Zeta Gallery presents Sead Kazanxhiu with his personal exhibitionat “Next to my Chimney” from October 30th – November 12th 2018, an exhibition curated by Marko Stamenkovic. The entire space contains a visual history in respect of ancestral souls and how they constantly remain in the memory of a home that no longer exists.
The entire exhibition is comprised of six works, among which “Next to my Chimney” takes center stage, a video showing moments when a fireplace in a old house is being demolished, a house inherited by grandparents, where in its place a new stronger house will be built. All of this is carried out by the heir, the brother who inherited the house, a moment which simply can not pass by without being experienced and documented by the other brother, artist Sead Kazanxhiu. The whole exhibition has an autobiographical character and a lot of it revolves around the predecessor’s figure (in this case the grandparents) and mostly about the grandmother’s figure, which comes through the artist’s memory and perception as a very strong character who has played an important role in family decision making, by giving priority to the chimney, according to the Albanian way, the sustainability of the family.
The photo called “Badushe and Nebi Kazanxhiu” takes center starge in the film project about the fireplace destruction, Mean while, diagonally connected with the film material lies the work “Mao Ce Dun”, which in itself is a kind of oposition to the fragmented knowledge that the society has of the Roma community, but also to the filmmakers, Sead Kazanxhiu sees them as the main source of this ignorance. This creation by Kazanxhiu, “Mao Ce Duni”, is also a tease for the public about a search that the artist intends to deepen, therefore, the treatment of the Roma community in Albanian cinematography.
“My grandparents” is a work of mixed techniques: their personal belongings are placed on a wooden surface located on a wall corner, objects that represent their enthusiasm as human beings, being part of society, but most importantly part of the family, playing an important role in its welfare as well as being a strong link of the social chain. The Fireplace, as a sign of consonance in the Albanian society, represents the house, family, kinsfolk.
“Two-Chimney House”, (drawing on paper) a picture forever in the memory of the artist, once a child, together with the “Soul” installation (installation on the floor – installation that testifies the age of the house through pieces obtained from the demolition of the fireplace and the house) shows the inseparable connection of memories with items and buildings. By observing the age of the house through the wall painted layers the visitors can t help but notice the deeply human drive of the artist who aims to extend the range of his personal experience and give it other dimensions.
* Sead Kazanxhiu was born in 1987 in Fier; he is part to the Roma community; and setteled in Tirana since 2012. He graduated from the University of Arts in Tirana (2006 – 2010). After his studies, Kazanxhiu continued to work mainly on paintings, but in time his works expanded into sculptures, instalations, video, and public space interference. Since 2012 he opened eight personal exhibitions in Tirana, Budapest and Brussels. He has also participated in numerous joint exhibitions in Tirana, Prague, Brno, Gotenburg, Berlin, Dresden, Krakow, Bucharest and New Orleans, including “(Re) conceptualizing Roma Resistance” organized in the summer of 2016 at the Goethe Institute in Prague, within the framework of the International Roma Festival Khamoro.
