A Kosovo-born artist, Albana Ejupi, continues to boldly experiment with artistic dimensions through surrealism, seeking to understand what it means to be human, which makes her artistic work distinctive. 

The woman's body is the subject of her work, and empowerment takes a more prominent role in Albana’s artistic expression. In her new exhibition at Lukas Feichtner Galerie in Vienna, she presented her latest artistic work, featuring sculptures alongside her two-dimensional paintings. 

“The sculpture is a new approach. It has always been present for me, but now it is shown to viewers in a different format. They can now see from up close the models I shoot with my camera in the studio,” says the artist.  

Photo: Albana Ejupi, the artist. Photo credits: Lukas Beck 

The transition from painting to sculpture was challenging for her, but it fulfilled what was missing in her artistic work. It took her over half a year to reach the shape she visualised. “The purpose was to have the same style as the bodies that are filled with sand on canvas,” says Ejupi. 

Her artistic works deliver a powerful message on feminism. 

“I think that her artwork is an unequivocal, autonomous, and feminist statement. Here, we see a battlefield of female bodies taking over the media, which is very much male-dominated,” says Dr Felicitas Thun-Hohenstein, University Professor, at the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna, who also supervises Albana’s PhD project. 

Her work’s subject sparked interest and found space at the Erste Private Bank exhibition, which aims to collaborate with young people to create a better world. “Her touch on feminism is necessary for the artwork. We have enough men in this business, so we like to support women artists,” said Mr Werner Karl Steiber, from Erste Bank.

“Throughout the years, Albana brought more strength and energy into her work. In this exhibition, you can see many bold colours, full of energy, and somehow some harmony coming out,” says her friend and colleague Claudia Tomassetti, who has followed her work since Albana moved to Vienna for her Master’s studies eight years ago. 

She works with concrete, stones, and sand. “It is exceptional how she manipulates material traces and her artistic practice, which is very clear, making her work unique. It is her mode of articulation,” says Professor Thun-Hohenstein.

Photo: Albana Ejupi's exhibition "In Between", at Lukas Feichtner Galerie in Vienna

Another thing that makes her work special is that the sand she uses always comes from Kosovo, her hometown, for a specific reason: “I want to include my heritage and make it a part of my cultural expression, and I feel much closer to where I am from. My work involves identities. This is part of who I am, and my work reflects myself,” says the artist. 

Her father, Idriz Ejupi, is one of her biggest supporters and also facilitates the transportation of the sand from Kosovo for Albana’s paintings, which makes him feel closer to her artwork. Being in the opening of her exhibition in Vienna, he shows pride on his face. “My most immense pleasure and accomplishment is when my only daughter rises in her professional career. I didn’t hesitate in any form to support her, and this was rewarding,” says Mr. Ejupi.

Her artwork continues to astonish her art collectors. Among them is journalist Robert Wiesner, who owns many of Albana’s paintings. “It is incredible how creatively she expresses herself, combining her heritage with her studies in Vienna. It is amazing how powerful this woman is,” says Wiesner. Seeing great potential in her, he expresses concern that one day she may leave Vienna for good. “It would be typical of her to envisage other places, which are even more critical than Vienna. I am afraid we will lose her to other continents,” he says.

 While Albana doesn’t disclose any plans to leave Vienna, she confirms that her exhibition will tour across Asia. In November, her artwork will be showcased in Hong Kong at the Art Fair, the Art Austria Highlights Hong Kong, marking her first appearance in Asia. Prior to that, she will visit Düsseldorf, Germany, to display her work at Burkhard Eikelmann Galerie. In Vienna, the exhibition, which opened on September 10, will remain on display until October 18, 2025, at Lukas Feichtner Galerie.