Baltosje/Mudding
Through his art, Sead Kazanxhiu has continuously fought for various cultural, social and political issues related to his identity as a member of the Roma minority. The question of the Roma minority’s participation in the decision-making process has taken on a crucial role in its work.
From the beginning of his involvement in the Committee for National Minorities in Albania, an internal dialogue and a confrontation with the weight of his responsibility has accompanied the artist throughout his time and i nthe course of his creative and decision-making process.
By taking such a position, should he be satisfied with his efforts to push for Roma involvement in decision-making, ending his fight? Or should he continue this struggle? How long should an individual, often marginalized, continue to sacrifice himself in order to raise awareness of the necessity of a minority’s participation in decision-making processes?
Often Albanian politicians, or various private and public entities, use the term “Baltosje” (“mudding”) with negative connotation, to articulate a form of indictment against a particular political entity, institution, or even an individual, when he/she has a public or private
function. “Nothing about us without us” is a slogan first used during the 1990s to communicate the idea that no political decision should be made without the full and direct participation of all group members affected by it.
In this performance, the artist invites members of his community to cover him with shishik
(“clay” in the Romani language) as a form of purification and a protective process. The interaction between the artist being painted and covered with mud by members of his community figuratively expresses their desire and commitment to preserve his “pure” figure as a form of acceptance and legitimacy given to him as hebecomes a positive model of a Roma person who has struggled for—and achieved—participation in the decision-making processes of Albanian government.
Multimedial Instalation
2021
Tirane
