Marian Goodman Gallery will unveil a new solo exhibition by Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama. This exhibition marks Rama’s first major monographic display in Paris, a city he called home during the 1990s. It offers a comprehensive view of his multifaceted artistic endeavors, showcasing drawings on paper, printed wallpaper, ceramic sculptures, and a hand-embroidered folding screen. This diverse collection highlights Rama’s intrinsic connection with color, a medium he utilizes to express psychological depth and to provoke shifts in perception and dialogue.
Inspired by the automatism of surrealist drawings, Rama sketches during meetings and phone calls in his ministerial office. These sessions yield intricate compositions, marked by vivid colors that often overlay A4 printed notes or daily schedules. These drawings, part of his official work time, reflect an inner urge to transcend the confines of bureaucratic frameworks.
The colorful markers that populate his desk are a testament to his tenure as Mayor of Tirana, where he initiated a bold project to repaint the city’s social housing facades in vibrant hues. This project, captured in Anri Sala’s 2003 video “Dammi i colori”, aimed not only to beautify the urban landscape but also to foster a sense of community and dialogue among residents. Rama’s use of color as a social tool transformed public discourse, making color a subject of passionate debate throughout the city.
In his ministerial office, Rama began to display his drawings and integrated them into a bespoke wallpaper design. This concept is recreated in the exhibition’s first room, where original framed drawings interplay with the wallpaper. Complementing these two-dimensional works are large ceramic sculptures that bring his colorful drawings to life in three dimensions. These polychromatic sculptures, presented on custom pedestals, invite viewers to explore their playful, whimsical forms from various angles, blending color, texture, and shape.
Rama’s ceramics, distinct from his drawings, are crafted in his spare time in a studio outside the Prime Minister’s office. The exhibition’s second room reflects the ambiance of this creative space, filled with new wall sculptures in glazed ceramics, pieces combining ceramic and bronze, and fragmented compositions. These works demonstrate Rama’s evolving technical skill in ceramics, a medium he has explored since his first ceramic works were exhibited at Marian Goodman Gallery in New York in 2016.
A standout piece in this exhibition is a hand-embroidered folding screen, its abstract design inspired by X-ray negatives of Paolo Uccello’s Renaissance masterpiece “The Battle of San Romano”. This intricate, multicolored screen adds a unique tactile dimension to the exhibition, further showcasing Rama’s inventive use of diverse materials and techniques.
The exhibition will be open on June 8, from 18:00 to 20:00 at 66 rue de Temple in Paris.
