Exhibition: "SEE THROUGH THE NOISE" by VII Foundation
/ 26.08.2026 / 19:00 / Barabar Centre - Grand 4th Floor /
Photo: © John Stanmeyer / VII Foundation – African migrants on the shore of Djibouti City at night raise their phones in an attempt to catch an inexpensive signal from neighboring Somalia—a tenuous link to relatives abroad.
Exhibition: SEE THROUGH THE NOISE
Production & Curation: Ziyah Gafic / Gary Knight / Yonola Viguerie
The dawn of the digital era enabled the creation of VII on the 8th of September 2001. Three days later, Al Qaeda attacked the United States. In the following months, while the burning dust of the Twin Towers still choked New York, all seven founding members documented the violence that followed. In the ensuing years, as the narrative of the new century was being written, they photographed the invasion and occupation of Iraq, the wars in the Middle East, and the chaos that smothered an unjust world. The name VII became synonymous with courageous and impactful photojournalism.
VII went small and photographer-owned. The photographers believed in the power and energy of intimate collective effort at a time when corporations were acquiring smaller photo agencies and consolidating what had been a rich and diverse ecosystem into giant conglomerates. VII was created to give its members independence and enhance their ability to work on stories that mattered in partnership with the world’s leading press. It created new opportunities the photographers could not imagine. But the digital revolution that enabled the growth of VII also precipitated a catastrophic loss in revenue for its clients in the press.
Photojournalism means taking risks; it requires initiative, resourcefulness, empathy, and courage. It also involves trust, imagination, collaboration, and partnership. Publications and the photo agencies that served them were once essential partners in the life of a photojournalist. But trying to sell the news to a public that expects it for free means the press has fewer resources to deploy independent photographers and commission original work. Consequently, the media and photo agencies now have less impact and influence on the production of visual journalism. So, what next?
Anticipating the shrinking space the media would occupy in the lives of photographers, The VII Foundation was created to innovate and lead in the non-profit arena, unlimited by the constraints of the editorial marketplace. One of its objectives is to train and support photographers as they continue scrutinizing a world in turmoil and hold those who crave power to account. Ours is a world where leaders regard facts as optional, human rights as an inconvenience, and where it is increasingly difficult to differentiate between artifice and truth. Even the word truth is hard to explain — and is best defined by being the opposite of something — falsehood.
This was the first collective exhibition by VII in Arles, marking the acquisition of VII Photo by The VII Foundation in 2023. The featured photographs are among the most significant images depicting the events and issues they portray. They serve as an enduring testament to the importance, within our fragile societies, of a bold form of journalism that is free of artifice and falsehood — a pillar that is essential to The VII Foundation.
Encompassing photography bearing witness to historical events and critical review, selected work includes photography by:
Some of these works received the most coveted prizes in photography, such as World Press Photo of the Year, and were featured on pages of leading publications such as TIME magazine, National Geographic, Le Monde, The New York Times, Pari Match, others led to investigations to war crimes in Iraq and were used as court evidence in International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia.
Exhibition: "BEHIND THE VEIL" by Barry Lewis
/ 31.08.2024 / 19:00 / National Museum of Kosova - Lapidarium /
Photo: © Barry Lewis
Exhibition: BEHIND THE VEIL by Barry Lewis
Albania through isolation and transition
“Oh, we’re back in the Balkans again, back to the joy and the pain. What if it burns or it blows or it snows? We’re back to the Balkans again. Back, where tomorrow the quick may be dead, With a hole in his heart or a ball in his head. Back, where the passions are rapid and red, Oh, we’re back to the Balkans again!”
Song of the Balkan Peninsula, Edith Durham, 1908
In the 1970’s, along with half of my generation, I believed that socialism was the way forward and made photographic journeys to the USSR, Cuba, East Germany and Romania. Strangely the country that exerted the strangest charm for me, without my having visited it, was Albania. Tales of a closed country, following an isolated Stalinist path of socialism, then turning its back on the Eastern bloc and embracing Maoism, was always fuelling my imagination. The hum and whistle of Radio Tirana with its flat monotonal commentary and its mix of martial and folk music triggered visions of a secret land behind mist-covered mountains. The excesses of the capitalist world vision epitomized by “Voice of America” had lost any allure for me, and a secretive country which banned beards, pornography, Americans, and idolised Norman Wisdom cried out to be visited.
In 1990 I joined a group of twelve people, made up of spies, tourists, journalists, a retired farmer, a botanist and a rock musician, on an “archaeological study tour”. Between us we had about four words of Albanian, a 1960’s phrase book and a lot of fear, especially as the timing of the visit followed hard on the heels of the fall of the Berlin wall and fighting had just started in Kosova. We were taken from co-op to commune, listened to traditional folk singers and as a grand finale visited the Enver Hoxha state tractor factory (devoid of tractors). Between the lines, however, we could see a country in its death throes. People whispered at night of demonstrations and unrest, asking endless questions about the West and… Norman Wisdom.
We were one of a few groups to visit Shkodra and made a limited trip to the north where, in the inaccessible mountains, a way of life had resisted forty years of repression. Here in these isolated heights, village and tribal life was based on the Kanun, a rigid set of codes from medieval times, based on honour and blood. My interest was whetted, fed by fantasy and reading Edith Durham’s accounts of living with the “Mountaineers” in her book, ‘High Albania’.
President Hoxha died in 1985 and in a wave of riots signalling the end of the one-party state, his statue was toppled on 21st February, 1991. I returned to the country with the writer Ian Thompson in March as the mountain snows melted and access to the northern mountains became possible. The area had been closed to foreigners for forty years as Hoxha’s party control had encountered real problems with the fiercely independent population of the region. The journey, this time, was better organised. It needed to be. The country was in a state of anarchy and navigating our way on the difficult roads, anger and crime were a constant reminder of life as it had been. We were lucky to be some of the first Westerners to meet the generous people of the highlands who took us into their homes and fed us despite severe shortages. People followed their law “Our house belongs to God and guest” and we were always under the host’s protection and given both food and gracious company. When we came upon the mournful funeral of a young man in the village of Kalimash, way up in the mountains, not only did they let a stranger photograph a painful and deeply personal ritual, but we were taken to the father’s house where gifts of food were thrust on us, with the words: “We are so sorry. It is our custom to place a roasted sheep on the table in front of guests. But we don’t have the means anymore.”
Europe was changing at an unprecedented pace, through technology and the free flow of people, this corner of the Balkans was moving from a closed society, full of dark secrets and fierce bravery on it’s difficult and journey towards a new beginning.
I hope this work honours these people!
BARRY LEWIS
Barry Lewis started as a chemistry teacher with photography as a hobby. Barry stopped teaching in 1974 when he won a scholarship to the Royal College of Art where he studied under Bill Brandt. In 1976 he won the Vogue award and worked for a year with the magazine. In 1977 he received an arts council grant to photograph commuting in London, which was exhibited in the Museum of London and the Southbank. In 1981 & 83 he was exhibited in the Photographers Gallery, for ‘New Work on Britain’ and a solo show, ‘A Week in Moscow’ Working mainly for magazines, in 1999 he was a co-founder of the photo agency Network which played an important role in British Photojournalism for over 20 years. A regular contributor to Life Magazine, National Geographic, and the Sunday Times, Barry has worked globally until 2014 and made over 20 books. He has exhibited throughout the world and received several awards including the Leica medal for humanitarian photography. From 2015 for 5 years Barry worked mainly on documentary films but has returned to photography in 2021 when he started his current work, “Intersections”: a study of London through portraits and words of the people.
