Galeria Kalo is a new arts gallery in Tirana, where one can appreciate great pieces of artwork by Albanian renowned artists, including works of ambitious young modern artists, and international artists too. The mission of Galeria Kalo is not only in promoting art and artists, but more in giving its contribution in educating the society, especially the youth, with the art values and improvement of fine arts legal framework, and the establishment of an art market in Albania.
The Gallery promotes visual art through exhibitions of artworks which are sponsored and supported by various entities, mainly from the Fondacioni Kalo (Kalo Foundation).
The foundation was founded in 2014 by Pà«rparim Kalo to support art and artists in Albania and across its borders, by building bridges between artists, collectors, galleries, museums and any other relevant institutions supporting art. It has a board of trustees consisting of Ardjana Kalo, Eni Kalo and Juna Kalo and is managed by Ardjana Kalo as Executive Director.
The exhibitions are also supported by Kalo & Associates law firm, and foundation partners such as the Australian, Austrian, German, Swiss and other Embassies, Alpha Bank, Vodafone, Tirana Business Park, Societe Generale, New York University of Tirana, AK-Invest, Tirana Bank, Union Bank, etc..
The works displayed come from owned collection, either from the foundation or private persons, from other galleries, both national and international, and from the artists themselves, Albanian or foreign. The special focus the gallery has is on inclusive art, newly emerging artists, and recycled art.
The personal collection names hundreds of artists, both foreign and Albanian, and the Albanian artists are contemporary artists, and also from the Socialist Realism period.
This last quarter of 2018, the Kalo gallery has hosted a few interesting exhibitions, choosing to close the year with renowned Albanian artists that chose to conquer and break traditional styles of painting.
Sept. 2018 displayed Ilir Pojani’s ‘’Exploring the Invisible’’. Pojani was an alluring painter in Tirana during early ‘90s, and also served as professor of the Arts Academy (today University of Arts). He has been living in USA for 20 years now, however, his paintings still hold a mysterious abstractionism and impressionism.
‘’Discovering the Invisible’’ was named after the artist’s interest in the human existentialism, its mysteries and how he can visualize the transcendence of its forms.
His new work permeates an inspiration from classical art and its magnificence, thus averting from pure abstractionism, but imposing a sort of meta-modern transcendence to the classic pieces. He invites his followers to give some attention to classical art, just like himself, but most notably what the European Renaissance did with classic art from the antiquity.
The paintings had a striking feeling, filled with the inseparable lines of blue and red, with some hints of yellow and green. The portraits had vivid, big eyes, almost animated. The faces were somehow clear, yet masked underneath layers and layers of paint, which gives an impression of the hundreds of shades of colors human have, and the spiritual fluctuation each of us faces daily.
The second exhibitions was ‘’Stories on Wood’’ by University of Arts professor and renowned artist Gazmend Leka. He has sealed his mastership by using a unique approach when telling stories about life and death. His preferred themes about Eva and Adam, Centaur and Minotaur, Crusaders, Kings and Queens, Pyramids, Pharaohs and Sarcophagus, Icarus, are told through symbols and metaphoric compositions.
Most of the stories depicted in this exhibition were affixed on canvas, but a great number were painted on wood and therefore had a different appearance from normal paintings on canvas. Leka’s style is distinct by the coordination of colors, where semi-darkness is predominant, but significant light shines from inside.
The third exhibition were a personal one from Leon Cika, a contemporary artist who works with painting and photography. This personal exhibition was a set of paintings dedicated to his granddaughter Alysse, by whom he was inspired to produce the work. The main theme of the work is centered around flowers, their depiction in various, strong colors, and love.
Finally, the gallery is participating in the project ‘’Procesi’’ (Process), an artistic and cultural event organized by the Faculty of Fine Arts. This event combines the creative and pedagogical process with the scientific one, through symposiums, workshops and open discussions on the issues of art and teaching. This framework will give a chance of participation not only to the academic staff which are focused on the scientific research, but also to the alumni of the University of Arts and other ex students who are continuing their studies in other institutions.
In this edition we have chosen to honor the world-known photographer Gjon Mili. Inspired by a series of photos he created in 1949, we choose the word “Process” for this event, considering that the creative process is the basic element in the artistic and scientific activity. Besides the optimal space provided by FAB Gallery, we decided to create a wider operational dynamic by collaborating with “Kalo Gallery” and “Zeta Gallery” . A wide program of events from this cultural activity can be found in the galleries, which will take place from Nov. 26 until Dec. 16, 2018.
In Kalo Gallery will be held a lecture by Dr. Ermir Hoxha on Dec. 4, who will give an historical perspective of Albanian photographers in America.
