Autostrada Biennale

Origins and purpose

The idea for the biennale emerged in 2014 when organizers Vatra Abrashi, Leutrim Fishekqiu, and Bariş Karamuç saw a need to expand regional artistic exchanges. They named the initiative Autostrada to reflect Prizren's position between existing major art events in Venice and Istanbul. The gathering debuted in 2017, drawing momentum from Prizren's established documentary festival. Participating creators in the inaugural event included Valentina Bonizzi, Chang Chien-Chi, Yang Shun-Fa, Alketa Xhafa, and the duo Rena Rädle and Vladan Jeremić. Over time, the festival grew in scope. By 2025, curator Erzen Shkololli took charge as the first Kosovar to lead an edition, extending the full programme from two months to three.

Venues across the city

Exhibitions take place across diverse everyday and historical settings rather than inside traditional museum walls. During the earliest gatherings, residents opened private rooms in their homes to serve as temporary galleries. In 2021, displays expanded outward into Peja and Pristina. Organizers later adapted a former NATO peacekeeping base in Prizren, creating dedicated venues known as Hangar I, Hangar II, an Open Theatre, and an artist residency. Historic landmarks also host creative installations, including the Shemsedin Ahmet Bey public bath and the restored Shani Efendi House, which incorporates fresh exhibition rooms designed by architect Walter Kräutler.

Artistic themes and installations

Each edition explores social and environmental questions. The 2021 festival examined how the pandemic reshaped community life, while the 2023 edition earned acclaim in FRIEZE magazine among Europe's top exhibitions. That year, Hera Büyüktaşcıyan installed work at a former brick factory using folklore about urban waterways. Agnes Denes planted circular sunflower plots in Prizren and Pristina to address pollution and urban change, while Alban Muja reimagined a civic monument in Mitrovica. In 2025, Tamara Grčić used glass bottles to map ocean currents and environmental sustainability, alongside installations by Nathan Coley and Rivane Neuenschwander.

Heritage and civic impact

Beyond temporary art showcases, the gathering plays an active role in urban restoration. In 2025, organizers established a formal partnership with the Regional Center for Cultural Heritage to renew historic landmarks and raise their international visibility. Under this initiative, Viennese architect Walter Kräutler helped refurbish the Shani Efendi House for modern artistic display, while the Shemsedin Ahmet Bey bathhouse became a venue for artist Vadim Fishkin. These projects weave contemporary creative expression into historic urban fabric, sparking conversations among local citizens and visiting audiences about regional identity, architecture, and shared history.

How Autostrada Biennale is kept

Every two years, artists, curators, and local residents gather across Prizren and nearby towns for a multi-month art event. Installations, sculptures, and performances are distributed throughout urban spaces, from private homes and public streets to former military hangars and centuries-old bathhouses. Visitors walk between these sites to view experimental works, attend talks, and experience contemporary art integrated directly into the surrounding neighbourhoods and restored historical buildings.

When and where

The festival runs every two years, holding editions in odd-numbered years such as 2017, 2019, 2021, 2023, and 2025. While earlier programmes lasted around two months, the fifth edition in 2025 expanded to a three-month schedule.

The main host city is Prizren in southern Kosovo. Over successive editions, installations and projects have also expanded into other Kosovar cities, including Pristina, Peja, and Mitrovica, using historic monuments, former industrial sites, and military hangars.

What Autostrada Biennale means

The name Autostrada symbolises connection and cultural movement, placing Kosovo on an artistic highway between established biennales in Venice and Istanbul. By placing artworks in disused factories, military bases, and historic buildings, the event transforms spaces of conflict or neglected heritage into venues for dialogue, environmental reflection, and community exchange.

Questions people ask about Autostrada Biennale

See also

ManifestaA roving European contemporary art festival held in a new host city every two yearsAs-salamu alaykumA traditional Arabic greeting of peace exchanged in daily life and prayerSworn virginA vow of chastity that lets a woman of the northern Balkans live as a manVidovdanA Serbian church feast on 28 June, kept in memory of those who died at Kosovo

Good reading and sources

• Autostrada Biennale on WikipediaEncyclopedia
• More photos on Wikimedia CommonsPhotos and video
• Wikidata recordOpen data

It may contain mistakes. Traditions differ from one family, village and community to the next, and the people who keep them know them best. If something is wrong, tell us. Last refreshed 2026-10-05.