Exhibition: "BORN FREE – Mandela’s Generation of Hope" by Ilvy Njiokiktjien - VII Foundation / 30.08.2024 / 19:00 / Barabar Centre - Grand 4th Floor /
Photo: © Ilvy Njiokiktjien – VII Foundation / Wilmarie Deetlefs, 24, together with her boyfriend, Zakithi Buthelezi, 27, on a night out in Johannesburg, South Africa on Nov. 1, 2018. They are both part of South Africa’s ‘born free generation,’ youngsters who were born around the ending of the racial segregation system, apartheid.
EXHIBITION: “BORN FREE – Mandela’s Generation of Hope” by Ilvy Njiokiktjien
Production & Curation: Ziyah Gafić
Born Free – Mandela’s Generation of Hope by Ilvy Njiokiktjien opens at Barabar Centre, Prishtina, Kosova, on August 30th, 2024.
This year marks the thirtieth anniversary since Nelson Mandela became president of South Africa, initiating a new chapter for the country. This spring, elections are being held in South Africa, and for the first time in 30 years, polls indicate that the ANC (African National Congress) may not be the largest party.
Since 2007, VII Photo contributing photographer Ilvy Njiokiktjien has chronicled South Africa’s first post-apartheid generation. She became intrigued by these young adults and has followed the stories of more than 30 so-called ‘Born Frees’, portraying their daily lives in her distinctive and intimate style. The work provides insight into a generation trying to find their way in a country where apartheid no longer exists but a long history of exclusion and discrimination has not simply disappeared. “Equality is there on paper, but a majority of young people believe the legacy of centuries of inequality is still there.”
Born Free — Mandela’s Generation of Hope is a documentary, interactive website, book, and traveling exhibition.
ILVY NJIOKIKTJIEN
Ilvy Njiokiktjien (1984) is a photojournalist and filmmaker who has been creating and sharing stories for nearly two decades. Ilvy is based in Utrecht, the Netherlands, and she is a contributing photographer to VII Photo. Ilvy Njiokiktjien is committed to documenting the social and political issues that shape our world. Her work is characterized by a sensitive eye and a compassionate and personal relationship with her subjects. Her background, growing up in the Netherlands as a child of Dutch and Chinese Indonesian parents, played a role in this.
In addition to long-term projects like Born Free, Njiokiktjien teaches masterclasses, lectures, and extended lesson programs to young professionals, and she hosts podcasts. Clients include National Geographic NL, ICP (New York), The VII Foundation, and Canon. Njiokiktjien studied at the School of Journalism in Utrecht. Part of this period she spent abroad at Rhodes University in Makhanda, South Africa.
Exhibition: "MONUMENT" by Albes Fusha
/ 27.08.2026 / 19:00 / Galeria e Fakultetit të Arteve /
Photo: © Albes Fusha
EXHIBITION: “MONUMENT” by Albes Fusha
In the photographic project “Monument”, Albes Fusha returns to one of the most charged symbols of Albanian collective memory: the lapidar (monument). Once erected as a monument to sacrifice, resistance, and collective ideals, the lapidar appears in this series not merely as a physical object, but as a metaphor for the transformation of society’s relationship with history, memory, and the system of values that has shaped it. Through a restrained, minimalist, yet provocative visual language, Fusha documents the presence of these monuments within the contemporary Albanian landscape. Positioned among new constructions, advertisements, urban infrastructure, and neglected spaces, the lapidars emerge as silent witnesses to an era that seems to have lost its former power of orientation. They remain physically present, yet their meaning appears displaced, diminished, or transformed. The exhibition’s concept plays on the historic proclamation “The King is dead, long live the King,” suggesting a transition from heroism as a collective value to “heroization” as an ongoing process of producing, consuming, and replacing public figures, myths, and narratives. In this sense, the project addresses not only the past, but also the ways in which contemporary society constructs, uses, and forgets its symbols. Without adopting a political or ideological position, the exhibition invites viewers to reflect on the mechanisms of memory and forgetting, the fate of monuments, and the transformation of values within a rapidly changing reality. The photographs do not provide answers; rather, they create spaces for questioning, where past and present coexist in a state of continuous tension. As an integral part of the project, the exhibition is accompanied by a dedicated publication that expands the dialogue initiated within the gallery space. Through photographs and reflective texts, the publication extends the experience of the work beyond the exhibition itself, transforming it into an open archive of discussion on memory, identity, and the role of values in contemporary Albanian society. Continuing his artistic practice, which combines documentary observation with conceptual reflection, Albes Fusha proposes a new reading of the monument as a cultural object: not as a relic of the past, but as a mirror reflecting how a society sees itself through time.
EKSPOZITA: “LAPIDARI”
nga Albes Fusha
Në projektin fotografik “Lapidari”, Albes Fusha rikthehet te një nga simbolet më të ngarkuara të kujtesës kolektive shqiptare: lapidari. Dikur i ngritur si monument i sakrificës, i qëndresës dhe i idealit kolektiv, lapidari shfaqet në këtë seri jo vetëm si objekt fizik, por si metaforë e transformimit të marrëdhënies së shoqërisë me historinë, kujtesën dhe sistemin e vlerave që e ka formësuar. Përmes një gjuhe vizuale të përmbajtur, minimaliste dhe njëkohësisht provokuese, Fusha dokumenton praninë e këtyre monumenteve në peizazhin bashkëkohor shqiptar. Të vendosur mes ndërtimeve të reja, reklamave, infrastrukturës urbane apo hapësirave të lëna pas dore, lapidarët shfaqen si dëshmitarë të heshtur të një kohe që duket se ka humbur funksionin e saj orientues. Ato mbeten të pranishme fizikisht, por kuptimi i tyre duket se është zhvendosur, zbehur ose transformuar. Koncepti i ekspozitës luan me formulën historike “Mbreti vdiq, rroftë mbreti”, duke sugjeruar një tranzicion nga heroizmi si vlerë kolektive drejt “heroizimit” si proces i vazhdueshëm prodhimi, konsumimi dhe zëvendësimi të figurave, miteve dhe narrativave publike. Në këtë kuptim, projekti nuk trajton vetëm të kaluarën, por edhe mënyrën sesi shoqëria bashkëkohore ndërton, përdor dhe harron simbolet e saj. Pa marrë një pozicion politik apo ideologjik, ekspozita fton publikun të reflektojë mbi mekanizmat e kujtesës dhe harresës, mbi fatin e monumenteve dhe mbi transformimin e vlerave në një realitet që ndryshon me ritme të shpejta. Fotografitë nuk ofrojnë përgjigje; ato krijojnë hapësira pyetjesh, ku e shkuara dhe e tashmja bashkëjetojnë në tension të vazhdueshëm. Si pjesë integrale e projektit, ekspozita shoqërohet edhe me një botim të dedikuar, i cili zgjeron dialogun e nisur në hapësirën ekspozuese. Përmes fotografive dhe teksteve reflektuese, publikimi e shtrin përvojën e veprës përtej galerisë, duke e kthyer atë në një arkiv të hapur diskutimi mbi kujtesën, identitetin dhe rolin e vlerave në shoqërinë shqiptare të sotme. Në vazhdën e praktikës së tij artistike, e cila ndërthur dokumentimin me reflektimin konceptual, Albesi propozon një lexim të ri të monumentit si objekt kulturor: jo si një relike e së kaluarës, por si një pasqyrë e mënyrës sesi një shoqëri e sheh veten në kohë.
