

Curated by Doug Gillen

Photography Fifth Wall

Through art we capture the beauty of the simplest life processes. Creating artwork that fuels critical thinking has been a strong pillar of the Festival of Murals, and this edition Nelio joined among many artists to carry on this initiative.

We present to you Nelio’s artwork, which the artist expressed in words as follows:

“I worked fast and instinctively with the idea of an unfinished result, as if the painting was still being done, in motion. I was inspired by life in general, evolving, with its interactions and permanent conflicts. This abstract painting can be both a metaphor for the visible worlds and our inner worlds.”

#8thEdition

Curated by Doug Gillen

Photo Fifth Wall

One of the most significant artwork created this edition is Dalal Mitwally’s mural, which we are thrilled to share with you!

In this vibrant mural, Mitwally transports us to the enchanting city of Ruby, an invisible parallel world coexisting with Ferizaj. Inspired by Italo Calvino’s “Invisible Cities,” Ruby is a place where dragons guard the gates and fairies and witches roam freely.

We welcome you to read the concept below as told by the artist herself:

“Being invited to Ferizaj to address the topic of Utopia, it’s very easy to retreat to the ideal, a beautiful and magical scene far away from reality.

But in some sense, I found more interest in placing this absurd like magic as a way to interact with reality.

The mural is the conclusion of a story of the city, Ruby. An imaginary invisible city that resides in parallel with Ferizaj, inspired by other invisible cities that can be found in Italo Calvino’s book, ‘Invisible Cities’.

In Ruby you are greeted by an ancient Illyrian dragon that guards the city and also checks for your visa. As you go up its tree shaped map, you find fairies and witches inhabiting the city.

This was created with Mural Fest artivists as we tried to come up with not only how such a city looks, but how would it function, who would live there, and how can we access it from Ferizaj?

After imagining our city, we started to unearth it in Ferizaj by placing red dots that signified portals, houses, stores, and buildings of Ruby.

Eventually, the mural had the biggest red mark which allowed you to enter this imaginary city, a time where our world becomes flipped and we’re in a new place.

Ironically enough, the landscape within the picture, while not being urban and might not signify much at first glance. Within those mountains lies an actual ancient castle that’s also unearthed and invisible to us.

The mural then becomes a multi-layered accumulation of a deeply rooted and nostalgic past while symbolising part of our imaginary futures all being placed onto our resulted complex present.”

Among so many thoughtful and inspiring artists, Taxis joined us this year bringing his unique style in the “canvas” of our city.

Our artists have been witnessing Taxis’ artwork for years now, and this edition they had the pleasure to host him in our home.

We presents to you “NEPTUNE’S LAIR”, the brand new mural painted by Dimitris Trimintzios TAXIS in Ferizaj for the 8th edition of the Festival of Murals – “Fragments of Utopia”.

“NEPTUNE’S LAIR

This mural is dedicated to all those people who are forced to abandon everything they have for a safer place and future, but unfortunately never made it through.

About two weeks ago, another tragedy took place in the Greek international waters. 82 people found dead, 104 survived and about 500 people including at least 100 children, are missing. There was no international mobilization to resque them and were left in the hands of fate.”

Curated by Doug Gillen

Photo @Sovran Nrecaj

https://www.facebook.com/reel/3454994141381545

Introducing the final mural painted for the 8th edition of the Festival of Murals – “Fragments of Utopia”, which is this amazing artwork painted by LONAC.

Lonac joined us this year bringing his impressive legacy in our city, and enriching our urban gallery with another inspiring mural.

We welcome you to read the artwork’s concept as told by the artist themselves.

“UNSTILL

I knew about most of the Mural Fest artworks before coming to Ferizaj, so I wasn’t that interested in painting another character/figure. Seeing the murals from previous years in person, particularly the ones in the center of the town, pushed me to go in a different direction esthetically and in terms of narrative.

I believe it’s easy to be “seduced” by some darker themes, and visually it can be much more fun to paint something moody and dramatic. Still, the wall in the center of the town needed to go against that ( and I needed to go a bit against myself) and create a contrast to the war-themed artworks.

My idea was to paint something that at first looked more like decorative art, but I also needed to put some storytelling or a metaphor behind the work:

The Balkans have traditionally been an area of turmoil and political instability, thus the name “Powder keg.”

Religion, particularly the divide between Eastern Orthodoxy, Islam, and Catholicism, has played a significant role in that instability. This tendency of individuals to associate themselves strongly with a particular group or tribe based on shared religious or ideological beliefs makes them view opposing ideologies as a threat. That leads to hostility, the rejection of alternative viewpoints, and a lack of constructive dialogue.

By painting a still life in falling motion as a continuous pattern, with slight differences in details, I wanted to address both the beauty and instability and convey the idea of being more similar than different.

This idea is a good starting point for a more utopian place which was the theme of this year’s edition.”

Curated by Doug Gillen

Photographer Dren Osmani & @Sovran Nrecaj