Artist Name: Kemil Bekteši
Residency Dates: April – May 2025
Born: 1997
Hometown: Belgrade, Serbia
Lives & Works: Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
URL: kemil.vsble.me | Instagram @kemil.bektesi
Education:
2023 – WHW Academy, Zagreb, HR
2021 – MFA in Visual Art, Major in Painting, Department of Painting, Academy of Fine Arts, University of Sarajevo, Sarajevo, BiH
2020 – BFA in Visual Art, Major in Painting, Department of Painting, Academy of Fine Arts, University of Sarajevo, Sarajevo, BiH
Bio/Statement:
Kemil Bekteši is the winner of the 2024 ZVONO Art Award for Young Visual Artist in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Kemil Bekteši is a Bosnian/Kosovar visual artist of Gorani origin. His work engages deeply with themes of identity, geopolitics, and nationality. He holds a master’s degree (2021) and a bachelor’s degree (2020) from the Academy of Fine Arts in Sarajevo, where he was honored with the Golden Badge for outstanding academic achievements. In 2018/19, Bekteši studied contemporary art at the Faculdade de Belas Artes do Porto (Portugal). His artistic practice spans a variety of media, including public interventions, objects, and installations, with a particular focus on site- and time-specific works. His art often reflects the cultural and political overlaps between Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia and Kosovo — countries he has personally navigated throughout his life. Bekteši’s exploration of societal issues is often centered around the complex relations between nations, cultures, and histories, and how these are expressed in contemporary visual forms. His work examines both interpersonal and geopolitical dynamics, positioning him as a reflective voice in the ongoing discourse on regional identity. In 2023, he participated in the WHW Academy in Zagreb, Croatia.
Kemil Bekteši participated in multiple shows including Questions of Belonging, Staklopan, Belgrade, Serbia (2024), Selling out, MIDAS- Ljubljana, Slovenia (2024), Gasterbeiter 2.0, nGbK, Berlin, Germany (2024), Nesvrstani, Lauba, Zagreb, Croatia (2023), DÉMODÉ, SKC, Rijeka, Croatia (2023), POV, Gallery of Contemporary Arts Manifesto, Sarajevo, BiH (2022), New Wave, Historical Museum of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Sarajevo, BiH (2022), MANGELOS Award (YVAA) – Finalist exhibition, Remont gallery, Belgrade, Serbia (2022), Under your gaze, U10 gallery, Belgrade, Serbia, (2021), Summer Vibes: The City, Novembar gallery, Belgrade, Serbia (2021), ZVONO Award (YVAA) – Finalist exhibition, KRAK, Bihać, BiH (2021), Ar(t)lantis, Novembar gallery, Belgrade, Serbia (2021), Score #1 Ten ballets (of oscillation), Historical museum, Sarajevo, BiH (2020), No pressure, Artistic activist collective Odron, Sarajevo, BiH (2019), Nudes, Gallery of the Academy of Fine Arts, Sarajevo, BiH (2019).
Support: Kemil Bekteši’s residency is made possible with support from the Trust for Mutual Understanding.
