My art, your propaganda: Art-washing in Priština and Gračanica

One of the more intriguing developments in the local art scene happened when Jeton Neziraj, a prominent member Priština art establishment accused a Serbian theatre in the Serb enclave of Gračanica, which sees itself as the Serbian successor to the erstwhile National Theatre of Priština (Narodno pozorište u Prištini) of being a “machinery of political propaganda” in a two-part piece for Sbunker portal.

The article, as these critiques tend to be, is greatly informative about the history of this institution up until 1999, as much as it skirts any mention of how and why 24 years later Priština still has almost no Serbian population, and whether and how, Neziraj, who himself held the post of an artistic director of the Albanian successor of this theatre, tried to include Serbian artists (or indeed audience) during his tenure.

Alas, the article does contain a strange proclamation, which tends to persist in a lot of this genre of criticism, which is to say, the type of criticism which cloaks own interests and biases as objective fact, and is glaring in unwillingness to critique oneself.

Neziraj writes “the existence of a theatre is almost always an act of emancipation”, however subsequently, the reader knows that a theatre serving a Serbian enclave in Gračanica “was established for entirely ideological reasons; to serve the interests of hegemonic appetites of the Government of Serbian and their efforts to demonstrate “their ownership over Kosovo”. We are then treated to cherry-picked examples, lots of mentions of the 90s, very few explanations of what went on in the Priština art scene since then that made it difficult for Serbs decide to have their own institutions (such as the 2004 pogrom ), and of course, Neziraj’s list of who he considers worthy Serbian artists and impresarios (this is of course to show that he does not have an issue with Serbs, but only with Serbs who do not completely toe his line).

However, if we consider that this Serbian theatre is the evil  “machinery of propaganda” for staging plays Neziraj dislikes, how does Neziraj’s output and output of the lot of Priština art scene rate?

In a previous, equally level-headed, entry for Theatre der Zeit, republished by Sbunker, Neziraj wrote a rather touching piece about the currently ruling Vetëvendosje party. In it he compliments Albin Kurti for his patronisation of local arts, praises him as uniquely incorrupt and principled, and only opposed by nefarious external forces. Kurtis ideas about unification with Albania are considered completely unproblematic, of course.

Still, despite this breathless praise, Neziraj’s may be relatively objective for Priština standards.

To his credit, criticised his peers who proudly designed promotional “art” inspired by UCK, whose leaders are tried and convicted for war crimes.

However, high levels of nationalism seem to be par for the course in the supposedly liberal and multicultural art scene.  Forty prominent Kosovo Albanian cultural, media and art organisations (such as Dokufest, BIRN Kosovo and Docomo Kosovo) campaigned two years ago against calls for protection for UNESCO-listed Serbian monasteries despite the fact that they face legal discrimination by the Priština authorities. At last, let us not forget the recent art-washing of the idea to renovate the house of Xhafer Deva, a Nazi collaborator and war criminal, as a “cultural centre” without any reference to his crimes against Serbs and Jews.

It is surprising that such a keen observer of society and arts like Neziraj does not see a very sophisticated art and propaganda machine within the Kosovo Albanian art scene, but searches for it in Gračanica.

In a lot of ways, Priština elites have been very savvy in using contemporary art for political purposes, often art-washing less salient aspects of the society they preside over namely, complete intolerance of minorities, rampant chauvinism and ultra-nationalist confabulations presented as history.

Monuments to US politicians from the 90s aside, probably the best known public art installation in Priština is the photogenic and slick „Newborn“ monument, co-created by designer Fisnik Ismaili and Oglivy agency, and unveiled on the occasion of Priština’s self-proclaimed independence.

Whether it is the aforementioned Prizren’s Dokufest or last year’s Manifesta biennale in Priština, there has been a conscious effort to cultivate and export an image of inclusion and multiculturalism, even if minority population is regularly attacked and some of the most valuable Serb heritage has been subject to either physical and legal attacks. There seems to be little appetite among Neziraj’s colleagues for what he praises in the few Serbian artists and cultural impresarios he favourably mentions in his piece: critique, challenge and ridicule own national delusions and maybe allow artists who do not share their world-view to perform and exhibit.

Compared to Priština’s vibrant and “multicultural” scene which cannot tolerate an indigenous theatre, Belgrade’s “propaganda machinery” welcomed Neziraj and even Kosovo Albanian artists who went on to celebrate UCK.

In a recent interview I did with Aaron Moulton, the author of the intriguing “The Influencing Machine” exhibition at Warsaw’s Ujazdowski Castle, Moulton warned about the politicisation of art and art-washing of politics that went on in the region since 1990s, at least in terms of use of new media and art practices.

Thus Neziraj’s claim that “theatre is always an act of emancipation”, and thus virginal in terms of political propaganda rings strangely naïve for such a veteran of local arts. However is precisely this veneer of naïveté which hides the most rampant propaganda.

Written by: Srdjan Garcevic, founder of The Nutshell Times