Artefacts was the name of Arben Kristan's exhibition in Durres' Gallery. It was certainly very interesting, as I had rarely seen art pieces that depict artefacts. Kristan's works mainly focused on historical artefacts, with an emphasis on Albanian ones. There were paintings of gladiator helmets, spears and shields. But what was most interesting to me was the artist used many other tools and objects on his works. Some paintings were created not using only colours, but metal and wooden sticks, seashells and some very pretty and shiny turquoise stones. These were details that made the paintings come to life.
The paintings were all vibrant, despite not having a very wide spectrum of colour. But they were still fascinating, and some I had to stare at for a long time, to see every detail that was added in.
I really enjoyed this painting and I felt the tiny precious stones that the artist had used complimented it very well.
But my most favourite of all was a painting of a white statue. It was very eye-catching, very detailed and I really liked the colour scheme. Blazing red combined with striking white and black dots made for a stunning artwork, in my opinion.
Surprisingly, there were many other paintings of Albanian cities and famous landmarks. They were also very well done. They were not very vivid or bold, which usually attracts me more, but they were very rich in detail and very serene. I feel like they all made you feel very calm and at ease. This one was one I enjoyed in particular.
It was a bit more vibrant up close, and the white that was used for the tiny stones and leaves was very striking. Combined with the white frame, this painting looks exquisite to me.
Overall, the exhibition exceeded my expectations and I had an amazing time looking at these artworks. The artist had a distinct style that I had not seen before and that was very enthralling.
Nikolet Vasia Gallery, Durres
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