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Albert Heta, 'Kosovar Pavilion", 2005
August 17, 2005
Dear Friends,
Recently we received a letter of concern from the press office of the Albania Pavilion in Venice (see below) regarding an announcement we distributed for the Kosovar Pavilion at Venice Biennale 2005. We would like to take an opportunity to respond publicly.
With warm regards,
Electronic Flux Corporation
New York
at 10:38 AM, Silvia Macchetto wrote:
Dear Sirs,
I am in charge of Albania Pavilion press office. I have tried more times to find a way to be in contact to someone who is in charge of the press release that appear on e-flux web site. I know that not anybody can send press release to e-flux but it is request registration and fee.
I would like to know if is possible, considering that we are not your customer, to send the right information on Albania Pavilion.
The Kossovo Pavilion doesn't exist, Sislej Xhafa is the artist who represents the Albania Pavilion at its first official participation at the Venice Biennal.
Sislej is born in Kosova but he doesn't represent the Kosovor Pavilion, also all the contacts are wrong.
I kindly hope you can help me to spread the correct information in order to delete this wrong information that jeopardizes Sisley' s works and the effort made by the commissioners of Albania Pavilion.
Waiting for your aware reply I give my thanks in advance for any kind of collaboration we can find.
Best regards,
silvia macchetto
silvia macchetto
pressoffice
tel +39 335 1864378
From: info@e-flux.com
Subject: Kosovar Pavilion at 2005 Venice Biennale
Date: July 11, 2005 10:31:29 AM EDT
To: silvia@cantiere48.com
July 11, 2005
Dear Silvia, hello,
In response to your letter regarding e-flux announcement for Kosovar Pavilion at 2005 Venice Biennale we would like to clarify that this announcement was not a mistake, it is an artwork by a Kosovar artist - Albert Heta. As you know e-flux has an active program of special projects: publications, exhibitions, screenings, etc. This project by Albert Heta - an artwork in a form of an e-flux announcement - is in fact a part of this program. For more information about Albert Heta and his work please see a critical text below.
Affectionately,
e-flux, inc.
---------------------------
Albert Heta
Albert Heta is part of the youngest generation of artists in Kosova, that surfaced on the scene immediately after the war in 1999. Heta’s work is characterized by simple and refined formal qualities, and daring, straight-forward political messages, devoid of any kind of ‘political correctness’. His concerns are often local and national. However, rather than being mere political propaganda, Heta’s work, through the particular social concerns, reveals the hypocrisy, the collective lies, and the ironies of the contemporary world.
Heta’s work is free from any type of artistic symbolism and metaphor. He’s works are often simple acts of intervention in an existing social condition, situation or object. While the intervention is always in turn, an insurgence of an ‘unofficial’ existing reality, which the official condition/object/situation hides, or has simply dismissed. The result is the ‘ruined’ function of the existing object/situation, since its hypocrisy and been openly revealed.
In fact, Heta’s work often risks being considered simple political propaganda. For many his work is too direct in its dialectics. This is especially the case with the work “Embassy of the Republic of Kosova, Cetinje, SCG” (2004). However, the refined aesthetic and conceptual qualities, make his work more than just ‘political pamphleteering’ (Sh. Maliqi). It is clear that Heta is not into pathetic protesting, nor is he asking for anyone’s sympathy in his cause. He is simply and calmly showing another reality, that parallel reality, still unaccented and dismissed. Heta, furthermore, does not simply suggest this other reality. He imposes it. And this is ultimately his strongest point.
In his latest project, Heta’s ‘Kosovar Pavilion in Venice Biennial 2005” was emailed as factual information by e-flux! This information was announced approximately two weeks ago, and the majority of the art world, still believes that there will be a real Kosovar Pavilion in Venice. Of course, there is no Kosovar Pavilion, since Kosova is not a state. Instead of the Pavilion, the space will be used for a party. Yet, doesn’t the fact that the majority of the people believe that there will be a Kosovar Pavilion, and that there will actually be a party called the Kosovar Pavilion, make this Pavilion a reality?
There is always a draw back in engaged art – it is a piece of art, and as such its effects on social awareness and social change are always minimized. Therefore, any attempt at changing society requires a jump to actual political participation, in which case you’re work is no longer considered a piece of art. To avoid this fearful situation, the artist sticks to the safe game of conceptual allusions and creative suggestions. Heta, however, does not want this safe game. He instead chooses to be direct in his approach. Looking at Heta’s work, we also realize that this game of allusions is an exhausted game, and totally inappropriate for today’s political and social situation.
