Haki Xhakli

Haki Xhakli is a Kosovo Albanian painter and a university professor from Kosovo. He is known for his composition paintings where figures of horse, castle and woman dominate.

Life Haki Xhakli was born on 3 October 1952 in Ferizaj, where he attended his early education. In 1978 he graduated from the Academy of Figurative Arts in University of Pristina, where he studied painting in the class of professor Rexhep Ferri.

From 1982 to 1988 he was leading the Artist's Association Zef Kolombi in Ferizaj. Since 1984 he has been a member of the Association of Figurative Artists of Kosovo, which he chaired from 2006 to 2008.

He has been working at the Faculty of Education since 2005, where he teaches art methodology to undergraduates and graduates, with the title of Professor Assistant at the University of Pristina. In 2010 he received a Doctoral Degree on Social Sciences at University of Skopje. In 2016 he served temporarily as the Dean of Faculty of Education at University of Pristina. Xhakli was also a national coordinator for curriculum development of art education in Kosovo organised by Ministry of Education, Science and Technology (Kosovo) from 2002 until 2012.

Exhibitions Xhakli participated in several international collective exhibitions and opened personal ones in Kosovo, Italy, Germany, Finland, France, Netherlands, Serbia, Macedonia and Albania.

In Kosovo, he had ten solo exhibitions and participated in forty four (44) collective exhibitions.

1983 Culture House, Ferizaj, Kosovo 1993 Cafe Gallery "Kata", Ferizaj, Kosovo 1994 Cafe "Bolero", Ferizaj, Kosovo 1995 SHKA "Agimi", Prizren, Kosovo 1996 Gallery "Rada", Prizren, Kosovo 1999 Hellweg-Museum, Unna, Germany 1999 Katharinen-Hoff, Unna, Germany 2000 Art Gallery, Ferizaj, Kosovo 2002 Culture House, Kaçanik, Kosovo 2003 Gallery of Ministry of Culture, Pristina, Kosovo 2006 Gallery of Ministry of Culture, Pristina, Kosovo 2011 National History Museum, Tirana, Albania 2014 Show Your Hope, Eindhoven, Netherlands 2016 Embassy of Kosovo, Berlin, Germany 2020 Assembly of the Republic of Kosovo, Pristina, Kosovo 2022 National Theatre of Opera and Ballet of Albania, Tirana, Albania 2024 Luckan Cultural Centre, Helsinki, Finland

During his career he spent time in Florence, Italy and Unna, Germany where he was a personal tutor of painters Ilona Hetmann and Hans Wegener.

Gallery

Work

Haki Xhakli’s paintings incorporate symbolic elements that draw on both universal themes and references to local cultural and historical experiences. His work is influenced by everyday life as well as the historical context of his region.

The symbol which is present in almost every painting of the artist is the horse. It brings up multiple associations with everyday life. It is portrayed as the symbol of faithfulness, but also of the burden that holds upon itself. The horse symbol represents the inescapable feeling of alertness and vigilance. With this detail, the artist reminds the audience for the struggles of the Albanian people for centuries.

In line with the horse symbol and its head, there is the symbol of the castle that connects well with high rooftops and small turrets, this symbolises the national resistance and the never-ending danger from various occupants. Its shielded walls used as a protection from enemies indicates the coldness of the stones absorbing from outside and the warmth inside that is offered through hospitality to every friend.

In Xhali’s artwork, the woman is often presented as part of a symbolic triangle and associated with ideas of renewal. His paintings frequently emphasize the eyes, which are used to suggest memory, hardship, hope, and emotional experience. The female figure is depicted as emotionally expressive, sometimes forceful and independent, and at other times restrained or introspective.

Through many symbols, he empowers his painting by elevating it to a high degree of universal semiotics, which receives a polysemic message, which then is not difficult to be accepted by artisans regardless of the relevance. One particular painting cycle that Xhakli created is the Apocalypse, as it makes the viewer think that it is the end of the world, in fact, it is portrayed as the end of the dreadful side of the universe.

Publications