KEEP CALM AND SMILE

Korab Basha

Keep Calm and Smile

The title of this ambitious project by photographer Korab Basha can be translated literally as “Stay calm and smile”. Basha reuses and reinterprets the British Army slogan which, during the Second World War, motivated the British to stay calm and carry on, to keep going, to keep optimism alive despite the imminent threat of Nazi occupation. In fact, although it was never published at the time and only resurfaced more than 50 years later, this slogan — with a triumphant comeback into contemporary pop culture — continues to be a powerful symbol of resistance and endurance in the face of life's challenges, beyond its propagandistic origin.

In the ongoing storm of military and political tensions, today the Kosovo Security Force embodies the gift of standing at the front of the country, and it does so by leaning firmly on its own humanism. The KSF is an army of its own citizens, and this represents a historic and important moment in the international affirmation of the state of Kosovo. “Keep Calm and Smile” highlights the resilience, moral integrity and strong support from the people enjoyed by the armed forces, and in this way symbolises a bold approach to the challenges of contemporary Kosovo. And even more so, in this exhibition, with their smiles they represent the strength and pride of the Albanian people in the face of every challenge, as has always been the case throughout our history. The young women and men who today fill the ranks of this army are a mirror of all Kosovars who want to leave the past behind and, at last, look toward the future. With a smile.

It is as clear as day that the KSF does not exist to attack anyone — on the contrary, it exists solely to protect the integrity and independence of the Republic of Kosovo, built on the foundations of the resistance and endurance of the Kosovo Liberation Army, which was born precisely to protect a people massacred for decades, worn down by a cruel past and crushed by the denial of the principle of self-determination. Today, the citizens of Kosovo, in their state won through self-sacrifice, feel more than ever the desire to close the chapter on the past and finally look the future in the eye, free, far from violence. With a clear vision for his project and admirable persistence in carrying it through to the end, Korab Basha shows us not only how Kosovo's soldiers look toward the future, exactly as every Kosovar citizen feels that desire for the future in their heart, but also that after many years of costly interventions by foreign armies, it is a great achievement for Kosovo to have an army of its own, and to enjoy, more than ever, this small yet enormous symbolism. The artist also reaches deep into contexts more global than our own region. He suggests to us that, in the end, peace begins with a smile.

Curator: Elton Koritari