Demir Beluli – Retrospective exhibition (1956 – 2013)

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We gladly accepted to organize the exhibition of author Demir Beluli at the National Gallery of Macedonia, in Chifte hamam, because he is a prolific artist of Albanian origin who was born in Presevo and lives in Kosovo, but what binds him to Macedoniais his finishing the Albanian teacher School “Illyria” in Skopje, where he was instructed in painting from doyens Spas Kunovski and Vancho Gjorgjievski who will forever leave a strong impact on his future creative development.

demir behluli plakat

Beluli graduated from the Pedagogical School in Prishtina, art stream, and he specialized in design of textile in Austria. This exhibition is of a retrospective nature, the author celebrating an anniversary – 75 years of his birth and 58 years since the first individual exhibition.

Demir Belul is an author who expresses himself through fine art, but also through language in the form of poetry and prose. In the domain of artistic repertoire, Beluli knows how to reach the realistic fields of artistic expression, but also to present himself expressively, impulsively , modernistically . The photo-realistic classic portraits, through realistic and surrealistic landscapes, blend into anxiously-graphic strong art solutions, reduced to croquis solutions. His ability to work and experiment with different techniques and styles then moves into the field of design, design of textiles (curtains), of books, catalogs, Qurans, posters, flags, decorative arabesques in mosques, to wall-mural painting of motifs from the Bible in churches. Regarding media, he is accomplished enough in all techniques of artistic expression, from pencil, tempera, oil paint, ink, aquarelle, graphic techniques and more.

He has left behind him an extensive exhibition biography, with numerous individual and group exhibitions at home and abroad, and has published 18 books of poetry and short stories for children and adults. He has decorated over 43 mosques and a mausoleum. Besides classical art media, he has expressed himself through comics, misenscene, illustration, riddles, enigmatic drawings, vignettes, marquetry, etc.

Part of the versatility of this artist will be on display at the National Gallery of Macedonia, so that our audience can get a wider range of knowledge of the author’s contribution and for his commitment and dedication to art.

Halide Paloshi, director

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Biography of the author

Demir Behluli was born on 10 February 1938, in Ranatovac village in Presevo.

He finished his 4-year primary education in Madzere village, in a private home in 1953, while the following 4 years he continued in Preshevo, in the Primary School of Education of the time. He did so travelling on foot, across mountains and brooks, 26 km in both directions.
In 1956, he completes private eight grade and enrolls in “Lirija” High School in Skopje for the duration of 5 years. In 1964 he graduates from VJU in the class of fine artists in Prishtina. In 1965 he completes officer’s education in Biekje. In 1975 he specializes in design and textile in Kufstein, Austria.

The author used to work as a teacher in Skopje, Dono Svilare and in Rahovitza – Preshevo, as well as an art teacher in Preshevo and as a designer in the curtain factory “Giva” – in Gnjilane.

His first poem “On the flower” was published in January 1956 in the “Voice of youth” magazine in Prishtina, while his first short story “Notional excursion” was pubished in 1959, in “Flaka e Vlazerimit” newspaper in Skopje.
Demir writes poetry and short stories, both for children and adults.
The artist expresses himself through the three art media: fine art, poetry and storytelling.

Demir has works published in Serbo-Croatian language, too, in 1964, in the “Nasha stvaranja” magazine in Leskovec, and he also translated from Serbo-Croatian to Albanian the poetry collection “Forgiveness” by Fahrije Cerkezi from Mitrovitza.

In the field of literary art, he has the following works published: Во сферата на книжевноста, досега ги има објавено следните дела:

