Manifesta – Europe’s travelling biennial – has announced that Pristina, the capital of Kosovo, will be the first Balkan city to host the 14th edition of Manifesta in 2022. As the capital of the ‘youngest nation state of Europe’, Pristina was selected for its geographical and geo-political importance in the Balkan region, as well as the major transformations in its landscape due to the privatisation of its open urban spaces. Manifesta has announced in a statement that it ‘aims to support the citizens of Kosovo in their ambition to reclaim public space and to rewrite the future of their city as an open-minded metropolis in the heart of the Balkans’.
Shpend Ahmeti, Mayor of the City of Pristina, has said, ‘Our city is proud and honored to host Manifesta in 2022. In a place where 50 percent of its hospitable population are younger than 25, where Ottoman architecture is mixed with postwar neoliberal philosophy, there is a lot to discuss, there is a lot to do and there is a lot of public space to reclaim. Manifesta is what we need not only to push for an honest discussion about the direction of the city, but also as an example of rebirth of cities, art and architecture in Western Balkans. Manifesta has given the most important answer to our bid – Balkans is Europe and we can contribute to the debate.’
Manifesta 13 will take place in Marseille, France from 7 June until 1 November 2020.
8 May 2019
