A common space for harmonic peacemakers

Shefqet Avdush Emini In 2011 Embassy of Kosovo in Den Hague. It was an innovating challenge for the embassy in Den Hague to promote Kosovo’ identity as newest country in Europe .

Amsterdam, November 2011

Ina Eskes MA of Art history

Shefqet Avdush Emini, an international recognized artist, is born in Davidovc in Kosovo on 2 June 1957. He studied Visual Arts as a young man at the Art Academy in Pristina (Kosovo) and worked, after finishing his education, as an artist and art teacher in several towns in Kosovo. Since two decennia, when war broke out in Kosovo, Shefqet Avdush Emini is living in the Netherlands, together with his family. As an artist and art teacher he is able to live and work all over the world, though he always will be connected with his roots to Kosovo. In several works of his hand you will be able to discover these roots and his mixed feelings of living abroad. Shefqet Avdush Emini is an academically educated artist who developed his own style, his own ‘signature’, which made him famous. The list of exhibitions of his artworks in museums and art galleries worldwide is long. Besides, he is regular invited to join art symposia where local and international artist do come together to create art and get inspired. Shefqet is also connected to the Filarski Academy, a private Academy in The Netherlands founded by the artist Marian Filarski, as a teacher for master classes in painting.

In 2011 Shefqet Avdush Eminihas been asked to present his artworks (paintings and sculptures) in two separate solo-exhibitions in the Netherlands, the first one took place in Amsterdam, the second one in Den Hague. These two exhibitions will be presented in this review.

Exhibition paintings and sculptures at gallery Diversity & Art, Amsterdam
2 September 2011- 1 October 2011

Gallery Diversity & Art, an intimate gallery located in the old heart of Amsterdam, is founded by Liesbeth Schreve-Brinkman, after a meeting with AIDA the Netherlands, an organization which does advise artists after they did leave or escape their countries for reasons like war, politic, or censure. Diversity & Art gives these artists an exhibition platform. The selection of artists takes place in cooperating with AIDA the Netherlands. Diversity & Art gives excess to all kind of genres of artists with their own cultural background. The mission of Art & Diversity is to show and share these artworks to public, to increase our idea of art in cultural diversity. From the 2^ndof September till the 1ste of October paintings and sculptures made of baked bronze varnish clay of Shefqet Avdush Emini have been presented for public. This exhibition was officially opened by René Mendel, director of Interact; a Film Production Company for television and multimedia. As a filmmaker of a television program of ‘portraits’ of artists René Mendel pointed out the influence of the public opinion by media, and how appreciation for artists can be achieved. Art itself can influence a person as well of course, at several levels. Diversity & Art wants to make visual, mental and social contact possible between artist, art and public, to achieve a better intercultural understanding of art. Shefqet’ artwork is about people. You can ask yourself for example: who are these people? Are they friends, family, anomies, or memories of people of the past, of Kosovo? And what is going on in their minds?

Photo: opening exhibition Diversity & Art, Amsterdam, September 2011.

Solo-exhibition in the Atrium of the city hall of Den Hague,

organized by the embassy of Kosovo in Den Hague

Photo: opening exhibition in the Atrium, city hall of Den Hague, November 2011. On the right hand side: Shefqet Avdush Emini, in the middle: Mr. Ehsan, manager international sales Ikea the Netherlands, on the left hand side: Shefqet’daughter.

Photo: opening exhibition in the Atrium, city hall Den Hague, November 2011.

His ArtShefqet Avdush Emini is an all-round artist who creates baked bronze varnish clay sculptures, drawings and last but not least paintings. In both exhibitions there have been presented several paintings of his hand. Having a look at these paintings means to make a mental journey on many levels. His style of painting, the compositions he makes, the way he is using colors in combination with his compositions, the way is using paint itself as a material (oil on canvas, acryl on canvas), and the stories he want to tell. His painted portraits and figures do often not have titles, which mean that Shefqet gives you a change to make up your own thoughts and feelings. It also gives you an opportunity to travel away in time or place. Sometimes his work might remind you to one of the famous girls of the Dutch master Vermeer, to Mozart, to people in pain, or grieve, people coming from Kosovo, coming from wherever? All kind of moods do come along your eyes and thoughts. His paintings are multi-interpretable. Like they want to tell you something about the past and the present. Besides this you can notice Shefqet’ energy while painting, using his paintbrush as a medium for his own inner world. He is a painter with flair, which can be interpreted as (abstract) expressionism, and gives in combination with his classical touch a very interesting and lively result. You can also notice Shefqet’ knowledge of the Dutch masters like Rembrandt, Vermeer, Van Gogh and the Cobra group, like Corneille for example. In Shefqet ’art is a colorful world of people, roots, moods, tradition, and life coming together.