Born in Durres, Albania ( 1970)
Lives and works in Milan, Italy, Toronto, Canada, & Tirana, Albania.
In 1994 she graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts in Tirana and moved to Italy to study at the Academy of Brera, Milan and graduated in 2000. In 2000 she won the bursary “Artists in Residence” from the Leube Art Program which took her to Vienna (where she attended master courses by Renée Green and Michelangelo Pistoletto at the Akademie Der Bildenden Kunste) and to Salzburg. In October 2004 she lectured at Apexart NY. In 2005 she won the 2nd Prize in the category Light Sculptures of the Targetti Light Art Award 2005 and now her work is part of the Targetti Art Collection and London Deutsche Bank collection. In 2007 she was invited by the Jerusalem Center for the Visual Arts as Artist in Residence. She won the CEC ArtsLink Residency October- November 2008 NY, (USA), Residence International Aux Recollets, Paris, France in 2010, AIR in Krems, Austria in 2011 and Artist in Residence at the Hammer Museum in L.A. February – May 2013 with formal presentation of work. September – October 2013 she was the artist in Residence at TICA in Tirana, Albania. Foreign Policy Magazine/State Department top 100 global Thinker, 2014, Washington, D.C. In Spring 2016 she was the Creative Fusion Artist part of the Cleveland Foundation’s international artist residency program.
Solo Exhibitions
2016
T’Ain’t Nobody’s Business if I Do, Zygote Press Gallery, Cleveland (OH). USA.
2014
Fearful Intentions, Josza Gallery, Brussels. Belgium.
2011
About translation, Galerie IG Bildende Kunst, Vienna. Austria. (Curated by Karin Perggener)
2010
Laws, Lies, Traditions & Convictions, Josza Gallery, Brussels. Belgium.
2009
Imagine the possibilities, Gallery Alessandro Bagnai. Florence, Italy. (Curated by James Putnam)
2008
Panoramic Landscapes, Herzliya Museum Israel
The 16 Ways, Gallery Braverman By Art Projects. Tel Aviv, Israel
2006
Something in common Gallery Anita Beckers, Frankfurt, Germany
Getting lost in Venice it’s wonderful Gallery Traghetto. Venice, Italy
2005
Object of Desire, Gallery The Flat – Massimo Carasi. Milan, Italy. (Curated by Gabi Scardi)
2004
Viaggio/Trip Studioventicinque, Milan, Italy
Group Exhibitions
2018
No Place like Home. Museu Coleção Berardo, Lisbona. Portugal.
2017
Dix Ans. Galerie Dix9, Paris, France. (Curated by Hélène Lacharmoise)
Art for Excellence 2017. Palazzo Carignano, Museo Nazionale del Risorgimento Italiano. Torino, Italy. (Curated Riccardo Costantini & Michele Bramante)
No Place like Home. Israeli Museum, Jerusalem. Israel. (Curated byAdina Kamien-Kazhdan)
Ghost: Memory Desire Power And Los. Rossmut Galleria d’Arte Contemporanea. Rome, Italy. (Curated by Elisa Fulco & Antonio Leone)
Eccentric spaces. Riccardo Costantini Contemporary. Torino, Italy. (Curated by Elena Inchingolo & Paola Stroppiana)
Drawing Biennale 2017. Drawing Room, London, England.
2016
The Pleasure of Love. Тhe 56th October Salon,Belgrade, Serbia. Yugoslavia. (Curated by David Elliott)
The Consequences of Love. Georgia Scherman gallery, Toronto, Canada. (Curated by Magda Gonzales-Mora)
2015
Between the Pessimism of the Intellect and the Optimism of the Will. The 5th Thessaloniki Biennial, Thessaloniki, Greece. (Curated by Katerina Gregos)
Drawing Biennial 2015. The Drawing Room, London. England.
2014
Under Erasure. Tel Aviv Museum of Art, Tel Aviv, Israel. (Curated by Irith Hadar)
Histoires de je.(Part1) Galerie Dix9, Paris, France. (Curated by Azad Asifovich &Hélène Lacharmoise)
ART IN PORT – Coexistence: for a new Adriatic koinè. Piramida, Tirana, Albania./National Art Gallery Cetinje, Montenegro/. Muzej Moderne, Rijeka, Croatia/ Magazzino del Sale, Venice/ Pino Pascali Foundation, Polignano a Mare, Italy.
