nybf 2012

during the 1960s and 1970s, the socialist regime of yugoslavia built a number of monuments around kosovo honoring certain key events of world war II. most of these monuments have been abandoned — dismissed as having no cultural value by most in contemporary kosovo. the kosovo of today is a fiercely pro-american state that also has ambitions of joining the european union, but it is also home to a population that is barred from traveling to most places on earth without a visa. this country’s popular national narrative began in 1999, when the war ended. consequently, the monuments that followed have honored the likes of kosovo liberation army fighters and former american president bill clinton. in every corner of daily life foreign symbolism is ever present: a kosovo flag is seldom found without those of the united states, european union or albania.

this booklet is produced on the occassion of: werkplaats typografie buchmesse / new york art book fair 2012 / moma ps1 / new york

locations of monuments: mitrovica, brezovica, prizren, peja, prishtina, gjilan
pages: 20
design: bardhi haliti
printer: stencilkelder, amsterdam
first edition: 200
september 2012