Using both wood and metal, Kreshnik Xhiku creates forms with an architectural essence, yet maintains the clear mark of the “artist’s hand
TIRANA, Sept. 16 – Albanian-American sculptor is exploring the bounds between figurative and abstracted sculpture in a solo exhibit at the Art League Gallery in Alexandria, Virginia.
Using both wood and metal, Xhiku creates forms with an architectural essence, yet maintains the clear mark of the “artist’s hand.” The warmth and natural texture of the wood sculptures serves as a counterpoint to the cooler aura of the bronze pieces. The chosen medium often informs the end result – some pieces incorporate hints of whimsy, like the stark torso form with a fabric bowtie, while others are more ominous, like the soldier cast in bronze.
By exhibiting both contemporary figurative and abstract work, Xhiku shows that there is not always a clear-cut line between the two modes of expression. The sculptor sees his creative process as a progression. Each piece influences the next, making them “part of the same effort.”
As an instructor of drawing and sculpture at the Art League for over a decade, Xhiku has shared his creative vision with countless students. Beginning his career in his native Albania where he received a Bachelor of Arts in sculpture from the Academy of Fine Arts in Tirana, Xhiku has exhibited his work internationally in locations such as Turkey, Greece, and the United States. His academic research interests include the history of Albanian sculpture and the development of memorials. He has been commissioned to create large-scale sculptures for public spaces and parks throughout the United States and Europe.
Kreshnik Xhiku is also the author of the Mother Teresa monument at the International Gardens, Cleveland, the Skanderbeg monument in London and Kong Zog’s monument in Tirana, all in bronze.
His “Structural elements” exhibition at the Art League Gallery will remain open to the public until October 7.