1.- “So ovie race” (‘With these hands”) 1968, Prishtina (poetry)
2.- “Sonceto – ptica nebeska” (“the Sun – a heavenly bird”) 1969, Skopje (poetry)
3.- “Majski ekot” (‘May echo”), 1981 Gnjilane, (sonata)
4.- “Patuvanje” (“Travelling”), 1984, Preshevo (sonata)
5.- “Kronika“, (“Chronicle”) 1985, Prishtina (monograph)
6.- “An original arabesque in the Eastern Kosovo mosques, 1984-1994”, 1995, Prishtina (monograph)
7.- “Kraot na domot“ (“the king of the home”)1996, Prishtina (for children),
8.- “Vo iscekuvanje” (“In expectance”), 1997, Prishtina (poetry),
9.- “Essays, critique,exhibition” 1997, Prishtina
10.- “Vozovi na lebot” (“Trains of bread”), 1997, Prishtina (short stories),
11.- “Portraits of writers”, 2002, Prishtina (drawings)
12.- “House of sand” 2004, Prishtina, (for children),
13.- “When a man talks to himself” 2005, Gnjilane (short stories),
14.- “A pleasant surprise”, 2005, Gnjilane, (a novel).
15.- “Vrapche na Dedoto” (‘Grandpa’s sparrow”) 2007, Gnjilane (for children)
16.- “Saturday in Preshevo”, 2009, Gnjilane (a poem)
17.- “Foreword”, 2011, Prishtina ( 70 sonnets)
18.- “The Albanian holy woman”, 2012, Prizren, portraits and verses on Mother Teresa

His contribution to the field of fine arts is enormous: apart from 12 individual exhibitions:

1.- Preshevo, 1955, 1965, 1967, 1971;
2.- Skopje1960,
3.- Gnjilane 1980, 1985 (рretrospective), 2004, 2006, 2007, 4.- Prishtina 2002,
5.- Drach 2005.
Demir has participated in numerous group exhibitions. He decorated the interior of 43 mosques and 1 mausoleum with original arabesques at a total surface of 26.000 square meters. The author also painted the murals of the church in Bincha “The heroes of Karadak” (together with Zekirija Redzepi) on a surface of 650 square meters with 520 figures of all national dresses, unique in the world. The author has painted a number of portraits, has illustrated books, made numerous designs for curtains, where the design “101” had been made with the length of 5 million meters and was shared in all the continents on earth.

The author has panted more than 1570 portraits, 500 in different techniques and formats, 300 in pencil, 30 in pen, 200 in ink, 10 in letters, 30 compositions and 200 in oil.

In his 55-year artistic creation he uses: pencil, ink, coal, aquarelle, tempera colors, pastel, felt-tip, oil, combined techniques, linoleum, plaster, wood, etc. The author has painted portraits, still natures, landscapes, compositions, designs, book covers, emblems, diplomas, posters, misenscenes, comics, illustrations, murals, arabesques, labyrinths, rebuses, crosswords, enigmatic drawings, vignettes, croquis, letter portraits, mouldings, monotypes with aquarelle, friezes etc.

Demir’s art works can be found in several private and public galleries around the world: in all the former Yugoslav republics, Albania, Holland, Germany, Austria, Turkey, Switzerland and other countries in the world.

Interesting facts: from 1955 till 2012, Demir has gifted to friends and various institutions around the world more than 826 original art works.

In the field of fine arts, the author had been distinguished:

1.- 1957, by the Anti-alcoholism society, in Skopje
2.- 1964, as a student in Prishtina
3.- 1965, as a cadet in Bilekje, awarded with a traditional painting award
4.- 1979, the Municipal Council of Gnjilane awards him the November award,
5.- 1981, awarded with the Jubilee award by the Macedonian Union in Valjevo,
6.- 1985, distinguished with a Golden order by the Federative union in Belgrade
7.- 2004, distinguished with a Gold plaque for winning in painting at the multicultural manifestation “January flame” in Gnjilane
Demir is presented and quoted in 30 books, lexicons and encyclopedias, in Albanian and Serbo-Croatian language.

The author has been presented in individual and group exhibitions in the following cities: Preshevo, Skopje, Bitola, Bujanovac, Surdulica, Belgrade, Valjevo, Gnjiane, Vitija, Dardanija, Uroshevac, Prishtina, Obilikj, Mitrovica, Pech, Gjakovo, Prizren, Teranda, Plandishte, Mladenovac, Luxemburg, Drach, Fier etc. .

Travels of research character: Athens, Corinth, Kalambakon, Istanbul, Vienna, Frankfurt, Milan, Venice, Barcelona, Berat and Paris.

