Toni Milaqi, (1974 born in Tirana) currently living in Athens, Greece. He studied painting at the Lyceum “Jordan Misja” and graduated in Monumental Painting Section at Academy of Fine Arts Tirana, Albania.
He presented solo exhibitions: “De la violence et d’autres demons” (2016), Desmos Galerie, Paris; “The Sleep of Reason Produces Monsters”, Balkan Art Gallery, Xanthi (1999); Astrolavos Gallery, Piraeus (1996), Dimokritos Gallery, Athens. Maliqi has been part of group exhibitions: “Dia- Project”, Byzantine and Christian Museum, Athens/ 2013, “The Art Reportages in Athens”, Saranda (2012), ART Ist; “Terrain insecure”, Multifunctional Cultural Center, Përmet (2012); “Hot Tabu”, MIZA Galeri, Tirana (2010); “CheapArt -Thessaloniki“, Thessaloniki (2008); “CheapArt 14”, CheapArt Gallery, Athens (2007); “Pa(varesia)”, National Gallery of Arts,Tirana (2004); “Colours of Albania”, National Gallery of Arts, Tirana (1999); Astrolavos Gallery, Athens (1999); “Minus-Plus”, Hellenic American Union, Athens (1996), Dimokritos Gallery, Athens.
Gallery
Statement
An artist is an insubordinate creature, anarchist, free within the specially designed prison for him. He cannot be a puppet of anyone or a prentice of any political, social or economic mechanism.
An artist is self – destructive looking for light, as a butterfly during the night that circles the electric lamp furiously, until her wings are burned and then she vanishes.
An artist is romantic, to the point of indifference, naive to the point of pain, strong as the strongest steel and at the same time breakable as the most delicate glass. It is like this not because the artist wants it to be so, but because he cannot be something else. All the models that serve today as an expression of artistic potentials are nothing less than the camouflaged needs of the art markets and the social – political mafia enthroned for domination of visual spaces.
An artist cannot be a blind follower of the ones which govern or a diligent worker of the propagandistic mechanism of the politicians. An artist cannot deal with counting of the colorful building facades that shelter very suspicious politicians hiding the economic corruption or social misery of the society they lead.
An artist is a wild hawk; it’s not a domestic chicken from which we expect an egg on a daily basis, it’s an opposition and not a collector of bread crumbs of different circles. An artist cannot be conservative, a manipulative and a commercial coward or a puppet in someone’s hands. This is my notion of art and an artist.