ALBES FUSHA
Associate Professor Albes Fusha (b. 1968, Tirana, Albania) is a photographer, visual artist, painter, curator, and educator, widely recognized as one of the leading figures of contemporary Albanian art. He graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts in Tirana in 1994 and is the founder and head of the Photography Study Program at the University of Arts in Tirana, where he has played a pivotal role in educating new generations of artists and advancing photographic education in Albania. Fusha’s artistic practice spans photography, painting, and installation, distinguished by an elegant, minimalist, and emotionally refined visual language. Best known for his long-term documentary projects, his work explores themes of spiritual rituals, identity, collective memory, presence, and trace. Drawing from elements of everyday reality, he transforms ordinary experiences into spaces of contemplation and conceptual inquiry. In painting, he pursues an ongoing exploration of emotion and space, while in photography composition and idea become inseparable components of his artistic vocabulary. For more than two decades, Fusha has exhibited extensively in Albania and internationally, participating in exhibitions and cultural events across Italy, Austria, Poland, Greece, Canada, and the United States. His notable exhibitions include Orvieto Fotografia (Italy), the Venice Architecture Biennale (Italy, 2018), Myro Gallery in Thessaloniki (Greece), Kultur Kontakt and Art Point in Vienna (Austria), as well as exhibitions in Ottawa, Bydgoszcz, North Carolina, Prishtina, Gostivar, and numerous cities throughout the region. His artistic achievements have been recognized with several awards, including the Photographer of the Year Prize awarded by KULT (2005) and two Marubi Photography Awards (1998 and 2001). As a curator, jury member, and collaborator with international photography platforms such as FIOF (Italy), Fokus Award (Albania), and IPFA (Spain), he has made a significant contribution to the development and promotion of contemporary photography in Albania and the wider region. Through a body of work that combines poetic sensitivity with conceptual rigor, Albes Fusha continues to be one of the most influential voices in contemporary Albanian visual culture. Ja një version i unifikuar, i redaktuar dhe i pasuruar, i përshtatshëm për katalogë ekspozitash, muze, festivale dhe publikime kuratoriale:
Prof. Asoc. Albes Fusha (Tiranë, 1968) është fotograf, artist vizual, piktor, kurator dhe pedagog, një nga figurat më të rëndësishme të artit bashkëkohor shqiptar. I diplomuar në Akademinë e Arteve të Bukura në Tiranë në vitin 1994, ai është themelues dhe drejtues i Programit të Studimit të Fotografisë në Universitetin e Arteve në Tiranë, ku prej vitesh luan një rol kyç në formimin e brezave të rinj të artistëve dhe në zhvillimin e edukimit fotografik në Shqipëri. Veprimtaria e tij artistike shtrihet ndërmjet fotografisë, pikturës dhe instalacionit, duke u karakterizuar nga një gjuhë vizuale elegante, minimaliste dhe emocionalisht e përmbajtur. I njohur veçanërisht për projektet e tij afatgjata dokumentare, Fusha trajton tema që lidhen me ritualet shpirtërore, identitetin, kujtesën kolektive, praninë dhe gjurmën, duke e transformuar realitetin e përditshëm në një hapësirë reflektimi dhe kërkimi konceptual. Në pikturë ai zhvillon një dialog të vazhdueshëm me emocionin dhe hapësirën, ndërsa në fotografi kompozimi dhe ideja bëhen elemente të pandashme të gjuhës së tij artistike. Prej më shumë se dy dekadash, ai ka ekspozuar gjerësisht në Shqipëri dhe ndërkombëtarisht, duke marrë pjesë në ekspozita dhe ngjarje të rëndësishme në Itali, Austri, Poloni, Greqi, Kanada dhe Shtetet e Bashkuara të Amerikës. Ndër ekspozitat më të rëndësishme përmenden Orvieto Fotografia (Itali), Bienalja e Arkitekturës në Venecia (2018), Galeria Myro në Selanik, Kultur Kontakt dhe Art Point në Vjenë, si dhe ekspozita në Ottawa, Bydgoszcz, North Carolina, Prishtinë, Gostivar dhe qytete të tjera të rajonit. Për veprimtarinë e tij artistike është vlerësuar me çmimin “Fotografi i Vitit” nga KULT (2005), si dhe me dy çmime “Marubi” (1998 dhe 2001). Si kurator, anëtar jurish dhe bashkëpunëtor i platformave ndërkombëtare si FIOF (Itali), Fokus Award (Shqipëri) dhe IPFA (Spanjë), ai ka dhënë një kontribut të rëndësishëm në zhvillimin dhe promovimin e fotografisë bashkëkohore në Shqipëri dhe në rajon. Përmes një krijimtarie që ndërthur ndjeshmërinë poetike me kërkimin konceptual, Albes Fusha vazhdon të mbetet një nga zërat më të spikatur të artit bashkëkohor shqiptar. Kjo formë ka ton më institucional dhe kuratorial, e përshtatshme për ekspozita retrospektive, katalogë muzealë dhe biografi artistësh me profil ndërkombëtar.
