Artist Talk
Adrian PaciAt Dar Al Kalima College
December 12, 2018, 12 - 2 pm
"The works of Adrian Paci grow out of a search for meaning guided by inner needs, as an active way of thinking about the contemporary world. They draw on a deep familiarity with art history, combining the observation of social dynamics in our time with an awareness of the symbolic depth of actions, and an interest in the interpretive potential of images.
Key motifs in his oeuvre include travel, passage, waiting—which is above all a state of expectation—and ties to one´s time and place of origin, which are not dimensions to which anyone can return, but rather deep touch- stones that individuals must carry with them, to give even the most ordinary actions their full range of meaning. Albanian by birth and Italian by choice since 1997, Adrian Paci sees migration as the most natural state of both man and artist, a constant incitement to imagine new ways of living, new possible relationships with our surroundings, and new languages of expression. His artistic practice knows no boundaries. The images he is drawn to are specific and topical, sparking profound reflections on the relationship between economics and social justice. At the same time, the entire history of humanity can be glimpsed within them; these are intimate, restrained, solemn actions, whose deep and ancient roots give them the quality of archetypes; in them, we sense the emotional and cultural substrate that links human beings together like a common denominator.
And so, in his works, every examination of the present triggers a shift toward other, additional meanings: each piece possesses a dense core that cannot be easily summed up, full of allusions and echoes, and inviting" - Gabi Scardi
Adrian Paci (born in 1969 in Shkoder, Albania) studied painting at the Academy of Art of Tirana. In 1997 he moved to Milan where he lives and works. Throughout his career he held numerous solo shows in various in- ternational institutions such as: MAXXI - Museo na- zionale delle arti del XXI secolo, Rome (2015); MAC, Musée d'Art Contemporain de Montréal, Montréal (2014); Padiglione d’Arte Contemporanea – PAC, Milan (2014); Jeu de Paume, Paris (2013); Kunsthaus Zurich, Zurich (2010); Bloomberg Space, London (2010); The Center for Contemporary Art – CCA, Tel Aviv (2009); MoMA PS1, New York (2006) and Contemporary Arts Museum, Houston (2005). Amongst the various group shows, Adrian Paci’s work has also been featured in the 14th International Architecture Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia (2014); in the 48th and the 51st edition of the International Art Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia (re- spectively in 1999 and 2005); in the 15th Biennale of Sydney (2006) and in the Biennale de Lyon (2009).
Supported by the A. M. Qattan Foundation through the “Visual Arts: A Flourishing Field” project funded by Sweden.
