Introduction

For Manifesta 14, Ugo Rondinone brings forth an object of “beauty and contemplation” in one of Prishtina‘s most frequented public gathering spaces – Adem Jashari Square – at a time when monuments the world over are being troubled for their entanglement with ideologies.

One of the key pillars of Manifesta, the European Nomadic Biennial, is its strong focus on urban development within its Host Cities. For Manifesta 14 Prishtina 2022, the Turin-based office CRA-Carlo Ratti Associati has developed an Urban Vision for Kosovo’s capital city structured around innovative, open-source urbanism methodology and the use of A.I technology to analyse public spaces in Prishtina.The Urban Vision informs how Manifesta 14 will take shape within the local context, but most importantly it is commissioned to develop how the city of Prishtina could be transformed by reclaiming public space by its citizens.

Under the title, It matters what world worlds world: how to tell stories otherwise, the programme was co-developed with the Manifesta 14 team by Creative Mediator Catherine Nichols in close collaboration with local collectives, artists, scholars, architects and activists. Across parcours consisting of 25 different iconic locations in Prishtina – from the brutalist Palace of Youth and Sports to the Ottoman period Great Hamman – Manifesta 14 will bring artistic and urban interventions and a seven-floor thematic exhibition. The biennial programme will feature over 100 participants from over 30 countries, who will present exhibitions, events, performances and interventions in public spaces across Prishtina.

Manifesta 14
With Ugo Rondinone
Various locations, Prishtina
July 22 – October 30, 2022
www.manifesta14.org