Photojournalist Hazir Reka,

tells a group of muralists,

“At that time it wasn’t easy for me to be in the public with my camera because the country was very sensitive to reporters like me, being in the public with a camera was no different to being in public with a weapon because of how much it could affect reality.” Reka’s referring to a tumultuous time in Kosovo’s history when the region was in the midst of war, an experience he shares with the artists who traveled to the region in September 2020 for Mural Fest Kosovo, above by Aruallan and Axel Void organized by the art collective Void Projects, which is helmed by Axel Void, the initiative sought to revitalize the public spaces within Ferizaj, a small city desolated by war,

by Emilio Cerezo

by Zane Prater

by Alba Fabre

by Doa Oa

by Maria Jose Gallardo fifteen international muralists—the list includesAruallan, Emilio Cerezo, Doa Oa, Alba Fabre, Maria Jose Gallardo, and Zane Prater—gathered for the project that U.K.-based filmmaker Doug Gillen documents in a new short film, throughout “Change,” Gillen follows ten of the artists as they immerse themselves in local life and engage with the city’s youngest residents through workshops and school initiatives that directly involved the children and teens in the creative process, “The greater this connection, the more effective the work. Exploring the human stories of Ferizaj in this way, at this very unique moment in time, felt like an important opportunity to document meaningfully,” Gillen said, 

you can watch the full film above to dive further into Kosovo’s history, and see all of the murals and glimpses into the artists’ experiences collaborating with Ferizaj residents on Void Projects’ Instagram, but for a much better resolution it would be better to see the film here.