CULTURE

Somewhere Between Heritage and Transformation

Detailed image of the dress "Xixë" What happens when heritage remains alive through transformation? We often treat heritage as something to leave untouched. Resilience by Ariana Gjoni, a fashion designer based in Pristina, Kosovo, turns old traditional wool into something new to wear. #FashionDesign #Heritage #SustainableFashion #Pristina #Resilience Her latest exhibition, also called Resilience, left many people stunned, or maybe just asking one thing: how did she do this? T

4 min read

What the Chair Became

From left to right: "Relike 2", "Sun" and "Relike 1" by Gresa Gashi Where does a sculpture begin, with an idea, or with a chair you happen to be sitting on? Most stories about art go in one direction: the concept comes first, then the hands follow. #Sculpture #FoundMaterials #MixedMedia #Pristina #Futurism For Gresa Gashi, a young sculptor based in Pristina, Kosovo, the answer sits somewhere in the middle. She had a direction early on, but the pieces took their shape from wha

4 min read

Who Carries the Show?

Cowboy Carter Tour in Paris. Image: courtesy of the writer The lights finally dim and you know it is starting. This is the moment you have been waiting for, for a very long time. Then the artist you have wanted to see walks out, and the excitement goes through the roof. People are dancing and singing, someone next to you is still in disbelief, someone else is crying from pure joy. When it is over, you walk out thinking those two and a half hours were the best thing you have e

4 min read

A Fly on the Wall

Untitled by Lum Hajrullahu We see photographs every day, and most of them get a quick swipe before we move on. We rarely stop to think about what one actually holds: a moment in time, and the emotion that comes with it. So what happens when a photographer chooses to look at that moment more slowly? #DocumentaryPhotography #Photojournalism #Pristina #AnalogandDigital #ConcertPhotography Lum Hajrullahu is a young photographer based in Pristina, Kosovo. Still in his studies, he

3 min read

The Summit Wears a Pollera

Somewhere above the clouds in Bolivia, a bright pleated skirt is snapping in the wind — and the woman wearing it is halfway up a wall of ice.

4 min read

Cholitas' traditional costume as an instrument of cultural agency

What happens when a garment that was historically stigmatized at home becomes desirable abroad?

5 min read

Skirts, Braids and Body Slams: Why I Can't Stop Thinking About Bolivia's Cholitas Luchadoras

In the highlands of Bolivia, a group of Indigenous women in full traditional dress — wide skirts, braids, and bowler hats — are climbing into wrestling rings and flipping the script on decades of discrimination. The Cholitas Luchadoras turned a slur into a statement, and a fighting ring into a stage for cultural reclamation.

4 min read

A skirt and a skateboard hardly seem made for each other.

One is associated with tradition and femininity, the other with movement. One carries generations of cultural history, while the other has become a symbol of youth, freedom and rebellion. Yet in Cochabamba, Bolivia, young women are bringing the two together, rolling through the streets in brightly colored polleras.

3 min read