Barbara Prenka: Making myself at home
The contemporary art project ‘Vetrina’ inaugurated its second cycle of presentations in February 2024. After exploring the broad theme of nature through the site-specific works of the first nine invited artists, the focus has now shifted to the theme of activism, exclusively involving women artists who are enterprising and provocative in different ways and who have always, in their works, provided space for a proactive reflection on the contemporary world. In 2026 the series continued with “Intrico” by Daria Dmytrenko and “Siren” by Marilisa Cosello; with Barbara Prenka’s “Making myself at home”, this second cycle comes to a close.
For Vetrina#18, Mara Sartore has invited artist Barbara Prenka (b. 1990, Gjakova, Kosovo). Her research stems from the observation of everyday life: gestures, objects, and materials that tend to be taken for granted are taken up, analysed, recreated, and relived. Prenka considers each work as an entity in itself, yet linked to the others by a common thread running through creation, destruction, and recreation. Her work interrogates obviousness – that vision we immediately recognise and let slip by without pausing – turning it upside down to offer an unexpected perspective, capable of revealing something new about our history. It is a practice that becomes a tool for identity research, in which past, present, and future confront one another daily, and in which the artist takes on the role of an interlocutor capable of reclaiming the ability to see and to be present in the world.
For this occasion, the artist will present “Making myself at home”, an existing work reconfigured specifically for the space of Vetrina. The new set-up starts from a concrete condition: a work measuring 450 cm in length must fit entirely within a space 227 cm wide and 30 cm deep. To do so, the work changes its own shape, folding and turning back on itself – it fits in its entirety, but can no longer be seen in full at the same time. From this condition emerges a question tied to belonging: to inhabit a place means entering into a relationship with a reality that exists prior to our arrival, and with the conditions it imposes. Finding one’s place is therefore not a neutral gesture. Adaptation becomes a negotiation between what we bring with us and what we encounter. Something changes shape, something remains hidden, something continues to exist without being immediately visible. It is not necessarily a matter of becoming something else, but of finding a way to exist within conditions we did not establish ourselves.
“Vetrina” is a series of exhibitions curated by Mara Sartore for Vino Vero, in collaboration with Lightbox. After exploring the broad theme of nature through the site-specific works of the first nine invited artists, the focus has shifted towards creating a platform for women artists. This phase exclusively involves female artists, bold and provocative in different ways, who have always used their art to foster constructive reflections on the contemporary world. The challenge is to present works of art in a limited space and in direct contact with the public, where the Vetrina becomes an integral part of the artwork itself, rather than just a place for exhibiting goods.
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Barbara Prenka, “Reunion with Aunts and Uncles”, 2023. Perforated cotton fabric, crocheted with synthetic yarn, 160 x 130 cm. Documentation Center Kosovo, Prishtina.
Barbara Prenka, “Do you recognize the corner next to the window?”, 2024. Digitally printed fabirc, sewn and padded with batting and canvas, series of 7 pieces, 190 x 140 cm. GMK, Prishtina. Photo by Majlinda Hoxha.
Barbara Prenka, “Crocodile tears”, 2025. Embroidery on cotton hand-embroided by the artist’s mother in 1983 and drapery, site-specific installation, environmental dimensions A plus A, Venice. Photo by Clelia Cadamuro.
Barabara Prenka, “Gesture of gesture”, 2025. Digitally printed, embroidered, sewn and padded fabric with batting and canvas, variable dimensions. Kunsthalle Lottozero, Prato. Photo by Alessandro Destro.
