By D. Gell詍
Meeting with other Albanians is not rare around here; at least not in the Detroit Metropolitan area. You can meet them frequently in all places where people go for business or pleasure. You know who they are as they know you, just by looking on each-other. The mutual thoughts and feelings exchanged tacitly in cases like that deserve a whole essay itself. For now, I wanted to say that with Shaqe Kalaj everything was so different. She reached me in one of those days that make a strange feeling of lonesomeness grow asymmetrically everywhere inside you.
“I would like to meet with you, wrote she. I am Albanian too.” For less than a second, my whole me found the sun, the sky, and even the ocean missing that day. Life itself, sounded so right again. There was a lady somewhere,-one called by the name of such a delicate flower. “Your name is Manushaqe, I told her when we talked the other day on the phone”-a lady who had the desire to “become” Albanian and even the courage to be recognized as Albanian. Well, beside of not being a lot of fun, we all know that being Albanian is not that easy sometimes. This Shaqe Kalaj, however, is so committed to bring Albanians to the world and the world to Albania. Who would resist her compassion?
Who is Shaqe Kalaj?
I am an Albanian American artist, I was born in Montenegro and I grew up in Livonia, Michigan. I received my bachelors in Painting and graphic design from Wayne State University. I did some post-grad work at Eastern Michigan University in printmaking, and I received a teaching certificate from EMU as well. I am currently working toward getting a certificate in Creative Coaching. I have exhibited my work nationally as well as internationally.
How did you become an artist?
At the age of eight after the death of my father I started to make art on my own. I found that I was able to put who I was into a two-dimensional drawing. I was on a search of who I was and who I will become. It was obvious that I was talented. But when art gets a hold of you, you must follow where it takes you and that is what I did. I feel that art is a journey and if you follow it, thus you will be transformed.
How come you find your inspiration in Albanian culture?
I feel that I developed an understanding of culture by living in America and being of Albanian descent. A big topic in my work is gender issues, specifically female issues. As an Albanian woman and as an American woman I developed an understanding of women and their roles in these two distinct cultures. I am able to see and deconstruct these ideas into a body of work. Having been brought up as an Albanian allows me to see more clearly the roles women play. Most recently, I exhibited in Saitamo Japan at the Modern Museum of Art with a piece of art work called “American Woman.” In this work I questioned how young girls and women are defining themselves in reference to how the culture is inundating them with unreal expectations.
In future work I will explore the historic Albanian female wedding dress. Also the many faces that an Albanian woman wears. I am correlating the idea of the ornate clothing worn by women and the many faces that Albanian women possess.
I would like to do a show also that addresses the history of Albania in a contemporary format as well as address what it means to be Albanian today.
Do you think Albanian culture and tradition may add something special into an artist’s profile?
Definitely, if you look at the work of the famous Mexican Artist, Frida Kahlo who embraced her culture and brought so many aspects of her heritage into her work. You could also look at the Cuban artist, Ana Mendieta, who was brought to America as a young child and returned to her homeland to create brilliant environmental sculptures. I believe I am an artist who speaks of her autobiography, and my work addresses my heritage in many ways – directly and indirectly.
There is a recent work that I am exhibiting this March at the Woods Gallery in Huntington Woods, Michigan. The work is called “Fjala e Besa Baca Kurtit.” In this work I wanted to depict this hero and his love for the Albanian people. As a symbolist I have his heart connected to the heart of the Albanian Eagle. In one hand he has a rifle and the other hand he is holding people. It is an act of compassion that he is moved to fight. I believe what differentiates Albanians from other cultures is the emphasis of their spoken “Word.” The title of this work describes that it was Baco’s Word that moved him to protect his people.
If there is any, how would you describe the difference between male and female artist?
I believe there is a gender difference and how they give form into a painting. I think of many female artists before me who address issues in their work that redefine the female and the world we live in. Throughout Western history in art, women have been the subject matter and the male the inventor and the creator. Women artists in history had to take a different approach, no longer would they be the subject matter in “High Art.” Women artists in the contemporary movements did paint the female figure, but they did not paint them as passive but as powerful. They incorporated what it means to be a woman in our world and the traits we carry.
As a woman artist what drives my work is compassion. A Compassion for my subject matter, and the sensitivity to apply the content, that I weave into my work. I see myself as a humanitarian and one who speaks of the beauty of humanity as well as the injustice that invades our world.
What are some other interests of Shaqe Kalaj?
I love yoga, it is a wonderful way to exercise and know yourself. I also love dance and movement. I will often find myself dancing in the midst of painting. Water is important element to me as well, so I like to swim. Reading is essential it fuels my thoughts and inspires me.
I love to teach art. I love to see people’s potential and make it tangible. I love working with people of all ages. As an artist I believe that exhibiting your work is essential. So I will often find venues to show my students’ work. This past June the children I was working with exhibited in a Peace gallery in Detroit. In their work they addressed children’s rights.
I’m also a vegetarian and I love trying food from different cultures. I have been getting into Indian food lately. I was in Mexico this past summer and I loved the many foods I tried. But nothing is as good Albanian burek. Cheese of course.
Is any other thing you want the reader to know about you?
I spoke a lot about my ideas, but I wanted to explain my philosophy as an artist. Many artists define themselves by a style or a medium. When an artist does that they put themselves in a box. It is my intent to continue to reinvent myself in medium and style. I am currently working on realistic portraits and then I will move into abstract mixed media work. The current work I am exhibiting are woodcuts that have a rough and raw quality to them. I was inspired by Outsider Art and more recently Pop art. Let’s just say I have a lot of fun exploring art and what I can do.
Lastly, I wanted to confide and say that it is my aspiration to know my own language better. It is my intent to learn my mother tongue more fluently and to express myself sincerely through written and spoken word. Growing up in America you can lose yourself and lose an understanding of where you come from. But it is with intention that you find your beginning.