Transmutation. Gallery Catherine Jozsa. Brussels, Belgium.
L’oeuvre au noir. Opus magnum. Gallery Catherine Jozsa. Brussels, Belgium.
Effacing Memory. Online Gallery The Drawing Center. NY, USA.
2013
What do you make of this? Gallery FAB Tirana, Albania.
Human Nature. Gallery Braverman. Tel Aviv, Israel.
2012
KAMA. Sesso e Design. Triennale Design Museum, Milano, Italy. (Curated by Silvana Annicchiarico).
The best of times, the worst of times. Rebirth and apocalypse in contemporary art. The 1st Kiev International Biennale of Contemporary Art. Kiev, Ukraine. (Curated by David Elliott).
Dress/id, the language of the self/ le langage de moi, Centre D’Art Passerelle, Brest. France. (Curated by Ulrike Kremeier).
2011
Magic Lantern: Recent Acquisitions in Contemporary Art at Israel Museum, Jerusalem.
7th Triennial of Contemporary Art, Tournai, Belgium.
Kunst–Stoff. Textilien in der Kunst seit 1960 at Städtische Galerie Karlsruhe, Germany.
Das Textile als Medium der zeitgenössischen Kunst at Kunst Archiv Darmstadt,Germany.
Geopathies, 54th International Art Exhibition Venice Biennale – Albanian Pavilion.
The five continents, International Triennial of Contemporary textile Arts of Tournai, Belgium.
Nach Strich und Faden, Fruehsorge Contemporary Drawing Gallery, Berlin. Germany.
Explore the potential of new technologies and alternative sourses @ Bloomberg, London. UK (Curated by Sigrid Wilkinson) Arts Co and commissioned by Bloomberg.
2010
Nove artisti per “Napoli milionaria” al Palazzo Ducale Martina Franca (TA) (a cura di Lia De Venere e Fabrizio Vona).
Edition 5 Erstfeld at the Haus für Kunst, Altdorf, Switzerland.
Säen und Jäten –Volkskultur in der zeitgenössischen Kunst. Städtische Galerie Bietigheim-Bissingen, Germany.
Non totalmente immemori, né completamente nudi, Galleria Communale d’Arte Contemporanea di Monfalcone. Italy. (Curated by Andrea Bruciati, Eva Comuzzi)
2009
Fragile, fields of empathy, Daejeon Museum of Art, Daejeon. South Korea.
Marvellous Reality Gallery Espace, New Delhi, India.
The Symbolic Efficiency of the Frame, 4th Tirana International Biennial, Albania. (Curatored by Joa Ljundberg & Edi Muka)
Säen und Jäten –Volkskultur in der zeitgenössischen Kunst. Städtische Galerie Ravensburg, Germany. (Curated by Dr. Nicole Fritz)
Threads, National Queer Arts Festival 2009, at SOMARTS Gallery, San Francisco, California, USA (Curated by Pamela Peniston & Courtney Dailey)
Fragile, fields of empathy, Museum of Sant Etiene. France
Windows onto the Sea, Strasbourg. France
Fuorisalone 2009, Plusdesign Gallery, Milan, Italy
Dritto Rovescio, Triennale Museum, Milan, Italy
2008
One Night Only at Taliesin West – Frank Lloyd Wright’s Foundation, Scottsdale – in collaboration with ASU Art Museum, Arizona, U.S.A. (Curated by John Spiak)
Micro narratives, Museum of Sant Etiene. France (Curated by Lorand Hegyi)
Mediations Biennale. Un voyage sentimentale 1st Poznan Biennial, Poland
The Bearable Lightness of being. The metaphor of the space, Palazzo Pesaro Papafava. 11th International Architecture Biennale Venice, Italy
Emergenze Creative MAR Museo d’Arte della Città di Ravenna, Italy
The thread as the line: Contemporary sewn art, Ellipse Arts Centre, Arlington, Virginia, USA (Curated by Cynthia Connolly)
Women’s Images/Frauenbilder, Kunsthalle Lingen, Germany.(Curated by Dr. Heiner Schepers)
