Jakup Ferri, draws inspiration from Κosovar and other Balkan folk traditions, art brut and video game graphics, combining weaving, embroidery, painting and drawing to create a kaleidoscopic, joyful and playful realm where hierarchies between species are overturned. Animals, children, adults, acrobats and musicians all equally coexist and interact alluding to new ways of inter-species and inter-human communication. His handmade embroideries and carpets – produced in collaboration with female weavers from Kosovo, Albania, Burkina Faso and Suriname – help preserve expertise under threat from capitalism and globalisation. Just as industrialisation endangers ecosystem diversity by destroying natural habitats – and thus threatening non-human life in them – globalisation replaces artisanal traditions with standardised production. By choosing this medium and prioritising manual craftsmanship, Ferri resists the disappearance of these cultural practices. His creations pay tribute to the richness of local heritage while also creating spaces of learning, promoting social and cultural inclusion.

His site-specific installation, We We, depicts surreal scenes of everyday interactions where humans and animals meet on equal terms. Colourful and infused with humour, this installation features stylised figures of animals and humans reminiscent of the avatars from his son Jip Ferri’s favourite video game, Animal Crossing, where the player assumes the role of a human character who moves into a rural village populated with animals. By discarding relationships of domination, Ferri invites us to reconsider our place within an ecosystem where humans are no longer the focus but are instead integrated into a balanced and inclusive environment.