Exhibition: "THE LIGHT OF SILENCE" by Blerta Syla Surroi
Curated by Elton Korritari
/ 16.10.2025 / 17:00 / Galeria Qahili /
Photo: © Blerta Syla Surroi
EXHIBITION: “The Light of Silence” by Blerta Syla Surroi – Curated by Elton Koritari
The exhibition “The Light of Silence” by artist Blerta Syla Surroi constructs an intimate and poetic space between personal memory, art, and the quietness of everyday life. Through contemporary imagery, the artist creates a sensitive dialogue between her close ones, terracotta sculptures, and fragments of life that usually remain unnoticed. Light in Blerta’s images is not merely a visual element, but an emotional language that reveals inner silence and the traces of time, where photography becomes a meditative space in which intimacy transforms into a universal experience. At the center of the concept lies the idea of symbiotic transformation — clay that takes shape and begins to speak, acrobatic human figures, and ordinary objects that acquire a conceptual symbolic dimension. The artist approaches photography as a process similar to ceramics: slow, tactile, and constructed through a sensitivity to light and time. Her images create a calm contemporary aesthetic where the boundaries between the documentary and the poetic dissolve, while everyday life is presented as a silent ritual of existence. This exhibition is a reflection on human presence in a world overwhelmed by noise and constant dynamics. Through minimal compositions, subtle tonalities, and an introspective atmosphere, the exhibition invites the viewer to pause before the fragility of small moments and to rediscover the silent beauty of life. In the context of contemporary visual art, this approach creates an authentic narrative in which photography functions simultaneously as memory and visual poetry. Elton Koritari
“Drita e Heshtjes”
Ekspozita “Drita e Heshtjes” nga artistja Blerta Syla Surroi ndërton një hapësirë intime dhe poetike ndërmjet kujtesës personale, artit dhe përditshmërisë së heshtur. Përmes imazheve bashkëkohore, autorja krijon një dialog të ndjeshëm mes njerëzve të saj të afërt, terakotave dhe fragmenteve të jetës që zakonisht mbeten jashtë vëmendjes. Drita në imazhet e Blertës nuk është vetëm si element vizual, por si gjuhë emocionale që zbulon heshtjen e brendshme dhe gjurmët e kohës ku fotografia bëhet një hapësirë meditimi ku intimiteti shndërrohet në përvojë universale. Në qendër të konceptit qëndron ideja e transformimit simbiotik, balta që merr formë dhe flet, figurat njerëzore akrobatike dhe objektet e zakonshme që fitojnë dimension simbolik konceptual. Autorja i qaset fotografisë si një proces i ngjashëm me qeramikën: i ngadalshëm, i prekshëm dhe i ndërtuar përmes ndjeshmërisë ndaj dritës dhe kohës. Imazhet e saja krijojnë një estetikë të qetë bashkëkohore ku kufijtë mes dokumentares dhe poetikes treten, ndërsa jeta e përditshme paraqitet si një ritual i heshtur ekzistence. Kjo ekspozitë është një reflektim mbi praninë njerëzore në një botë të mbingarkuar nga zhurma dhe dinamika. Përmes kompozimeve minimale, tonaliteteve të ndjeshme dhe atmosferës introspektive, ekspozita fton shikuesin të ndalet përballë fragjilitetit të çasteve të vogla dhe të rikthejë vëmendjen tek bukuria e heshtur e jetës. Në kontekstin e artit bashkëkohor vizual, kjo qasje krijon një narrativë autentike ku fotografia funksionon si memorie dhe poezi vizuale njëkohësisht. Elton Koritari
BLERTA SYLA SURROI
The artistic practice of Blerta Syla Surroi unfolds at the intersection of multiple disciplines, where painting, ceramics, photography, drawing, and performance converge into a singular visual language. Trained in both Fine Arts and Acting, and later specializing in Painting, Surroi belongs to a generation of Kosovar artists whose work has developed alongside the profound social and cultural transformations of the region. Her multidisciplinary background has enabled her to cultivate a distinctive artistic voice, one that moves fluidly between materiality, narrative, memory, and human presence. Throughout her career, Blerta has explored the expressive potential of diverse media, yet a common thread runs through her work: an enduring interest in the emotional and psychological dimensions of human experience. Whether manifested through the tactile qualities of ceramic forms, the gestural language of painting, or the contemplative gaze of photography, her works investigate themes of intimacy, identity, vulnerability, memory, and resilience. Ceramics occupies a particularly significant place within her oeuvre. Influenced by the teachings of Croatian ceramic master Hannibal Salvaro, she approaches clay not merely as a material but as a living medium capable of preserving traces of touch, time, and transformation. Her ceramic works balance fragility and strength, intimacy and monumentality, embodying a dialogue between the permanence of form and the transient nature of experience. This sensitivity toward material and transformation extends naturally into her photographic practice. In her exhibition The Light of Silence, photography becomes an intimate and poetic space where personal memory, everyday life, and artistic creation intersect. Light functions not simply as a visual element, but as an emotional language through which silence, presence, and the passage of time are revealed. Terracotta sculptures, family members, human figures, and ordinary objects become protagonists of quiet visual narratives that oscillate between documentation and visual poetry. Much like her ceramic process, Blerta approaches photography as a slow and attentive act of observation. Her images are built through a heightened sensitivity to light, atmosphere, and subtle human gestures. Through minimal compositions and a meditative aesthetic, she transforms everyday moments into spaces of reflection, inviting viewers to rediscover the beauty that often remains hidden beneath the noise and acceleration of contemporary life. The artist’s background in theater further enriches both her visual and photographic practice. The awareness of gesture, character, and presence that defines the stage is translated into a nuanced understanding of image and space. Her works frequently evoke silent narratives, where what remains unseen or unspoken becomes as important as what is visible. Over more than two decades, she has exhibited extensively in Kosovo and internationally, participating in significant exhibitions across Europe and Asia. Her work reflects a sustained commitment to artistic experimentation while remaining deeply rooted in questions of personal and collective memory. Rather than offering fixed interpretations, her practice creates spaces for contemplation, where material, image, light, and emotion converge. Blerta Syla Surroi’s artistic universe is characterized by a rare ability to move seamlessly between disciplines while maintaining a coherent and deeply personal vision. Through ceramics, painting, photography, and performance, she constructs poetic narratives that invite us to pause, reflect, and reconnect with the fragile yet enduring beauty of human experience.
