Sabri Fejzullahu 2013

Editor: Here we have Gazmend Freitag's "Sabri Fejzullahu," a pencil drawing from 2013. There’s a certain vulnerability conveyed through the artist's hand. How do you interpret this work, particularly given that it's a portrait? Curator: The seemingly simple medium belies a deeper engagement. Portraits are rarely neutral; they participate in the construction of identity, both for the sitter and the artist. What power dynamics do you think are at play when an artist chooses to depict a particular individual in this way? Editor: I hadn't considered power so explicitly, but now I see it. The subject, presumably Sabri Fejzullahu, is presented in a way that feels very intimate. Is that a conscious decision by the artist? Curator: Exactly. Consider the historical context of portraiture. Traditionally, portraits were commissioned by the wealthy and powerful to solidify their status. Here, the loose sketchiness challenges that. Could this be read as a deliberate democratization of the form, portraying a potentially ordinary individual with the same care and attention typically reserved for elites? Editor: So, the choice of pencil, the somewhat unfinished quality… these all contribute to that democratizing effect? It feels less like a monument and more like an everyday observation. Curator: Precisely. And what about the gaze of the subject? Where does it meet the viewer? How does that contribute to our understanding of the individual depicted? Editor: It's warm and inviting, engaging the viewer. The sketch does challenge the formal. This makes me see the piece in a totally new light! Curator: That's the beauty of considering the context. Art is rarely created in a vacuum; it's a product of social forces, power structures, and individual agency.