More than 50 authors have written on Damir’s creative opus, in more than 250 pages, and we are presenting some quotes from said pages:

Hasan Makuli, literary critique: “… Demir is distinguished with an original color that promises and leaves a pleasant memory (1964), and Demir’s work absorbs in itself the testimony of a special talent…(1969),
Musa R. Mehmeti, painter: “…Demir’s paintings are based not only in the values of a fabulous aspect, bit in artistic values as well…”(1973),
Jetula Haliti – Eti, painter: “…Demir Behljulji belongs to the first generation of fine artists from Kosovo, he has contributed greatly to the shaping of the autochthonous fine art in our area…as an artist he is specific, especially by the way of treating the portrait and aquarelle…” (1980),
Jonuz Fetajhaj, poet: “…Demir is not abstract even when he is being symbolic …” (1980),
Daut Demaku, writer: “… Demir, when he wishes to, can even create wonders…” (1983),
Zejnulah Zejnulahu, painter: “…Demir’s creative corpus possesses its own address without interference with the rest…Demir is one living gallery…” (1984),
Demush Haziri, painter:“…Demir Behljulji tries to instill soul to the portrait, bauty to nature, worship to the Fatherland, immortality to tradition, pride to folklore…” (1985),

Mufti Sulejman Effendi Redzepi: “…it is worthwhile to salute Demir’s tendency and courage, besides the traditional arabesques, to also paint the original Albanian arabesques, apart from the religious symbols and elements, to also use the national ones…” (1995).
Mustafa Ferizi, art critic:”…the decorative activity od Damir’s School is manifested in a numerous tendencies, but above all, it is distinguished by the use of novelties, seen for the first time in Damir’s work…and when you see the grand domes you get the impression you are looking at the braids made with virginal love, with a needle and great filigree dedication…” (1995),
Dr. Mohammed Piraku, historian: “…enrichment of the mural painting, but also of the Albanian spirit…Demir is a creator with a multidisciplinary activity, an Albanian phenomenon of the modern day…” (1996),
Vesta Nura, painter: “…the mural realizations in the church in Bincha – Vitija, since 1990, have become a symbol of national bonding…” (1999),

Shpetim Golemi (Shpeti the Grand), war person: ”…the historic characters from our history have turned into saints of the Church in Bincha…to have been able to create such work in a religious object, of a marked national character, at a time when everything Albanian had been eliminated, creating the violent institutions, it means such bravery as going to war to face your enemy…
…I think that none of the painting collections in all the Albanian territories can be compared to this grand mural work, from the aspect of its educational values. In this artwork, painter Demir Behljulji will place himself in the order of our painters such as Onufri, David Selenica and Kostandin Shpataraku, bearing in mind that their works realized in the churches in Albania are considered to be the most beautiful mural realizations in the Eastern church…” ( 2000)
“…what makes it mystical and realistic is the realization of an event from 150 years ago in an Albanian church, in spite of the time of mass genocide. One can rightfully conclude that the authors of this composition must be receiving signals from God! (the mural realizations in Bincha). Demir presents Jesus’s first appearance not on Mount Zion, but in the Karadak Mountains…” (2001),
Musa Sabedini, journalist: “… this is the painter that left in silence the permanent marks with the art lovers…” (2002),

Dr. Mohammed Mufaku – Arnauti, professor: “… there is a resurrection of the art of new arabesques, differing from the art of traditional arabesques, as have been so far known across mosques throughout the past centuries. We can freely ascertain that behind this “revolution” stands the artist Demir Behljulji, his realizations in the decoration of the Kosovo mosques have been called by some “The School of Demir Behljulji” in the Islamic art of arabesque…” (2008, Jordan, in Arabic).

Dr. Don Lush Gjergji, priest: “… The intertwining of the art experience is crowned…between the portraits and verses dedicated to Mother Teresa, it is almost two inseparable rails that are constantly enriched and complement each other…” (2012).

Hisen Kekjiku, poet: “…in the mosques and the Church in Bincha, each detail can be understood as a miniature artwork, and if one is to count them all, this artist has created as many pieces as there have been minutes of his life…” (2008).

The author now lives and creates in Gnjilane.

This retrospective exhibition is organized on the occasion of 75 years from the birth and 55 years from the first exhibition realized in 1955.

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