Driton Selmani
Only Time Will Tell – 2019-2025

LED Plexiglass, CNC cut letters, 300 x 70 x 160
Gallery Ernst Hilger

With his installation “Only Time Will Tell”, Kosovan artist Driton Selmani invites visitors to question the past, present and future. The illuminated lettering “Only Time Will Tell” opens up an opportunity for reflection: Which stories and memories will outlast time? Whose perspectives remain? Which decisions shape the present and the future? And how can we personally influence them?

Driton Selmani deconstructs social, political and cultural narratives in order to uncover deeper layers of reality. His works challenge observers to think about preconceived opinions and truths and to develop new perspectives. Selmani’s work always remains in close dialog with the themes of identity, history and the interplay of individual and collective memory.

The work “Only Time Will Tell” combines Selmani’s conceptual practice with a profound sensitivity to universal themes such as hope, truth and transience. It follows in the tradition of his earlier works, which always assign the observer an active role in the process of interpretation and reflection.

“Only Time Will Tell” is more than an art installation – it is a call to get actively involved and help shape the present and future instead of passively waiting, in a time that calls for courageous voices and committed action.

The Ernst Hilger Gallery is exhibiting a selection of works from Driton Selmani’s Love Letters series at ZONE 1, Booth C23.

Photo: Anastasiia Yakovenko

Driton Selmani, born 1987 in Ferizaj, Kosovo. He currently lives and works between Prishtina and Doganaj. He completed his master’s degree at the Arts University Bournemouth, UK.

He has participated in numerous solo and group exhibitions, including at the Stacion Center for Contemporary Art Pristina, Ludwig Múzeum Budapest, Kunstraum Niederösterreich Vienna, Casa São Paulo, Mediterranea Biennale 16 Ancona, U10 Belgrade, 5. Marrakech Biennale, Amsterdam Light Festival, Fabbrica del Vapore Milan, Bregenz Biennale, Exchiesetta Polignano a Mare, National Gallery Tirana, Thessaloniki Center for Contemporary Art, Eugster || Belgrade, Norrköping Light Festival, La Maison des Arts Brussels, MMSU Rijeka, Škuc Gallery, MAXXI Museum, Kunstmuseum Basel, Museum of Contemporary Art Skopje, 14. Manifesta in Prishtina 2022, Eva Káhan Foundation, Museet for Samtidskunst, Kunsthaus Graz, Beaufort Triennale, and many more.

For further information, please contact – gallery@hilger.at

Photo Credit:

Driton Selmani — Only Time Will Tell, 2019–2025
LED plexiglass, CNC-cut letters, metal holder
300 × 70 × 160 cm

Installation view: Double Wall of Silence, Belgrade, Serbia
Images courtesy of Hestia Art Residency & Exhibitions Bureau