Veprimtaria artistike e Blerta Syla Surroit zhvillohet në kryqëzimin e disa disiplinave, ku piktura, qeramika, fotografia, vizatimi dhe performanca bashkohen në një gjuhë të vetme vizuale. E formuar në Arte Figurative dhe Aktrim, e më pas e specializuar në Pikturë, Surroi i përket një brezi artistësh kosovarë, krijimtaria e të cilëve është zhvilluar paralelisht me transformimet e thella sociale dhe kulturore të rajonit. Formimi i saj multidisiplinar i ka mundësuar të ndërtojë një zë artistik të veçantë, që lëviz natyrshëm ndërmjet materialitetit, narrativës, kujtesës dhe pranisë njerëzore. Gjatë gjithë karrierës së saj, Blerta ka eksploruar potencialin shprehës të mediave të ndryshme artistike, megjithatë një fill i përbashkët përshkon të gjithë veprën e saj: interesi i vazhdueshëm për dimensionet emocionale dhe psikologjike të përvojës njerëzore. Qoftë përmes cilësive prekëse të formave qeramike, gjuhës gestuale të pikturës apo vështrimit meditativ të fotografisë, veprat e saj trajtojnë tema si intimiteti, identiteti, brishtësia, kujtesa dhe qëndrueshmëria. Qeramika zë një vend të veçantë në krijimtarinë e saj. E ndikuar nga mësimet e mjeshtrit kroat të qeramikës Hannibal Salvaro, ajo i qaset baltës jo thjesht si material, por si një medium i gjallë, i aftë të ruajë gjurmët e prekjes, kohës dhe transformimit. Veprat e saj qeramike balancojnë brishtësinë dhe forcën, intimitetin dhe monumentalitetin, duke krijuar një dialog të vazhdueshëm ndërmjet qëndrueshmërisë së formës dhe natyrës kalimtare të përvojës njerëzore. Kjo ndjeshmëri ndaj materialit dhe procesit të transformimit shtrihet natyrshëm edhe në praktikën e saj fotografike. Në ekspozitën “Drita e Heshtjes”, fotografia shndërrohet në një hapësirë intime dhe poetike ku ndërthuren kujtesa personale, jeta e përditshme dhe krijimi artistik. Drita nuk funksionon thjesht si element vizual, por si një gjuhë emocionale përmes së cilës zbulohen heshtja, prania dhe kalimi i kohës. Skulpturat në terrakotë, anëtarët e familjes, figurat njerëzore dhe objektet e zakonshme bëhen protagonistë të narrativave të qeta vizuale që lëvizin mes dokumentimit dhe poezisë pamore. Ashtu si në procesin e saj qeramik, Blerta i qaset fotografisë si një akt i ngadaltë dhe i vëmendshëm vëzhgimi. Imazhet e saj ndërtohen mbi një ndjeshmëri të lartë ndaj dritës, atmosferës dhe gjesteve të holla njerëzore. Përmes kompozimeve minimale dhe një estetike meditative, ajo transformon momentet e zakonshme në hapësira reflektimi, duke e ftuar shikuesin të rizbulojë bukurinë që shpesh mbetet e fshehur nën zhurmën dhe ritmin e përshpejtuar të jetës bashkëkohore. Formimi i artistes në teatër pasuron më tej si praktikën e saj vizuale, ashtu edhe atë fotografike. Vetëdija për gjestin, karakterin dhe praninë, që e përkufizon skenën teatrale, përkthehet në një kuptim të nuancuar të imazhit dhe hapësirës. Veprat e saj evokojnë shpesh narrativa të heshtura, ku ajo që mbetet e pathënë apo e padukshme fiton po aq rëndësi sa ajo që shfaqet para syrit. Për më shumë se dy dekada, ajo ka ekspozuar gjerësisht në Kosovë dhe në arenën ndërkombëtare, duke marrë pjesë në ekspozita të rëndësishme në Evropë dhe Azi. Krijimtaria e saj dëshmon një përkushtim të vazhdueshëm ndaj eksperimentimit artistik, duke mbetur njëkohësisht e rrënjosur thellë në çështjet e kujtesës personale dhe kolektive. Në vend të interpretimeve të mbyllura, ajo krijon hapësira soditjeje, ku materiali, imazhi, drita dhe emocioni bashkohen në një përvojë të vetme estetike. Universi artistik i Blerta Syla Surroit karakterizohet nga aftësia e rrallë për të lëvizur lirshëm ndërmjet disiplinave, duke ruajtur një vizion koherent dhe thellësisht personal. Përmes qeramikës, pikturës, fotografisë dhe performancës, ajo ndërton narrativa poetike që na ftojnë të ndalemi, të reflektojmë dhe të rikthehemi te bukuria e brishtë, por e qëndrueshme, e përvojës njerëzore.
Exhibition: "SHQIPTARË TË PANJOHUR" by Ben Blushi
/ 20.10.2026 / 18:00 / Galeria e Arteve e Prishtinës - GAP /
Photo: © Ben Blushi
EXHIBITION: “UNKNOWN ALBANIANS” by Ben Blushi
Unknown Albanians is a visual journey through the faces, gestures, and fleeting moments of ordinary people who make up the human landscape of contemporary Albania. Through photographs captured during travels across cities, villages, old neighborhoods, abandoned beaches, and spaces in transition, Ben Blushi constructs a poetic archive of individuals who rarely become the focus of public attention, yet carry within them the stories, emotions, and memories of an entire society. Born from an intense engagement with photography, this series does not seek to document famous figures or extraordinary events. Instead, it reveals the extraordinary dimensions hidden within everyday life. Each portrait represents a brief encounter between photographer and subject—a moment suspended between the continuous flow of life and the desire to preserve it from oblivion. In this project, photography becomes a form of recognition. The strangers who pass before the camera are not merely anonymous figures; they become part of a broader narrative about Albanian identity. Their faces bear traces of joy, fatigue, pride, expectation, and solitude, creating an emotional mosaic that speaks to the human experience beyond social, economic, or geographical distinctions. The exhibition establishes a dialogue between individuals and the spaces they inhabit. People and places emerge as inseparable elements of the same story, revealing how urban transformation, migration, memory, and time shape everyday lives. These photographs do not seek to explain or impose definitive narratives; rather, they invite viewers to pause, observe, and reflect on what often remains unnoticed. The title, Unknown Albanians, does not refer to a lack of identity, but rather to the presence of countless individual stories that rarely find a place within the public narrative of the nation. Through this project, Ben Blushi invites audiences to look beyond familiar faces and dominant narratives, discovering a more intimate, complex, and authentic Albania. Ultimately, this exhibition is an act of gratitude toward ordinary people. They are the silent protagonists of everyday life and the photographer’s unseen teachers. Through their presence, photography becomes a medium of encounter, memory, and understanding, reminding us that the story of a country is written as much by unknown individuals as by those who occupy the center of public attention. This text positions Ben Blushi not only as a photographer of portraits, but as a keen observer of contemporary Albanian identity, everyday life, and the subtle narratives that shape collective memory.
“Shqiptarë të Panjohur” është një udhëtim vizual nëpër fytyrat, gjestet dhe çastet e njerëzve të zakonshëm që përbëjnë peizazhin njerëzor të Shqipërisë bashkëkohore. Përmes fotografive të realizuara gjatë udhëtimeve në qytete, fshatra, lagje të vjetra, plazhe të braktisura dhe hapësira në transformim, Ben Blushi ndërton një arkiv poetik të atyre që rrallëherë bëhen subjekt i vëmendjes publike, por që mbajnë brenda tyre historitë, emocionet dhe kujtesën e një shoqërie të tërë. E lindur nga një marrëdhënie intensive me fotografinë, kjo seri nuk synon të dokumentojë figura të njohura apo ngjarje të jashtëzakonshme. Përkundrazi, ajo kërkon të zbulojë dimensionin e jashtëzakonshëm që fshihet në jetën e përditshme. Çdo portret është një takim i shkurtër mes fotografit dhe subjektit; një çast i kapur mes lëvizjes së pandërprerë të jetës dhe përpjekjes për ta ruajtur atë nga harresa. Në këtë projekt, fotografia shfaqet si një formë njohjeje. Të panjohurit që kalojnë përpara objektivit nuk janë thjesht personazhe kalimtare, por bëhen pjesë e një narrative më të gjerë mbi identitetin shqiptar. Fytyrat e tyre bartin gjurmë gëzimi, lodhjeje, krenarie, pritjeje dhe vetmie, duke krijuar një mozaik emocionesh që flet për përvojën njerëzore përtej dallimeve sociale, ekonomike apo gjeografike. Ekspozita ndërton një dialog mes individit dhe hapësirës që ai banon. Njerëzit dhe vendet paraqiten si elemente të pandashme të së njëjtës histori, duke zbuluar mënyrën sesi transformimet urbane, migrimi, kujtesa dhe koha ndikojnë në jetët e përditshme. Fotografitë nuk kërkojnë të japin shpjegime apo të prodhojnë narrativa definitive; ato propozojnë një ndalesë, një moment vëzhgimi dhe reflektimi mbi atë që zakonisht mbetet jashtë vëmendjes sonë. Titulli “Shqiptarë të Panjohur” nuk i referohet mungesës së identitetit, por përkundrazi pranisë së mijëra historive individuale që rrallë gjejnë vend në rrëfimin publik të vendit. Përmes këtij projekti, Ben Blushi fton publikun të shohë përtej figurave të njohura dhe narrativave dominuese, për të zbuluar një Shqipëri më intime, më të ndërlikuar dhe më autentike. Në fund, kjo ekspozitë është një akt mirënjohjeje ndaj njerëzve të zakonshëm. Ata janë protagonistët e heshtur të jetës së përditshme dhe mësuesit e padukshëm të fotografit. Përmes pranisë së tyre, fotografia shndërrohet në një mjet takimi, kujtese dhe njohjeje, duke na kujtuar se historia e një vendi shkruhet po aq nga njerëzit e panjohur sa edhe nga ata që mbeten në qendër të vëmendjes.
