The Nikolet Vasia Gallery in Durrës, from May 2nd to May 28th, is an expanse of intense colors that draw passersby like a magnet. It's impossible not to stop, dazzled by the light of the displayed paintings and captivated by the power they exude. These are the works of painter Marjana Goxhabelliu.
We meet her in the gallery and immediately understand that she is an artist full of emotion, not closed off in a world of self-referential images, but eager to embrace the world outside of her and reinterpret it.
She has a degree in psychology and is a self-taught painter. How did you get started?
I started at a young age taking classes until I had the good fortune to work and collaborate with a great Albanian master, Mustafa Arapi. He helped me immensely and was the source of my inspiration.
Have you also created sculptures?
Actually, at the beginning of my artistic journey, I was more drawn to sculpture. I liked the hands-on aspect, being able to touch the material to shape it. But then painting took over, perhaps because I felt that painting unleashed my imagination more.
In his paintings, colors dominate forms. They are strong colors, often variations on a theme of a base color.
Colors and light are the ways I best express my vision of reality, my inner experiences that I convey outward. Through the play of colors, I tell my world.
What is striking about his paintings is the harmony that is always present, even when the colors seem to be in strong contrast with each other.
I think that painting should be joyful, it should communicate serenity and happiness to people. It should not disturb them or upset their feelings. There is a painting that is at my house that I dedicated to my teacher who is no longer with us...
Marjana freezes for a moment, her eyes turning red with emotion, a few tears. Then she continues
In that painting, there is death, but it is not seen because it is overcome by positive feelings. There is no sadness, but rather a kind of transfiguration of life into paradise.
A color they particularly like?
Actually, I like them all. Many say it's the rich yellow that characterizes my paintings, perhaps because it's the color that conveys the most zest for life.
Do you feel you belong to any particular painting school?
My style is not influenced by belonging to particular schools. I try to be myself without following models or painting trends. .
Does technique or inspiration matter more to her?
Everything is needed. It's like a clock where all the gears have to work. When I start working, I feel that imagination, the desire to express myself, must blend with technique, and everything must work without distortion: technique shouldn't condition expression, but should help art come out of me.
What is your favorite technique?
I am an artist who explores through oil, but also with acrylic. Often there's a fusion between them.
She is now a very well-known Albanian artist abroad. Has she had many exhibitions?
Yes, I have had many exhibitions in Albania, but also in the Balkans, in Montenegro, Macedonia, and Bosnia-Herzegovina. My paintings are in Sarajevo, Frankfurt, Naples, and Turkey. I also worked on restoration in some churches.
What are your future plans?.
I would like to create installations that involve the entire environment in which they are located, even with LED lights. These are activities that require a lot of expenses and need funding and sponsors.
You teach painting to young people. What do you want to convey to these aspiring artists?
I'd like to teach them to discover and follow their own path, to build their artistic identity with freedom and creativity.
What is your dream that you would like to fulfill?
I don't know precisely. Sometimes I look for something that is outside of our reality, it's in another dimension. It's the search for a world that I imagine but haven't yet discovered. But I know I will find it and reproduce it in my paintings.
Italian 
Albanian 
English