by Vesa Sahatçiu
Prishtina, June
email to a friend contact subscribe electronic flux corporation / www.e-flux.com
295 greenwich street #532, nyc ny 10007
CC: albertheta@yahoo.com, "julieta aranda" <julieta@e-flux.com>
From: "Anton Vidokle" <anton@e-flux.com>
Subject: Kosovar Pavilion at 2005 Venice Biennale
Date: Mon, 11 Jul 2005 10:31:29 -0400
To: "Silvia Macchetto" <silvia@cantiere48.com>
July 11, 2005
Dear Silvia, hello,
My name is Anton, I run e-flux. In response to your letter regarding
e-flux announcement for Kosovar Pavilion at 2005 Venice Biennale I
would like to take a moment to clarify that this announcement was not a mistake, rather it is an actual artwork by an artist - Albert Heta. As you know e-flux has an active program of special projects, such as Do It, curated by Hans Ulrich Obrist; Next Documenta Should Be Curated By An Artist, curated by Jens Hoffman; e-flux video rental - which is now traveling to a number of museums and art centers world wide, and others. This new work by Albert Heta - an artwork in the form of an e-flux announcement, is in fact a part of this program. For more information about Albert Heta and his work please see a critical text below.
Silvia, while we cannot under any circumstances remove Albert Heta's
work from our site, we will in fact distribute a statement in a form of
an open letter to our readers regarding this project at our earliest
convenience.
Affectionately,
Anton Vidokle
Director
e-flux projects
---------------------------
Albert Heta
by Vesa Sahatçiu
Prishtina
June 6, 2005
Albert Heta is part of the youngest generation of artists in Kosova, that surfaced on the scene immediately after the war in 1999. Heta’s work is
characterised by simple and refined formal qualities, and daring, straight-forward political messages, devoid of any kind of ‘political correctness’. His concerns are often local and national. However, rather
than being mere political propaganda, Heta’s work, through the particular social concerns, reveals the hypocrisy, the collective lies, and the ironies of the contemporary world.
Heta’s work is free from any type of artistic symbolism and metaphor. He’s works are often simple acts of intervention in an existing social condition, situation or object. While the intervention is always in turn, an insurgence of an ‘unofficial’ existing
reality, which the official condition/object/situation hides, or has simply dismissed. The result is the ‘ruined’ function of the existing object/situation, since its hypocrisy and been openly revealed.
In fact, Heta’s work often risks being considered simple political propaganda. For many his work is too direct in its dialectics. This is especially the case with the work “Embassy of the Republic of Kosova,
Cetinje, SCG” (2004). However, the refined aesthetic and conceptual qualities, make his work more than just ‘political pamphleteering’ (Sh. Maliqi). It is clear that Heta is not into pathetic protesting, nor is he asking for anyone’s sympathy in his cause. He is simply and calmly showing another reality, that parallel reality, still unaccented and dismissed. Heta, furthermore, does not simply suggest this other reality. He imposes it. And this is ultimately his strongest point.
In his latest project, Heta’s ‘Kosovar Pavilion in Venice Biennial 2005” was emailed as factual information by e-flux! This information was announced approximately two weeks ago, and the majority of the art world, still believes that there will be a real Kosovar Pavilion in Venice. Of course, there is no Kosovar Pavilion, since Kosova is not a state. Instead of the Pavilion, the space will be used for a party. Yet, doesn’t the fact that the majority of the people believe that there will be a Kosovar Pavilion, and that there will actually be a party called the Kosovar Pavilion, make this Pavilion a reality?
There is always a draw back in engaged art – it is a piece of art, and as such its effects on social awareness and social change are always minimized.
Therefore, any attempt at changing society requires a jump to actual political participation, in which case you’re work is no longer considered a piece of art. To avoid this fearful situation, the artist sticks to the safe game of conceptual allusions and creative suggestions. Heta, however, does not want this safe game. He instead chooses to be direct in his approach.
Looking at Heta’s work, we also realize that this game of allusions is an exhausted game, and totally inappropriate for today’s political and social situation.
On Jun 30, 2005, at 10:38 AM, Silvia Macchetto wrote:
Dear Sirs,
I am in charge of Albania Pavilion press office.
I have tried more times to find a way to be in contact to someone who is in charge of the press release that appear on e-flux web site.
I know that not anybody can send press release to e-flux but it is
request registration and fee.
I would like to know if is possible, considering that we are not your
customer, to send the right information on Albania Pavilion.
The Kossovo Pavilion doesn't exist, Sislej Xhafa is the artist who
represents the Albania Pavilion at its first official partecipation at
the Venice Biennal.
Sislej is born in Kosova but he doesn't represent the Kossovo
Pavilion, also all the contacts are wrong.
I kindly hope you can help me to spread the correct information in
order to delete this wrong information that jepertizes Sisley' s
works and the effort made by the commissioners of Albania Pavilion.
Waiting for your aware reply I give my thanks in advance for any kind
of collaboration we can find.
Best regards,
silvia macchetto
silvia macchetto
pressoffice
silvia@cantiere48.com
tel +39 335 1864378
This message is not flagged. [ Flag Message - Mark as Unread ]
Date: Wed, 17 Aug 2005 19:49:23 -0400
From: "e-Flux" <info@mailer.e-flux.com> Add to Address Book
Subject: Open letter
To: albertheta@yahoo.com
08/17/05
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