Kemil Bekteši is Bosnian/Serbian/Kosovar visual artist. He completed his master's (2021) and bachelor's (2020) degrees at the Academy of Fine Arts in Sarajevo. In 2018/19 he studied in contemporary art field at Faculdade de Belas Artes do Porto (Portugal). He was awarded the Golden Badge of the University of Sarajevo for undergraduate and master’s studies, and he was named the best student of the Academy of Fine Arts in Sarajevo in graduate and master’s studies. In his artistic practice he often deals with topics related to identity, geopolitics, and nationality. In 2020, he became the youngest finalist for the ZVONO award (YVAA – Young Visual Artists Awards, Bosnia and Herzegovina), and in 2022 he became a finalist for the MANGELOS Award (YVAA – Young Visual Artists Awards, Serbia). In 2023, he became a student of the fifth generation of the WHW Academy (Zagreb, CRO). He is co-founder and associate of the Gallery of Contemporary Art “Manifesto” in Sarajevo.
Bekteši lives and works between Sarajevo (BiH) and Belgrade (Srb).
In my art practice, through various media, I most often re-examine the problems of society, more specifically: interpersonal, geopolitical, and cultural/historical relations. The topic of my practice is usually based on cultural, political, and geopolitical overlaps of Serbia, BiH, and Kosovo. As I have often been in transition between these countries, on the broader picture, my work could be described as site-specific. I believe that my works can be read in different ways depending on where I am at the moment and where I represent the work itself. I am also interested in issues of transhistorical relations, their interpretation, reading, and recontextualization in the modern age. I am talking about the present, a distillate of the past, about history and culture and how they are experienced and treated in today’s context. I deal with the issue of possession and properties through “my” and “our” relationships and often wonder how much something of ours is ours.
“The Favored” Contemporary Gallery Subotica, Serbia, 2023.
"At the monument at 7" KULA, Belgrade, Serbia, 2023.
“ETNOS I EROS" Dom omladine, Belgrade, Serbia, 2022.
“Kiss it to make it better”, Installation on the facade (High school of applied arts / Association for National Monuments) Bihać, BiH, 2022.
“Making two site-specific wall drawings by Sol LeWitt” Gallery of the Academy of Fine Arts, Sarajevo, BiH, 2021.
“Dear Santa Claus” Youth Center Skenderija (ex Ars Aevi Museum of Contemporary Art), Sarajevo, BiH, 2021.
“Three rooms and the backyard” Gallery of the Academy of Fine Arts, Sarajevo, BiH, 2021.
“BEKTEŠI” Brodac gallery, Sarajevo, BiH, 2021.
“Kiss it to make it better”, Installation on the facade of the National Gallery of BiH, Sarajevo, 2020.
“Sin thesis”, Artistic activist collective Odron, Sarajevo BiH, 2019.
“Gasterbeiter 2.0” nGbK, Berlin, Germany, 2024. (Upcoming)
"DÉMODÉ" SKC, Rijeka, Croatia, 2023.
"Nesvrstani" Lauba, Zagreb, Croatia, 2023.
"POV" Manifesto, Gallery of Contemporary Arts, Sarajevo, BiH, 2022.
“New Wave”, Historical Museum of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Sarajevo, BiH, 2022.
“MANGELOS Award (YVAA) - Finalist exhibition” Remont gallery, Belgrade, Serbia. 2022.
“Under your gaze”, U10 gallery, Belgrade, Serbia, 2022.
“Summer Vibes: The City”, Novembar gallery, Belgrade, Serbia, 2022.
“ZVONO Award (YVAA) - Finalist exhibition” KRAK, Bihać, BiH, 2022.
“Ar(t)lantis”, Novembar gallery, Belgrade, Serbia, 2022.
"Manifesting Manifesto" Sarajevo, BiH, 2021.
"Youth Biennial" Belgrade, Serbia, 2021.
“Score #1 Ten ballets (of oscillation)”, Historical museum, Sarajevo,BiH, 2020.
“No pressure” Artistic activist collective Odron, Sarajevo, BiH, 2019.
“Apexart” Artist residence, Manhattan, New York City (Upcoming)
"KUN" Artist residency in Valjevo, Serbia, 2021.
"Every end is the Beginning and Vice Versa" Historical Museum, Sarajevo, BiH, 2023.
"Pecha Kucha Night" Sarajevo, BiH 2021.
"Art Summer School, 4th edition - Borders and Migrations" Kuma Intrentional, Sarajevo, BiH, 2021.
"Whimsical city" Ateleir Ismet Mujezinović, Tuzla, BiH, 2021.
"Whimsical city" Ateleir Ismet Mujezinović, Tuzla, BiH, 2021.
Harpers Bazaar Serbia, 2023. (Printed Issue)
Vanity Fair Italia, 2022. (Printed Issue)
uKONTAKTu, 2023.