TIRANA, July 18 – An exhibition of maps belonging to Kosovarian collectionist Afrim Ethemi and dating back to from the 15th to the 18th century opened at the Center for Openness and Dialogue.
The exhibition is titled ‘European Cartography and Albanian Speaking Territories.’
Ethemi’s collection includes 36 maps and five rare atlases. The maps date back as early as 1500 and they mainly show European, South-East European and Balkan territories.
Prime Minister Edi Rama greeted Ethemi’s collection through a status in his own Facebook account, also inviting all his followers to pay a visit at the COD.
“This map collection is related to a very special story from my student youth. While I was studying graphic design and architecture at the Brussels Academy of Fine Arts from ‘70- ‘74, I once stopped in front of an old map hanging from the wall, although I had no idea what it represented. Today, you cannot find that map there anymore…that’s how it all started,”
According to Ethemi, one of the exhibition’s main points of interest are the ability to see the extent to which Albanian territories lay so many centuries back.
“The collection gains value when it determines some criteria under which maps are collected. I usually find maps in specific spaces and places where they store and sell them. My collection also contains atlases mainly bought in Europe; Paris, Amsterdam, Brussels, Istanbul. Globally renowned authors have made them and sold them in different parts of the world,” he added.
The collectionist said his exhibition’s most praised item is an old, 555 map made by famous cartographer Shyter, where one can see the full extent of Albanian tribes, and their geographic positions.
Concerning his atlases, Ethemi said “they are interesting, because they are made in different ways and to serve different functions, and have important explanations. The collection is special, because the atlas is congruent with reality, published in Paris in 1832 and containing 28 maps and original notes that can serve other research purposes.”
Hanging at the ‘Meet the Artist’ hall, the maps make an academic discipline as much as they make an art exhibition, enabling visitors to see the frequent changes of borders, the different historical perceptions and the geographic and topographic details mirrored on them.
In addition to this exhibition, Ethemi has also hosted in the past personal exhibitions of paintings, graphics and drawings. His map collection has been exhibited at the National Museum of Prishtina and the National Gallery of Skopje.
At the OCD, the collection will remain open to the public until September 2nd.
