NEWBORN MONUMENT

Installed in 2008 in front of the Palace of Youth and Sports, this work of contemporary art (Monumenti i Newborn, Spomenik Newborn) is one of the symbols of modern Kosovo. It is composed of seven steel pieces (9 tons in total) spread over 24 m in length and forming the capital letters N, E, W, B, O, R and N, and the English word newborn. Each of the letters is 3 m high and 90 cm thick. The word newborn was chosen because it has two meanings: it means both "newborn" and "reborn" (past participle of the verb "to be reborn"). Thus, the monument evokes both the official "birth" of the young state and the "rebirth" of a territory with an older history. The monument was created on the initiative of Fisnik Ismaili (b. 1973), an advertising executive, satirical cartoonist, politician and former member of the KLA (Kosovo Liberation Army). The idea appealed to the authorities and the work was unveiled on 17 February 2008, the day the country declared its independence. The next day, the photograph of the Newborn monument was featured on the front page of many newspapers around the world to illustrate the declaration of independence. The work thus quickly gained international notoriety, contributing to Kosovo's efforts to gain recognition.

Decoration and controversy. In the days following the inauguration, some 150,000 people engraved or inscribed their names on the letters of the monument. Then, it was redecorated several times, as in 2013, with the flags of nations recognizing Kosovo's independence. More disturbingly, in 2021 it sported a camouflage motif in support of former KLA members being prosecuted by international justice for crimes against humanity. In addition to the fact that some minorities in the country do not recognize themselves in this monument, it is also at the center of a dispute over copyright. The FF DIN font used to design the seven letters has been a registered trademark recognized by the Typographical Association since 1994. Since then, it has been the best-selling typeface in the world. However, its creator, the Dutchman Albert-Jan Pool (born 1960), is opposed to its use by Kosovo, at least in the context of commercial reproductions, for which he receives no royalties. The Newborn monument has become an icon of the small Kosovar tourism industry, and has been used as a key ring, decorative object, T-shirt, etc.