Arta Rushiti: I got the chance to gain new friends, new connections, colleagues, conceptualists and new collaboration

 1.Dear Arta Rushiti, you/we have just returned from the DFEWA residency at Mallnitz in Austria. Please tell us more about your involvement in this residency. What made you join this residency and how would you describe the whole experience now that it's over?

Arta Rushiti: Being invited among many artists from different countries, especially Austria was such a special honor for me. Regarding the fact that Kosovo is still a new country in transition and developing, I also was the youngest participant in this artistic organization. I had a very warm welcoming, respect and appreciation from Dorothea Fleiss whom was brilliant, especially her artistic presentation which was extremely important. From this incredible experience I got the chance to gain new friends, new connections, colleagues, conceptualists and new collaborations.

2.    What is the present role of artist residencies in the contemporary art ecosystem?

Arta Rushiti: Every kind and any type of art is important to have such organizations, especially contemporary art is the ideal type of art that can evolve in different mediums.

3.    How do artist residencies meet the changing needs of individual
artists?

Arta Rushiti: Every residency has its own harmony whereas the colony of artist has its own level. I believe that the union of artists when they meet and get a long is the exchange of positive energy, the shared experiences they tell while working together.

4.    How can residencies provide alternative openings and infrastructures to nurture artistic work in the midst of current societal transformations and environmental crisis?

Arta Rushiti: Regardless of economic and social crises, when artists get along in a joint place of work, there is an exchange of power and artistic intellect wheres huge artistic pieces can come along from as a result. In specific occasions the positive energy is created which means iconic artistic pieces can come through.

5.    The practices and models of residencies are focused on cultural and societal development, rather than on that of the artists' careers. They are forging new connections and pathways between various regimes of society. As in the case of ecological biodiversity, it is today necessary to resist the homogenization of intellectual, aesthetic, and cultural knowledge. Are residencies reinforcing the process of cultural homogenization, or are they supporting cultural diversity?

Arta Rushiti: Cultural homogeneity is emphasized a lot in artistic residency, therefore we can freely mention that it is cultural diplomacy between countries where they give priority to the artist to reveal their art.