“Shtepizeza”

Sead Kazanxhiu creates small pottery houses that become accessories for the artist’s public

performances, spontaneous actions and demonstrative protests, which he often enacts in public spaces to call attention to the Roma housing situation across Europe. Occasionally he installs many thousands of the small houses in front of official buildings that house public authorities, or

in artistic spaces, in which he makes a conscious effort to connect his political activism and aesthetic work. Thsee interventions call attention to the tragic housing situation of the Roma people: Roma families’ often lack the financial resources necessary to own a home, and this fact makes these communities dependent upon national authorities for housing access. It also makes them vulnerable to the numerous occurrences of eviction, and homelessness rates are high in Roma communities due to economic oppression and a general lack of possibilities to lead a prosperous life in Albania. Where can Roma feel safe, if they do not have a home – symbolically and literarily?

 

Small house, Home sweet home, 2014.

Multimedia installation

Materials: 2500 small, individually crafted, plaster homes.

Dimensions: 5 x 5cm each, overall dimensions variable

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