BEN BLUSHI
Ben Blushi (b. 1969, Tirana, Albania) is a writer, journalist, public intellectual, and photographer. Widely recognized as one of the most influential contemporary Albanian authors, he has published several acclaimed novels and essays that explore history, identity, memory, and the complexities of Albanian society. His literary work has been translated into multiple languages and has established him as a distinctive voice in contemporary Balkan literature. In recent years, Blushi has developed a dedicated photographic practice, bringing to the medium the same curiosity, observational depth, and human sensitivity that characterize his writing. His photography focuses primarily on people and everyday life, capturing fleeting moments that reveal the emotional and social realities of contemporary Albania. Through portraits, street photography, and visual narratives created during his travels across cities, villages, and transitional landscapes, he constructs a nuanced portrait of a society in constant transformation. Blushi’s photographic work is driven by an interest in the unnoticed and the ordinary, seeking to uncover the stories embedded in faces, gestures, and everyday encounters. His images invite viewers to look beyond appearances and engage with the human experience in all its complexity, making photography an extension of his lifelong exploration of identity, memory, and belonging. His growing commitment to photography has evolved alongside his literary work. Following the publication of his book Ukraine in 10 Hours and photography exhibition, Blushi announced a new project that combines writing and photography in a single format. Conceived as a book of photographic portraits accompanied by literary narratives, the project further reflects his interest in exploring human stories through both image and text. This intersection of visual and literary storytelling has become an increasingly important dimension of his creative practice. Unknown Albanians marks one of the most significant public presentations of his photographic work, bringing together a body of images that celebrates the dignity, diversity, and quiet presence of ordinary people across Albania.
Ben Blushi (l. 1969, Tiranë, Shqipëri) është shkrimtar, gazetar, intelektual publik dhe fotograf. I njohur gjerësisht si një nga autorët më me ndikim të letërsisë bashkëkohore shqiptare, ai ka botuar romane dhe ese të vlerësuara nga kritika, të cilat trajtojnë historinë, identitetin, kujtesën dhe kompleksitetet e shoqërisë shqiptare. Veprat e tij janë përkthyer në disa gjuhë, duke e vendosur atë si një zë të veçantë në letërsinë bashkëkohore të Ballkanit. Vitet e fundit, Blushi ka zhvilluar një praktikë të përkushtuar fotografike, duke sjellë në këtë medium të njëjtën kureshtje, thellësi vëzhgimi dhe ndjeshmëri njerëzore që karakterizojnë shkrimin e tij. Fotografia e tij fokusohet kryesisht te njerëzit dhe jeta e përditshme, duke kapur çaste kalimtare që zbulojnë realitetet emocionale dhe sociale të Shqipërisë bashkëkohore. Përmes portreteve, fotografisë së rrugës dhe narrativave vizuale të krijuara gjatë udhëtimeve në qytete, fshatra dhe hapësira në transformim, ai ndërton një portret të nuancuar të një shoqërie në ndryshim të vazhdueshëm. Puna fotografike e Blushit udhëhiqet nga interesi për të zakonshmen dhe të pavërejtshmen, duke kërkuar të zbulojë historitë e fshehura në fytyra, gjeste dhe takime të përditshme. Imazhet e tij ftojnë shikuesin të shohë përtej dukjes së parë dhe të angazhohet me përvojën njerëzore në të gjithë kompleksitetin e saj, duke e bërë fotografinë një vazhdim natyral të kërkimit të tij të hershëm mbi identitetin, kujtesën dhe përkatësinë. Angazhimi i tij në rritje ndaj fotografisë ka evoluar paralelisht me krijimtarinë letrare. Pas botimit të librit Ukraina në 10 Orë dhe prezantimit të ekspozitave të tij fotografike, Blushi ka njoftuar një projekt të ri që ndërthur shkrimin dhe fotografinë në një format të vetëm. I konceptuar si një libër me portrete fotografike të shoqëruara nga rrëfime letrare, ky projekt pasqyron më tej interesin e tij për të eksploruar historitë njerëzore përmes imazhit dhe tekstit. Kjo ndërthurje mes rrëfimit vizual dhe atij letrar është bërë një dimension gjithnjë e më i rëndësishëm i praktikës së tij krijuese. Shqiptarë të Panjohur përfaqëson një nga prezantimet më të rëndësishme publike të veprimtarisë së tij fotografike, duke sjellë një seri imazhesh që festojnë dinjitetin, diversitetin dhe praninë e qetë të njerëzve të zakonshëm në Shqipëri. Përmes kësaj praktike artistike, Ben Blushi e trajton fotografinë jo si një aktivitet dytësor, por si një vazhdim të natyrshëm të universin të tij letrar dhe të interesit të vazhdueshëm për historitë, identitetet dhe fatet njerëzore.
Exhibition: "N.S.E." by Korab Basha / Curated by Elton Koritari / 09.10.2026 / 18:00 / Sheshi para Grandit /
Photo: © Korab Basha
EXHIBITION: “NST” by Korab Basha / Curated by Elton Koritari
Exhibition: "HOUSE FOR SALE" by Imre Szabó
/ 30.08.2024 / 19:00 / Barabar Centre - Grand 4th Floor /
Photo: © Imre Szabó – Protests in Ferizaj 1989
EXHIBITION: “HOUSE FOR SALE” by Imre Szabó
“Kid, it’s a mess down there, but don’t just capture all the bad and broken stuff. Capture something we can use to illustrate texts.”
These were the words that Mirko Bojić, the then editor-in-chief of “Illustrated Politics,” used to see off Imre Szabo ahead of his first photographic assignment in Kosovo in 1981. He was probably unaware that, by sending him, he was doing an extremely significant thing for the creation of one of the most important photo archives of Kosovo from 1981 to 1999.
“When we published the photograph and the story House for Sale about how Serbs were selling their property and leaving Kosovo, I did not expect such reactions at all. We stumbled upon a grandmother completely by chance, sitting under a tree and peeling potatoes, and there was a sign “House for Sale” on the tree. After that, the same night, we visited Branko Đurica, then the deputy editor-in-chief, to tell him about that conversation. He immediately called the editor-in-chief and said we are changing the cover. This is how the photograph and the story ended up on the cover. It was all this strange to me. When the story came out, we were attacked from Serbia, being asked what we were doing and why we were stirring up the people.
“When Milošević went down there, I was convinced that he was really going to calm things down, that he had sincere intentions. However, when I attended those meetings and rallies, it became clear to me that nothing of that sort was happening.”
“Ever since I learned to speak Serbian, I haven’t had any problems based on nationality in Yugoslavia. This is why some things that awaited me in Kosovo were completely unimaginable from my perspective.”
