On a single evening, a one-night pop-up exhibition entitled What Are You Waiting For? took place in Red Hook, New York City, on July 29th. The chosen space, a quiet refuge from the surrounding urban intensity, offered a moment to reconnect with oneself amidst the overwhelming influx of experiences and information — a condition that initially inspired the idea to host the exhibition there.

What Are You Waiting For? explored the existential pursuit of purpose and the inherent conflict between anticipation and fulfillment. The act of waiting was not presented as passive but as a profound engagement with time and existence. In Kosova, waiting has long been tied to political and social isolation, shaping both collective and individual psyches. The exhibition began with Waiting Game (2020) in the hallway before leading to the rooftop, symbolically tracing this journey. Revisiting the theme years later in New York City, the concept expanded to address contemporary forms of waiting shaped by global capitalism, digital culture, and social expectations. The works invited reflection on how societal norms influence our search for meaning and how identity is constantly constructed and undone through this process.

The artworks were inspired by personal experiences in New York, where the overwhelming environment deeply affected my sense of self. The constant flow of information and stimuli disrupted my physical awareness, prompting me to depict not only my own body but also those of strangers encountered in the subway. These fleeting moments of observation became meditations on social difference, class, and race, and on the shared yet fragmented nature of urban existence.

The works presented were part of an ongoing investigation — sketches, works in progress, and finished pieces that together offered a personal and intimate observation. The exhibition aimed to open space for dialogue among visitors, using these works as a starting point for conversation about time, self, and the collective experience of waiting.

This exhibition was made possible with the support of Marie-Thérèse De Belder and the Residency Unlimited Team.