APEN | Exhibition CONTACT ALKAN NALLBANI email: alkannallbani@gmail.com FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

APEN at Fadil Studio 46 WEST 20TH STREET NEW YORK 2013 Opening February 5, 2013, 6:00 - 9:00 p.m. On behalf of APEN (Albanian-American Professionals and Entrepreneurs Network), I am pleased to announce the second annual exhibition of Albanian artists in the heart of Chelsea. This mini-panorama provides a glimpse into the global diaspora of Albanian artists who work in the New York metropolitan area and around the world. Avoiding any critical statement, the exhibition represents the diversity and development of this generation of artists and dreamers. They have embraced and adopted New York City, making it the center of their existence. As they traverse the world, New York remains at their creative core, refueling inspiration and generating fertile and unpredictable dialogue. The artists use different mediums and a rich emotional connection with aesthetic lines of development flowing from our modern times, often carrying a critical involvement and heroical approach. Their art reflects a deep exploration of identity and social involvement. Even if emotionally bound to the motherland, this new generation of Albanian artists see themselves as part of the vast global art scene, with all of its complexity and possibility welcoming their individual voices, offering them not just the opportunity but also the right to take their place on the world stage. Alkan Nallbani New York, 2013

ARTIST BIOGRAPHY

Helidon Gjergji Born 1970, Tirana, Albania B.F.A., Academy of Fine Arts, Tirana, Albania and Academy of Fine Arts of Naples, Italy M.F.A., Northwestern University, Chicago, IL Selected Exhibitions: The Festival of Ideas – New Museum (NYC); Manifesta 8 (Murcia); Venice Biennale 52; Tirana Biennale 1 and 4; Venice Biennale of Architecture 12; Present Future; Artissima 10 (Turin); MASS MoCA (North Adams); MADRE -- Museo d'Arte Contemporanea (Naples); Apexart (NYC); National Gallery (Tirana); VILLA ARSON – Centre d'Art Contemporain (Nice); Lothringer 13 (Munich); X Initiative (NYC); Kosova Art Gallery (Prishtina); PAN – Palazzo delle Arti (Naples); Chelsea Art Museum (NYC); Suburban (Chicago); Botkyrka Konsthall (Botkyrka, Sweden); MURAM – Museo Regional de Arte Moderno (Cartagena, Spain); The American Academy in Rome; National Museum of Romania (Cluj); National Museum of Malta (Valletta)

Emil Bakalli Born 1975, Elbasan City, Albania 2009, M.F.A., Parsons The New School For Design, NY, NY 2006, B.F.A., Hunter College - The City University of NY, NY Lives and works in New York City 2013, Artist | Adjunct Professor of Fine Arts, The Humanities Department | Visual Arts | The City University of New York -- LGCC Selected exhibitions: Piraeus Dimotikon Theater-Art Gallery, Athens, Greece; Beckett Art Gallery, Ontario Canada, PULSE Art Fair International NY, The Kitchen Contemporary Art, Reis Gallery - The Experimental Space, NARS Foundation Gallery, Barrett Art Center Gallery, Simone’s Art Gallery, Pleiades Gallery of Contemporary Art, Amsterdam Whitney Gallery, Savacou Art Gallery, Southampton Art Gallery, Parsons the New School for Design Art Gallery, etc.

Lulzim Shtini Born, Kavaje, Albania 2007, B.F.A., Academy of Fine Arts, Tirana, Albania Scowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture

Alkan Nallbani Born 1971, Berat, Albania 1994, B.F.A., Academy of Fine Arts, Tirana, Albania; cont. ed., Academy of Fine Arts in Florence, Italy and the Corcoran College of Art and Design, U.S.A. Lives and works, New York and Florence, Italy Nallbani has had numerous exhibitions in Albania, Italy, Greece the United States. His work was included in the Harnett Biennial, Richmond, VA in 2010 and the Prague Biennale in 2009.

Klodiana Alia Artist’s Statement: “I like faces. People. Places. So I seek them. I figure, if I am of this world, perhaps the way to know myself lies in its exploration.”

Artan Shabani Born 1969, Vlora, Albania. Lives and works Venice and Vlora 2003, Winner, Special Prize at Osterbottens Museum in Vaasa 2007, Founder of The Promenade Gallery 2009, Curator of Albania & Kosovo Pavilion, Prague Biennial 4 Selected Exhibitions: The 13th International Architecture BIENNALE 13, \ Albanian Pavilon, IN HERITAGE, Venice, Italy\ Prague Biennale 4, Praha Czech Republic \ Venice Biennale - 53. Editions 'Krossing / Forte Marghera Venice italy \ The Fondation Palazzo Bricherasio, Historical Rooms, Torino Italy \ La Générale en Manufacture Sèvres, ''Talking About'', Paris France \ Mavi Kum Gallery, Istanbul Turkey \ National Museum of Fine Arts, Heritage Malta "I Fought The X And The X Won", Valleta. Malta \ I fought the X and the X won - Muzeul de Arta Cluj - Napoca, Cluj Romania \ Tina B Contemporary Art Festival, Prague Czech Republic \ Casa Massacio, San Giovanni Valdarno. Italy \ Kosova National

