Country : Kosovo
(UN)COMMON SPACES Emerging artist
b. 1987 Kosovo, lives and works in Prishtina
Selmani approaches the idea of perceived reality by deconstructing formations of social, political, and cultural topics that have been embodied around him. At a young age, he was told to worship a country that no longer existed, which caused him to form a basic of skepticism towards any supposedly given reality. He later used this as a beneficial tool to reconstruct his beliegs into visual artifacts. In 1999, old simulacra have been replaced by new simulacra; the ornaments of a previous space have been refurbished in order to unfold with new meanings but also new uncertainties. Selmani confronts himself as a spectator of this "ongoing event", but rather positions himself as an actor, enacting his performances based on his personal histories, beliefs and doubts.
Recent solo exhibitions were held at MoCa, Museum of Contemporary Art Skopje (2022); Salon Galic, Split (2022); Tillt Radio, Prishtina (2022); Palace of Youth, Prishtina (2021); Muzeji i Galerije Podgorica, Montenegro (2021); Galeria e Bregdetit, Vlorë, Albania (2022); Ta.da, Copenhagen (2021); U10 – Belgrade (2021). His works have been exhibited as part of group exhibitions at Lamb- daLambdaLambda, Prishtina (2022); Manifesta 14, Kosovo (2022); 18th Tallinn Print Triennial, curated by Róna Kopeczky (2022); »Bigger than Myself. Heroic voices from ex-Yugoslavia«, MAXXI, Rome, curated by Zdenka Badovinac (2021); Škuc Gallery (2020). In 2023, Selmani will hold, among others, a solo exhibition at Apiece Gallery, Vilnius; Eva Kahan Foundation (Vienna and Budapest), and will exhibit as part of group exhibitions at Kunsthaus Graz, Beaufort Kunsttriënnale 2024...