The atmosphere of the exhibition revolves around the idea of “Far and Close”, which encompasses an organic feeling generated from the developing art scene of Albania and Kosovo since the start of the 20th century
TIRANA, Nov. 18 – Fifty paintings from half a century of creativity by Kosovo painter Rexhep Ferri have arrived in Tirana for a one-month display at the National Art Gallery. The exhibition called “Far and Close” brings a series of oil on canvas paintings by Ferri who is also a renowned writer and academic in Kosovo. Curated by Suzana Varvarica, an art researcher at the National Art Gallery, the selected paintings are part of a 50-year long evolving body of work, with the earliest, from 1967 entitled “Instruction”. The atmosphere of the exhibition revolves around the idea of the title, “Far and Close”, which encompasses an organic feeling generated from the developing art scene of the two Albanian-speaking countries since the start of the 20th century.
Rexhep Ferri belongs to the group of artists that created their own style, through careful study and research of modernism. He successfully overcame its imposing early influences and was able to master his own visual language, where the pure figurative imagery stands out. In his painting the initial subject dissolves like an impression and his imaginary medium gains the ultimate power, standing out unambiguously amongst the endless riches of inner figurative experiences.
The exhibition will remain open at the National Art Gallery from November 18 to December 15.
Rexhep Ferri was born in Kukes, Albania, on 10 October 1937. His family and he have lived across almost the entire massive of Northern Albanian Alps. Ferri completed his secondary art school studies in Peja in 1958 and earned a degree in painting in 1966 at the Academy of Arts in Belgrade. His creative impulse has had a twin life, simultaneously working in painting and literature. In 1962, he published his first poems in the book “The late walkers” and in 1967 had his first solo show as a painter at the gallery of the Prishtina Cultural Center. In 1974, he was appointed at the Academy of Figurative Arts in Prishtina. In 2000, he was elected member of the Academy of Arts and Sciences of Kosova, where he currently works.