About'', Paris France \ Mavi Kum Gallery, Istanbul Turkey \ National Museum of Fine Arts, Heritage Malta "I Fought The X And The X Won", Valleta. Malta \ I fought the X and the X won - Muzeul de Arta Cluj - Napoca, Cluj Romania \ Tina B Contemporary Art Festival, Prague Czech Republic \ Casa Massacio, San Giovanni Valdarno. Italy \ Kosova National Gallery of Arts, Prishtina. \ The National Gallery of Arts Tirana, 'Ballkan Metamorphosis', Tirana Albana \ Doria Pamphili Palace, San Martino al Cimino, Viterbo, Italy\ The National Automobile Museum of Italy in Turin. Italy \

Ardian Isufi Born 1973, Tirana, Albania 1995, B.F.A., Academy of Arts, Tirana, Albania Assoc. Prof., Graphic Atelier, “University of Arts” Tirana, Albania Lives and works in Tirana, Albania Selected Solo Exhibitions: 2012, U.O. (Unidentified object), Solo Show at The Promenade Gallery, Vlora, Albania \ 2011 “Albania Post ’90 Exhibition of Poster, FAP Gallery-Academy of Arts, Tirana, Albania \ 2010 “Umbrarum Theatrum” – Theatre of Shadows, Solo Show at FAP Gallery-Academy of Arts and Zeta Gallery, Tirana, Albania \ 2008, “Human Signs”, German Embassy in Tirana, Albania

Bekim Zeqiri Born 1972, Mitrovica, Republic of Kosovo 2001, M.F.A., Dusseldorf Art Academy Lives and works in New Jersey Group show Josef Albers Museum, Bottrop Germany, Solo Show in K-14 Essen Germany Group Show “urban Mythos” at West Beth Gallery in NY

Irgin Sena Born 1982 in Tirana, Albania 2012, M.F.A., Hunter College 2006, B.F.A., Academy of Arts, Tirana, Albania Selected Exhibitions: 2012, Family Talk, Futura-Center for Contemporary Art, Prague, Czech Republic, MFA Thesis Show, Times Square Gallery, New York, NY, Mission Afterviews, Victoria Theater, San Francisco \ 2011, New Insight, Art Chicago, Chicago, curated by Susanne Ghez, CAA New York, Hunter College/Times Square Gallery, New York, NY, 2010, There Has Been No Future, There Will Be No Past, (ISCP) International Studio and Curatorial Program, New York, Hell NO! The Convent of Saint Cecilia, Brooklyn, NY, Espacio Entre Medio, San Juan, Puerto Rico, 2009, Bad Moon Rising 3, Boots Contemporary Art Space, St. Louis, MO, Play, Vanessa Quang Galerie, Paris, France

No Past, (ISCP) International Studio and Curatorial Program, New York, Hell NO! The Convent of Saint Cecilia, Brooklyn, NY, Espacio Entre Medio, San Juan, Puerto Rico, 2009, Bad Moon Rising 3, Boots Contemporary Art Space, St. Louis, MO, Play, Vanessa Quang Galerie, Paris, France

Alfred Milot Mirashi Born 1969, Albania 1999, B.F.A., Academy of Fine Arts, Milan Lives and works in Florence, Italy 2013: “IO KLIMT” Palazzo dei Consoli, Gubbio, \ Water Cube Museum - Beijing, 2 Edizione “Art Water Cube”, Winner, International Picture & Calligraphy, curated by Vincenzo Sanfo, Beijing, China \ 2012: “Stemperando 2012” – 5th Edition, International Biennale of Torino, works of art on paper , Gubbio \ Artour-o il Must Londra 2012- “ A red carpet for Italian interiors” \ “Olympic Fine Arts London 2012”, Gold Medal in Painting, Barbican Centre Museum, London \ “Barocco Austero” - International Artists, Catania \ “Passepartout, La corte d’Arte Contemporanea Gallery, Firenze \ “Self-Portrait”, Artists of the Third Millenium, Brindisi \ “Albananian Identity”, The Garden of Beauty, 2 edizione, S.E Llesh Kola, in collaboration with the Province of Siracusa \ Comune di Noto and the Group Art Project \ Artour-o il Must Villa della Vedetta, Firenze \ “Il paese di fronte”, Museum of the Civilta Romana, Roma, \“Ipotesi Dinamica” –MISA, Bologna