Born in Mokrin, Serbia, in 1956, Imre completed high school in Kikinda and studied German Language and Literature at the Faculty of Philology, Belgrade University. He has been publishing photos since 1974 and has participated in over 200 exhibitions both domestically and internationally, earning numerous awards. His solo exhibitions have been held in Kikinda, Mokrin, Skopje, Belgrade, Banatski Brestovac, Ankara, Maribor, Paraćin, Kragujevac, Niš, and Istanbul.
He contributed to the “Light and Shadows on the Balkans” exhibition with 10 photos, displayed in Belgrade (2009), Bucharest (2010), Istanbul (2010), and Ankara (2010). He also participated in the “Lessons from ’91” project (2016 and 2017), which was exhibited in Zagreb, Belgrade, Berlin, and Maribor.
A professional photographer since 1980, Szabó began his career as a newspaper photographer at “Ilustrovana Politika” until 1989. He briefly worked at the daily newspaper “Politika” before moving to “Intervju” until autumn 1991 and then to “Nin” until 1995, after which he pursued applied photography independently. He has also served as a photography editor at the daily newspaper Danas, the weekly magazine Blic News, Novi magazin, Status monthly magazine, and for the news agency Fonet.
His work has been published in numerous significant international journals such as Stern, Focus, Spiegel, Mond, Lexpress, Time, Newsweek, Herald Tribune, and Le Nouvell Observateur, as well as in most Yugoslav newspapers and many monographs, catalogues, and publications.
He has been a member of ULUPUDS (Association of Serbian Applied Artists) since 1985 and is currently a freelance photographer based in Belgrade, Serbia.
Exhibition: "ARK OF MEMORY" - Curated by: Ardian Isufi and Lindar Muça /31.08.2024 / 17:00 / Fine Art's Academy Gallery /
Photo: © FAB
EXHIBITION: “THE ARK OF MEMORY” – Curated by: Ardian Isufi and Lindar Muça …wandering through the narrow book-filled corridors of the University of the Arts Library to find art memoirs as an extension of our modest research, to know and understand more cultural subfields such as human anthropology and cultural phenomenology, we were stunned in front of a stack of old photo albums, where browsing them from the dust of the past, immediately leads you to the traces of the visual archive of the High Institute of Arts (today the University of Arts – UART).
“In photography, there is a reality so subtle that it becomes more real than reality” – Alfred Stiegliz
Images are worth a thousand words, the traces of light on celluloid has forever marked university life, in school events so in the characters of the professors, students, artists and the many who have contributed over decades to create the elites in education and culture of Albania. From the “Ark of Memory” the light and shadows of the utopian times we lived in, between the revolutionary spirit and historical retouches, can be clearly distinguished!
About the Faculty of Fine Arts and the Library of the University of Arts Tirana:
The Faculty of Fine Arts (FAB) at the University of Arts is the most important institution for the professional artists and artistic pedagogy in Albania. Founded in 1959 with a 65-year academic tradition, FAB is the only public higher education institution of arts. The Library of the University of Arts is the largest and oldest art library in Albania. It is a university library that directly helps in the formation of young artists in Albania.
ARKA E MEMORIES Kuruar nga: Ardian Isufi dhe Lindar Muça
…duke rrugëtuar nëpër koridoret e ngushta plot libra të Bibliotekës së Universitet të Arteve për të gjetur memuare të artit si zgjatim i hulummeve tona modeste, për të njohur dhe kuptuar më shumë nënshtresëzimet kulturore si antropologji njerëzore dhe fenomenologji kulturore, ngelëm të shtangur përballë një pirgu me albume të vjetra fotografike, ku shfletimi i tyre nga pluhuri kohëve të shkuara, të kaplonte menjëherë në gjurmët e arkivës pamore të Instutit të Lartë të Arteve (sot Universiteti i Arteve – UART).
“Në fotografi, ekziston një realitet kaq delikat saqë bëhet më real se realiteti” – Alfred Stiegliz
Çdo imazh flet sa për një mijë fjalë, çdo gjurmë drite në celuloid ka shënjuar përjetësisht jetën universitare në aq shumë ngjarje shkollore, me personazhe të profesoriatit, të studentësve, artistëve e të shumë të tjerëve të cilët kanë kontribuar në dekada për të krijuar elitat në edukimin dhe kulturën e Shqipërisë. Nga “Arka e Memories” dallohen qartazi edhe dritë-hijet e kohëve utopike që jetuam, ndërmjet frymës revolucionare dhe retushimeve historike!
Rreth Fakultetit të Arteve të Bukura dhe Bibliotekës së Universitetit të Arteve Tiranë:
Fakulteti i Arteve të Bukura (FAB) në Universiten e Arteve është instucioni më i rëndësishëm i formimit të arstëve profesionistë dhe pedagogjisë artistike në Shqipëri. I themeluar në vitin 1959 me një traditë akademike 65-vjeçare, FAB është i vetmi instucion i arsimit të lartë publik në fushën e arteve. Biblioteka e Universitet të Arteve është biblioteka më e madhe dhe më e vjetër e artit në Shqipëri. Ajo është një bibliotekë universitare që ndihmon në mënyrë të drejtpërdrejtë në formimin e artistëve të rinj.
Artist with a long career in the contemporary art scene, art critique continuously involved in organizing artistic activities and curating exhibitions. As an artist, he has participated in many national and international artistic activities in various countries such as Italy, Greece, France, Austria, China, United States etc., Where among others is worth mentioning; Tirana Biennale 2009, Venice Architecture Biennale in 2018 as an artist invited by the Albanian Pavilion, participant and winner of the third prize in 2005 and second prize in 1996 at the “Onufri Prize” the Albanian International Visual Arts Competition, etc. As a curator and art critic, his work is wide-ranging, the artist best represents the generation of Albanian artists and intellectuals actively engaged transversely all the spectrum of public action. In his work, Ardian Isufi has established a constant relationship with the Albanian public, as an artist or curator, always trying to confront public with acute social problems, always investigated from a contemporary and global point of view.
Exhibition: "CHRONICLE OF FADING STORIES - Kosova 2010-2012" by Eni Nurkollari / 01.09.2024 / 19:00 / Fine Art's Academy Gallery /
Photo: © Eni Nurkollari
EXHIBITION: “CHRONICLE OF FADING STORIES – Kosova 2010-2012″ by Eni Nurkollari
After living abroad for 23 years, returning to Kosovo in 2010 meant finding dynamic changes going on, as a result of the transition the country was going through.
Searching for what he called home, the photographer found himself capturing a thin line from the past and trying to make it continue. Many houses, schools, and spaces that were once full of life, were now barely standing in some sort of a time vacuum. Some spaces were disappearing, some had lost their prestige and charm, while a few new ones were created by a minor group of people who were trying to revive what they once had.
Photographing during those two years, was like fighting against the time. It was an attempt to hold on to the fading monochrome memories and an effort to recall the colourful life stories that had flourished in those spaces before.
