Open Call Announced for 17th Gjon Mili International Exhibition of Photography

The National Gallery of Kosovo has issued an open call for submissions to the 17th edition of the Gjon Mili International Exhibition of Photography and Moving Image. Named in honor of the influential Albanian-American photographer Gjon Mili, the exhibition has long been a vital platform for the advancement of photography and time-based media in the region. After a pandemic-related hiatus, the exhibition is set to return from January 23 to March 30, 2025, with an expanded focus on storytelling through photography, film, and sound.

Initially launched in 2001 as an annual event, the exhibition transitioned into a biennial format in 2012. This year’s edition, titled She who starts the song…, will be curated by Valentine Umansky, International Art Curator at the Tate in London. The exhibition draws inspiration from the practice of tepsija, exploring the inherited gestures passed from mother to daughter. By focusing on these intergenerational exchanges, the exhibition aims to reconsider the role of visual and sonic media in preserving genealogies and memories.

Taking a quote from filmmaker Trinh T. Minh-ha’s influential 1989 text “Grandma’s Story,” She who starts the song… will center on the “Diseuse, Thought-Woman, Spider Woman, griotte, storytalker, fortune-teller, witch,” as a way to explore gendered traditions and how they are being transformed in contemporary art practices.

The open call invites submissions from artists based across the Balkan region, including Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Romania, Serbia, and Slovenia. Selected artists will be eligible for the prestigious Gjon Mili Award, which will be determined by a jury of art professionals.

Key Dates:

•Application Deadline: September 15, 2024

•Selected Artists Notified: October 27, 2024

•Exhibition Dates: January 23 – March 30, 2025

To apply, artists are required to submit a CV, artist statement or proposal, and a portfolio (maximum 15 pages) to info[at]galeriakombetare-rks.com by the September 15 deadline.

This highly anticipated revival of the Gjon Mili International Exhibition promises to be a significant cultural event, showcasing both invited and emerging artists whose works reflect the evolving dynamics of time-based media.