George Pali, 56, returns to Tirana with his first solo exhibition at the National Art Gallery after a quarter of a century of living in the United States where he settled after courageously escaping Albania in 1988.
TIRANA, Oct. 28 – Painter George (Gjergj) Pali has returned home with a solo exhibition 25 years after dramatically escaping Albania just before the collapse of the country’s communist regime in the early 1990s. Pali, 56, returns to Tirana with his first solo exhibition at the National Art Gallery after a quarter of a century of living in the United States where he settled after courageously escaping Albania in 1988. His ‘Journey’ exhibition, open at the National Arts Gallery since October 28, brings a number of works produced recently, most of which in 2013 in his studio in Stamford, Connecticut, USA, where he lives and works.
Vladimir Myrtezai, the curator of the exhibition which will remain open until November 14, says “Pali’s creative output demonstrates an intensive artistic research, a fertile imagination, which combines well the genres of painting and collage.” “His work rests upon two main pillars: one is a current of subconscious reminiscence closely related to music, which he often transforms in a thoroughly instrumental form in his paintings, whilst the second comes from the author’s traumatic journey during which he often considers the origin of life describing it through an openly tragic humor in his paintings.”
Born in the northern Albanian city of Shkodra, Pali graduated from the Academy of Arts in Tirana in 1980. “In January 1988 I escaped from Albania for political and artistic freedom. Same year emigrated to USA where I pursued my Master of Fine Arts at Michigan State University, I graduated in 1991. Now I live in North Stamford, CT. Presently I’m painting at in my new studio, 89 Mill Spring Lane, Stamford, CT 06903,” says the artist in his website.
He describes his paintings as colorful, textured, and technically executed. “My images weave images of music, my past and remains of my daily life and experiences, colors shapes patterns and compositions. Expressionistic, painterly, and inspirational.”
George Pali is the winner of 2012 Leone’d’Oro dell’Arte (Golden Lion of Arts), Monte Carlo (Monaco).
“Many times I incorporate collages of musical notes in my paintings and other textured objects to create flat and two dimensional impressions. Real and unrecognized imagery, parts of musical instruments and other objects (related to them) it gives me the upper hand in creating interesting and spontaneous “Jazz” and “Classic” compositions,” he says.
“Aside from music, everyday life, reading, traveling, visiting galleries and art museums, have a direct influence in my paintings. I have been very fortunate to have quite a few Art Galleries representing me throughout US, and my oil paintings are collected in US, Europe and Asia,” added Pali.