“KRONIKË TREGIMESH TË VENITURA – Kosova 2010-2012″
Born in Prizren, Kosova, in 1964, Nurkollari started working in his father’s photography studio at the age of twelve. There he learned dark-room techniques as well as field and studio photography. From 1985, he began creating his first personal works. In 1986 and in 1987, despite being accepted to study in the Department of Photography at FAMU (Film and TV School of the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague, Czechoslovakia), he was prevented from registering officially by the Yugoslav administration. He went on working in fashion photography for the Art Design Models agency in Poreć, Croatia, between 1986 and 1988. He then moved to Germany and worked throughout the 1990s as a freelance photographer for the Stadtmagazin Augsburg and participated in Michael Jochum’s Projekt Fotografie at Münchener Volkshochschule from 1995 to 1998. In 2005, he opened “Atelier M” in Motovun, Croatia, where he explored digital photography and printing on different materials. His work illustrated the book “Toward a Short History of Motovun” (2010) by Ranko Bon. Nurkollari curated Espen Rasmussen’s photography exhibi
He lives in Tenerife since 2019, after spending five years in Barcelona, continuing to explore photography as a form of personal expression.
Exhibition: "THE SHAPES OF THE UNSEEN" (Cymatic Watergrams) by Liona Vorfi / Curated by Yllka Fetahaj / 26.08.2026 / 19:00 / Grand 5th Floor/
Photo: © Liona Vorfi
EXHIBITION: “THE SHAPES OF THE UNSEEN” (Cymatic Watergrams) by Liona Vorfi / Curated by Yllka Fetahaj
This project was created using alternative darkroom techniques. At its core is the watergram process, employed in a more controlled manner in which the movement of water is not random but determined by different sound frequencies. The resulting images emerged through an ongoing empirical process of experimentation, testing, and refinement. The latent images produced through this method are inherently unpredictable. However, by carefully controlling the variables that influence image formation, including the type of photographic paper, water depth, sound intensity, frequency range, light, filters, and chemical processes, it became possible to create distinct and coherent visual forms. The project is driven by two primary objectives. The first concerns the creative process itself: experimentation, precision, and the refinement of technique as an essential component of artistic practice. What initially appears organic, spontaneous, and free is, in fact, supported by a carefully constructed framework that allows such freedom to emerge. The second objective is the revelation of phenomena that continuously occur around us yet often remain invisible. Their invisibility does not imply an absence of influence. On the contrary, these unseen forces shape both our environment and ourselves. The technical process behind this work seeks to make visible what normally escapes perception. Just as trees in a forest extend their branches toward one another, waves dissolve upon the shoreline, or the stem of a flower stretches toward sunlight, these processes are the result of conditions, interactions, and forces operating beyond our immediate awareness. Nothing occurs in isolation or by chance; every form, movement, and transformation carries within it its own causes, conditions, and consequences. Through Cymatic Watergrams, sound becomes form, vibration becomes image, and the invisible reveals its presence through visible traces.
Format e të Padukshmes (Cymatic Watergrams)
Për realizimin e këtij projekti janë përdorur teknika alternative të dhomës së errët. Në qendër të procesit qëndron teknika e watergrams, e aplikuar në një mënyrë më të kontrolluar, ku lëvizjet e ujit nuk janë të rastësishme, por përcaktohen nga frekuenca të ndryshme të zërit. Rezultatet janë arritur përmes një procesi empirik të vazhdueshëm, të bazuar në eksperimentim, provë dhe përmirësim. Imazhet latente të krijuara në këtë mënyrë janë thelbësisht të paparashikueshme. Megjithatë, përmes kontrollit të kujdesshëm të faktorëve që ndikojnë në zhvillimin e imazhit, llojit të letrës, lartësisë së ujit, intensitetit të zhurmës, frekuencave të përdorura, dritës, filtrave dhe kimikateve, është bërë e mundur krijimi i formave të qarta. Ky projekt mbështetet në dy synime kryesore. I pari lidhet me vetë procesin e krijimit: eksperimentimin, përsosjen dhe rafinimin e teknikës si pjesë të pandashme të praktikës artistike. Ajo që në pamje të parë duket organike, spontane dhe e lirë, mbështetet në një strukturë të menduar me kujdes, e cila krijon kushtet që ajo liri të mund të shfaqet. Synimi i dytë ka të bëjë me zbulimin e fenomeneve që ndodhin vazhdimisht rreth nesh, por që shpesh mbeten të padukshme. Padukshmëria e tyre nuk do të thotë mungesë ndikimi. Përkundrazi, këto forca formësojnë mjedisin tonë dhe vetë ne. Procesi teknik i këtij projekti synon pikërisht të bëjë të dukshme atë që zakonisht nuk e shohim. Ashtu si pemët në pyll që zgjasin degët drejt njëra-tjetrës, si dallga që shpërbëhet në breg, apo si kërcelli i një luleje që zgjatet drejt dritës së diellit, edhe këto procese janë rezultat i kushteve, ndërveprimeve dhe forcave që veprojnë përtej perceptimit tonë të menjëhershëm. Asgjë nuk ndodh vetvetiu; çdo formë, lëvizje dhe transformim mbart brenda vetes shkakun, kushtin dhe pasojën e vet. Përmes Cymatic Watergrams, tingulli merr formë, vibrimi bëhet imazh, ndërsa e padukshmja shfaq praninë e saj në gjurmët e së dukshmes.
LIONA VORFI
Liona Vorfi (b. 2003) is an Albanian photographer, designer, and experimental image-maker based in Kosova. Her practice focuses on the intersection of analog photography, technical experimentation, and process-based artistic research. Working primarily with alternative darkroom techniques, she investigates the relationship between sound, materiality, and image formation. Vorfi is currently completing a BA in Innovation Design at the University of Prishtina, Faculty of Arts. Alongside her artistic practice, she has worked in technical design, digital fabrication, and operational management, experiences that inform her analytical and methodical approach to image-making. Her recent work has centered on the development of Cymatic Watergrams, an original experimental photographic process that translates sound frequencies into visual forms through the movement of water and light-sensitive materials. Her work has been exhibited at FRAGMENTA Biennale, the Marubi Museum in Shkodër, the University of the Arts in Tirana, and several student exhibitions in Prishtina.
Liona Vorfi (l. 2003) është fotografe, dizajnere dhe artiste eksperimentale shqiptare me bazë në Kosovë. Praktika e saj artistike përqendrohet në ndërthurjen e fotografisë analoge, eksperimentimit teknik dhe kërkimit artistik të bazuar në proces. Duke punuar kryesisht me teknika alternative të dhomës së errët, ajo eksploron marrëdhënien ndërmjet tingullit, materialitetit dhe formimit të imazhit. Aktualisht është duke përfunduar studimet BA në Dizajn Inovacioni në Fakultetin e Arteve të Universitetit të Prishtinës. Paralelisht me praktikën artistike, ka punuar në fushën e dizajnit teknik, fabrikimit digjital dhe menaxhimit operacional, përvoja që reflektohen në qasjen e saj analitike dhe metodike ndaj krijimit të imazhit. Punët e saj më të fundit fokusohen në zhvillimin e Cymatic Watergrams, një proces origjinal i fotografisë eksperimentale që përkthen frekuencat e tingullit në forma vizuale përmes lëvizjes së ujit dhe materialeve fotosensitive. Veprat e saj janë ekspozuar në FRAGMENTA Biennale, Muzeun Marubi në Shkodër, Universitetin e Arteve në Tiranë dhe në ekspozita të ndryshme studentore në Prishtinë.