In commemoration of the end of The Kosovo War GPIA Professor Anna Di Lellio has produced an art installation that addresses wartime rape. The installation “Thinking of You” displays 5,000 dresses strung across the main soccer stadium in the capital of Pristina. Open to the public as of June 12th, the piece has since been featured in media across the world, including The New York Times, The Guardian, Quartz and Associated Press.
Di Lellio and the artist, Alketa Xhafa-Mripa, received support from the Kosovar President Atifete Jahjaga, who donated the first dress on May 8th. After their meeting with the President, Di Lellio and Xhafa-Mripa organized clothing drives across Kosovo and abroad. Both Di Lellio and Xhafa-Mripa were impressed with the men (fathers, brothers, and sons of victims) who stepped forward to donate dresses, as well as towns in the north of Kosovo, which is overwhelmingly Serbian.
Quoted from The New York Times, “Di Lellio hopes the dresses will reduce the stigma that has surrounded and silenced victims of rape since the war’s end. In a society that has been focused on moving forward and rebuilding, the project serves as a reminder that acknowledging sexual violence is a vital step towards Kosovo’s future.”
[feather_share skin=”wheel” size=”24″]
