Colours of Rahovec: Larissa Noury at the International Art Symposium 2026

“Art only begins where imitation ends.”– Oscar Wilde’s words echoed through the Artist’s House of Rahovec as the 25th International Art Symposium unfolded from 14 to 18 May 2026.

Curated by Mr. Skender Boshtrakaj, this quarter‑century celebration gathered nearly forty artists from France, Croatia, Germany, Albania, North Macedonia, Kosovo and Turkey, each bringing their singular vision to a fertile ground of exchange.

Supported by the Municipality of Rahovec, the Ministry of Culture, and the region’s famed wineries, the symposium became a living testament to the town’s devotion to art and heritage.

At the Rahovec symposium, dignitaries including Mayor Smail Latifi, Deputy Mayor Betim Zllanoga, and Director of Culture Atdhe Rama graced the gathering, joined by Mr. Bahri Zenelaj from the Ministry of Culture. The inauguration at Art House unfolded with a striking presentation of AI’s perspective on the artists, while international participants ventured to Pejë and the Visoki Dečani Monastery—Kosovo’s medieval jewel, founded in the 14th century by King Stefan Dečanski, now standing as a UNESCO World Heritage nomination and a timeless testament to spiritual grandeur.

Among the distinguished participants, Paris‑based colourist Dr. Larissa Noury stood out with her luminous diptych “Colours of Rahovec – 1,2.”

Inspired by the chromatic harmonies of local nature and the deep hues of wine production, her work embodied the spirit of Rahovec—where landscape and culture intertwine. Beyond the canvases, she created a dress in the tones of red vine and performed during the inauguration and at Bodrumi i Vjeter, weaving together painting, couture and performance into a vibrant tableau vivant.

The symposium’s program was rich: plein‑air painting, ateliers for students and young people with special needs, video‑art screenings, conferences, musical evenings, and even a rock concert. Visits to wineries like Stone Castle and Bodrumi i Vjeter added a sensorial depth, reminding participants that art, like wine, matures through patience and passion. With the presence of civic leaders and cultural dignitaries, Rahovec reaffirmed its role as a beacon of creativity.

COLOURS OF RAHOVEC: 25TH INTERNATIONAL ART SYMPOSIUM

Larissa Noury’s diptych, gifted to the Municipality, now stands as a chromatic homage to Rahovec’s vineyards and valleys—a reminder that true creation, as Oscar Wilde suggested, begins where imitation ends, and blossoms into a vision uniquely its own.

Chromatic Poetics of Rahovec

“I was inspired by symbolism of colour associations and their poetic meaning,” explained Larissa Noury, as she unveiled her tactile diptych born of Rahovec’s soul and spirit. Oil, acrylic, sand, local earth, silk paper and even real red wine fused into stratified images where hues became metaphors. Deep ruby and crimson pulsed with resistance and survival—the heartbeat of a nation. Emerald green and dust ochre clung stubbornly to ancestral land, while dark violet and brown carried the sediment of war, the bitterness of memory. Impressionistic yet expressionistic, her palette revealed how history has stained the soul of Kosovo.

On her painted dress, Larissa inscribed the verses of Ali Podrimja, Kosovo’s celebrated poet:

“In Rahovec’s glass, the sun is imprisoned,

The peasant’s hands have sculpted the ruby.

One drinks history, sulfur, and freedom,

Under a vine where time has finally fallen asleep.”

Podrimja’s chromatic language sharpened the resonance: red as wine, poppies, and blood—life and passion entwined with wounds. His words echoed through the vineyards:

“We don’t pick grapes; we gather the sun’s rays and turn them into liquid fire to keep our souls from freezing.”

THOUGH THE SYMPOSIUM HAS ENDED, THE EXHIBITION CONTINUES AT THE ART HOUSE OF RAHOVEC, INVITING THE PUBLIC INTO A DAZZLING DISPLAY OF COLORS AND EMOTIONS.

NEW PROJECTS AWAIT—PERSONAL EXHIBITIONS IN PRISTINA, AND FURTHER JOURNEYS WHERE ART, POETRY AND HISTORY CONVERGE INTO LUMINOUS EXPERIENCE.

Images: Dr. Larissa Noury