Venera Kastrati Born, 1975, Tirana, Albania B.F.A., Milan and Academy of Fine Arts, Tirana, Albania Lives and works in Milan, Italy . Selected exhibitions: 2012: Resident artist, Costa Rey Sardegna; Centro 3T (Se) Brescia; Ruinas Contemporaneas, Sardegna; 2011: Museo Marino Marini, Firenze; Fondazione Carisbo, Bologna; Palazzo Barolo, Torino; Casa Masaccio “Double Bind,” San Giovanni Valdarno \ 2010: “Who want to use my windows?” Paolo Maria Deanesi Gallery, Rovereto, HomeBase Berlin \ 2009: 25th Alexandria Biennial for Mediterranean countries, Egypt; 53rd Venice Biennial "Krossing"; Palazzo Rospigliosi, Roma

Parlind Perlashi Born 1971, Lezhe, Albania 1990, Art School of Shkodra Lives and works in Florence, Italy In Florence Perlashi studied at the Academy of Fine Arts (1998-2000) and subsequently (2000-2004) attended courses in Directing, Film and Photography at the National School of Independent Cinema. He has participated in several national and international exhibitions of painting, photography and video.

and international exhibitions of painting, photography and video.

Armand Xhomo 1989, B.F.A., Academy of Fine Arts, Tirana Albania Lives and works, Florence, Italy Selected Exhibitions: Palazzo Pretorio, Florence \ Albanian Embassy, Rome \ Museo dei Campionissimi \ Galleria Grafic Design \ Art without borders, Norway \ Ministry of Art & Culture, Tirana \ Galleria e arteve, Tirane \ Museo di civiltà Romana, Roma \ Museum Ugo Guidi, Forte dei Marmi \ Palazzo Medici Riccardi, Firenze \ Noto, Sicilia \ Expo d'Arte Contemporanea, Genova, Arezzo, Forte dei Marmi, Massa Carrara. Winner, Contemporary Art Expo, Forte dei Marmi

Arben Sela Born 1975, New York 1999, B.A. (Architecture), CCNY Since graduating, Sela has worked and collaborated with notable and award winning architectural firms such as Studios Architecture, Michael Graves Architect and Emanuela Frattini Magnuson

Majlinda Hoxha Born 1984 B.F.A. (photography), Whitecliffe College of Arts and Design M.F.A., Elam School of Fine Art at Auckland University, New Zealand Lives and works in Prishtina, Kosova Hoxha is the deputy photo editor and photographer at Kosovo 2.0 magazine, where her work is regularly published. Her “Family Portrait #1” is currently on display at Te Papa, the New Zealand Museum. Her work was also featured in the annual Mulsim Mulliqi exhibition, hosted by the National Art Gallery of Kosova, as well as a curatorial project initiated by the Photon-Centre for Contemporary Photography titled “Aftermath. Changing Cultural Landscape.”

Heldi Pema Born, Albania B.F.A., Academy of Fine Arts, Tirana, Albania Pema’s work has been shown at the 52nd International Art Exhibition, La Biennale di Venezia, Albanian Pavilion; Museum of Contemporary Art - Villa Croce, Genova; European Month of Photography, Haus am Lützowplatz, Berlin; ViennAfair, Vienna; 2nd Tirana Biennale; The National Gallery of Arts, Tirana; A+A Gallery, Venice and The Promenade Gallery, Vlora

Olson Lama Solo Exhibitions: 2010 - GRAFI DI MEMORIA - MS gallery, Madrid (Spain) \ 2006 - AT EAST OF INPOSSIBLE - Valentina Spata (curator) Vitervo (Italy) \ Group Exhibitions: 2012- HOT TABU- MIZA GALERI- Tirana, ARDHJA award – T.I.C.A - Tirana ANDATA-RITORNO, Fap Gallery, UDHA residence, Metropol Theater of Tirana \ 2011 - ARDHJA award - FAP Gallery and Zeta Gallery, Tirana, (Albania), METRONOM -Modena, (Italy) \ 2010 - VITA! VP CERCANDO - organized by the cultural center Tiatiò, Bergamo (Italy) \ 2009 - ONUFRI 2009 National Art Gallery, Tirana (Albania)

Rilind Kuqi Born, Kosovo B.F.A. & M.F.A., figurative art Kuqi has also done work in set design at the National Theater of Kosovo. His present work is abstract with a play on color and shape.

Meu Luka Hajdini Born, Albania 2004, B.F.A., Academy of Fine Arts, Tirana, Albania Lives and works in New York City Artist’s statement: “My art is an inner and sincere journey, a journey that works with pure imagination and a dream state. The result is a series of works made of confessions, silent thoughts and reflections. It is my dream and my reality, my perfect escape from this world. It is a form of ‘hide and seek’ – a process in which I both lose and find myself at the same time. Despite my formal training in art, I consider my art to be non-conventional.”

Giorgio Kolaj

Emanuel Gjoka

Eliano Kalemi