2007
48th October Art Salon Belgrade, Serbia. Yugoslavia
Just in Time, Gallery Riccardo Crespi, Milan. Italy
2006
L’immagine sottile, Galleria Communale d’Arte Contemporanea di Monfalcone. Monfalcone, Italy
Echigo-Tsumari Art Triennial 2006, Japan
Das Pferd erzählen, Kunsthalle, Göppingen. Germany
Travelling Light. Nothing to lose, Chelsea Art Museum, New York, USA (Curated by Julia Draganovic)
2004
Place for the Self, Apexart, New York ,USA (Curated by Amnon Barzel)
Colours of Albania, National Gallery, Tirana, Albania. (Curated by Edi Muka)
2000
Noi amiamo l’Italia, l’Italia ama noi Mostra a latere del 51° Premio Michetti Palazzo Arnese, Ortona, Italy. (Curated by Edi Muka)
Travelling exhibition Junge Kunst Aus Italien: Kassel/ Documenta Halle, Magdeburg/Johanneskirche, Suermondt –Ludwig Museum, AachenPostdam/Kulturhaus Altes Rathaus, Karlsruhe, Badischer Kunstverein. (Curated by Dr. Ulrich Schneider)
Host Home Gallery 5020 Salzburg, Austria. (Curated by Peter Weiermaier and Amnon Barzel)
Special Projects
2013 – Artist-Led workshops in collaboration with psychologist Jeffrey Adams held at the Women Prison 325, Ali Demi, in Tirana, Albania directed by curator – Edi Muka.
Artist-Led workshops held at the Hammer Museum, Los Angeles, California directed by curator – Ali Subotnik.
2010 – Paper Therapy a community project held in London at Maggie’s Centre in Hammersmith at Charing Cross Hospital & Bloomberg employs at their offices in London. UK, in collaboration with Arts Co and commissioned by Bloomberg, London. Directed by – Sigrid Wilkinson – Arts Co.
2008 – One Night Only the U.S. Taliesin West – Frank Lloyd Wright’s Foundation, Scottsdale in collaboration with ASU Art Museum, Arizona, U.S.A Directed by John Spiak.
2007 – The Ethiopian Embroiderers workshop in collaboration with Jerusalem Centre for Visual Arts( JCVA), Tel Aviv, Israel. Directed by Nirith Nelson.
2006 – Taipei Contemporary Ink Painting Biennal. Taipei, Taiwan.
Echigo-Tsumari Art Triennial 2006, Two weeks workshop in Japan 2005.
Yellow Stickers: Urban intervention project in simultaneously with the 51st Venice Biennale.
Selected Awards and Residencies
2016 The Cleveland Foundation: Creative Fusion International Artist in Residence Program.
2013 Artist in Residence TICA Art LAB, Tirana. Albania.
Artist in Residence Hammer Museum, Los Angeles. USA.
2011 Artist-in-Residence Krems, Austria.
2010 Residence International Aux Recollets, Paris, France.
2008 CEC ArtsLink Residency October- November 2008 NY, @ ASU Museum Arizona. (USA).
2007 Artist in residence at Jerusalem Center for the Visual Arts, Jerusalem, Israel.
2006 Targetti Light Art Award 2005 @ Artefiera 2006, Bologna, Italy.
1999 Mercedes Benz Prize Centro d’Arte la Loggia, Montefiridolfi, (FI). Italy.
Public & Private Collections
National Museum of Women in the Arts, Washington, DC. USA
National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC. USA
Israeli Museum Collection, Jerusalem, IL.
Mint Museum Collection, Charlotte, NC. USA
Deutsche Bank Collection, London, UK.
Collection of Peggy Scott and David Teplitzky, Asia.
Targetti Art Light Collection, Florence, Italy.
Collection of Galleria Comunale dell’Arte Contemporanea di Monfalcone, Monfalcone, Italy.
Collection of Anthony and Heather Podesta, Washington, DC. USA
Edition5 Collection, Erstfeld, Switzerland.