Jakup Ferri (XK/NL)

Jakup Ferri (Prishtina/Amsterdam) is a contemporary artist living and working between Prishtina and Amsterdam. In his formative years as an artist, his inspiration stemmed from the fact that Prishtina, where he grew up, was often invisible and isolated from the Western art world. This experience influenced his work, shaping both its content and appearance. He is interested in outsider artists, folk art, and naive-oriented painters. He incorporates various handmade materials such as blankets, carpets, and glass in his art practice. He sees immense value in pieces that are handcrafted, including textiles, appreciating their authentic, distinctive, and unpolished character. In 2022, Ferri represented the Kosovo Pavilion at the Venice Biennale.

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We invited Jakup Ferri to Kranj from 18 to 21 November 2024. At the Layer House, he led workshops for children of immigrants from Kosovo living in Kranj. Together, they searched for imaginary worlds above the ground—because what surrounds us above the surface is also the leading theme of the textile art biennial. Jakup Ferri opened the door for the children into a world ruled by clouds. Known for his distinctive approach to illustration and graphic art, Ferri guided the young participants to explore the freedom brought by air—an element that surrounds and connects us all. From January to May 2025, the workshops and creative leadership were taken over by Slovenian contemporary artist and researcher Klara Debeljak. The programme was developed in line with the vision of the Layer House and the BIEN textile biennial for an inclusive community.