Amsterdam, November 2011, Ina Eskes MA of Art history

Shefqet Avdush Emini

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 2ndof 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.

Untitled: oil on canvas, 40 x 50. 2007

Untitled: oil on canvas, 54 x 54. 2010

Acryl on canvas: 100 x 150. 2011

Website: http://www.shefqet.com Email: Shefqet_emini@hotmail.com