At this yr’s Frieze London and Artwork Basel Paris gala’s, many guests have been shocked to seek out works by an surprising artist: Albania’s prime minister, Edi Rama. Rama—who secured an unprecedented fourth time period in Might after campaigning to carry Albania into the EU—can be a longtime artist. Educated at Tirana’s Academy of Effective Arts, he spent a number of years working in Paris earlier than turning to politics within the late Nineteen Nineties.
Since then, he has continued to make artwork, exhibiting on the Centre Pompidou in Paris and twice on the Venice Biennale, and infrequently remarking that drawing has helped him endure lengthy authorities conferences.
On 9 October, the Berlin gallery Société introduced it had added Rama—a charismatic and infrequently controversial chief presently embroiled in a number of scandals—to its roster of a dozen artists.
The gallery wasted no time showcasing its latest addition, dedicating a complete wall at Frieze London in October to round 25 of Rama’s vibrant pen-and-oil drawings, accompanied by two painted bronze sculptures displayed on ceramic plinths. A smaller choice of works—three drawings and a sculpture—have been proven at Artwork Basel Paris the next week.
Rama makes works together with pen-and-oil drawings and painted bronze sculptures, reminiscent of Untitled (2025) Picture: Trevor Good; © Edi Rama
Julia Ballantyne-Means, a associate at Société, tells The Artwork Newspaper that round half the drawings offered and discussions are ongoing with potential consumers for all three sculptures. “It was tremendous effectively acquired,” she says of Rama’s artwork. “Lots of people don’t know [about Rama the artist] and they’re in fact very shocked and intrigued to find him.”
She provides: “You even have individuals who have lengthy been following him and are thrilled to see him with us now and being represented.”
Ballantyne-Means says she had lengthy been “intently in contact” with Rama, and most not too long ago started discussing illustration after attending his solo present at Marian Goodman Gallery in Paris final yr. “It’s a brand new profile for us—we don’t have another artist-politicians,” she says. “The brand new work is de facto thrilling. He’s incorporating rather more bronze into the ceramics.”
Oltsen Gripshi, an Albanian up to date artist and critic who printed a guide on Rama’s artwork final yr, says the artist had moved on from Communist-era Realism to plan a singular summary language impressed by Kandinsky. “I take into account it a brand new type of neo-Expressionism for its mix of expressionism, abstractionism and formalism,” Gripshi says.
Cleansing up his picture?
Rama returned to Albania in 1998 to function minister of tradition, later gaining worldwide consideration because the mayor of Tirana (2000-11) for portray drab Communist-era condo blocks in daring colors. Since turning into prime minister in 2013, his authorities has overseen the restoration of main heritage websites together with the Nationwide Historic Museum, the Venetian Tower of Durrës and the Kurçaj Bridge.
But his administration has additionally been dogged by corruption scandals. In 2023, the previous surroundings minister Lefter Koka acquired a five-year jail sentence for accepting bribes within the so-called “incinerator scandal”, whereas Arben Ahmetaj, a former deputy prime minister, stays internationally wished on costs of cash laundering, false declaration of wealth and abuse of workplace.
It’s a brand new profile for us—we don’t have another artist-politicians. The brand new work is thrilling
Julia Ballantyne-Means, Société
After Rama criticised Albania’s anti-corruption authority following the arrest of Tirana’s mayor Erion Veliaj, a detailed ally, the authority accused him in February of undermining judicial independence.
Armando Lulaj, a recent artist and long-time critic of Rama, referred to as the prime minister’s artwork a PR stunt to scrub up his picture, claiming the prime minister withheld funds from detractors. “My group, which criticises his artwork and the use that energy makes of cultural artwork, is marginalised and can’t obtain any public cash,” he says.
Ballantyne-Means denies that Rama’s creative exercise is about optics. “He studied artwork, he taught artwork and he was a practising artist in Paris earlier than coming into politics,” she says.
Rama’s works additionally appeared at Artwork Basel Miami Seashore final week, and will probably be proven in a solo exhibition throughout Gallery Weekend Berlin subsequent April.
