BIO
Born
1984 Sazlija, Yugoslavia, now Republic of Kosovo
Education
2014-2015 Meisterschüler of Prof. Johannes Spehr
2008-2014 Fine Arts, Kunsthochschule Kassel (D)
2001-2005 UNESCO-project school Oberstufen-Kolleg, University of Bielefeld (D)
Resides
Lives and works in Kassel (D) and Ferizaj (RKS)
ABOUT
Photo: Olga Holzschuh 2016
Shpresa Faqi is a contemporary artist who portraits people, nature and culture with drawing, colour and objects.
Faqi was born in Kosovo in 1984 and has lived in Germany since 1990. She studied Fine Arts at the Kunsthochschule Kassel (D) under Prof. Stefan Demary and Prof. Urs Lüthi and got her Diploma from Prof. Florian Slotawa. Afterwards Faqi was a "Meisterschüler" of Prof. Johannes Spehr. Since then, she has made a name for herself with her artistic travel projects.
The travel projects of Faqi explore landscape, nature, and culture. In them she explores habitats and movement from a variety of perspectives. Faqi documents places and portrays people through drawings that become projector installations in public spaces; this gives rise to floral nail-polish paintings on found objects and site-specific paintings like the "Watercolors of Albania".
Her works were created in Europe, the Balkans, England, and Brazil—an artistic journey around the world that is reflected in her use of experimental techniques and materials. Faqis works have been widely supported, exhibited, and honored. The “Zeltstadt” projection won the Art Promotion Prize at the dokKa Festival, and the “driving” project was funded by the H.M.W.K., the Impulse für Kassel Foundation, and the Kassel Cultural Affairs Office. In addition to installations at the Kasseler Kunstverein, at Artists Unlimited, at the Kollegienkirche in Salzburg (A), and at the H.D.L.U. in Zagreb (HR), Faqi’s works have been exhibited at the Historical Museum of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the National Gallery of Kosovo, the Embassy of the Republic of Kosovo in Berlin, and as an intervention for the Night of the Arts in Düsseldorf at the Kai10-Arthena Foundation.
The “Watercolors of Albania 2026” are now on display for the first time as part of the group exhibition “Von hier nach da” from September 18th to October 18th, 2026, at Filiale Leyer-Pritzkow, Roßstraße 13, 40476 Düsseldorf (D).
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SELECTED EXHIBITIONS &
ART JOURNEYS
2026
Von hier nach da, group exhibition, Filiale Leyer-Pritzkow, Düsseldorf (D)
Grenzen und Bewegung, presentation of my traveling art projects as intervention,
Kai10 - Arthena Foundation, Düsseldorf (D)
2025
SOLO Borders & Movement, Nachrichtenmeisterei, Kassel (D)
2024
Lebewesen zeichnen Lebewesen Workshops, Neue Galerie, Kassel (D)
Bergpark Leuchten, Lichtkunstfestival Kassel (D)
2023
SOLO Aqui, three-month art journey in São Paulo and Bahia (BR)
2021
Synime Kooperation Exhibition of National Galleries of Albania and Kosovo in Tirana and Prishtina (AL, RKS)
2019
Frauen zeichnen Frauen / Lebewesen zeichnen Lebewesen, performative drawing workshops in and with nature, Hesse / NRW (D)
4th Drawing Biennial, Ferizaj (RKS)
2018
driving three-month art journey in D, A, SLO, HR, BIH, MNE, RKS:
SOLO driving... to Embassy of Republic of Kosovo, Berlin (D)
SOLO driving National Gallery of Kosovo, Prishtina (RKS)
driving Historical Museum of Bosnia - Herzegovina, Sarajevo (BIH)
SOLO driving Meštrovic Pavilion HDLU / CAA Croatian Association of Artists, Zagreb (HR)
SOLO driving Galerija Alkatraz - Metelkova, Ljubljana (SLO)
SOLO driving Kollegienkirche Salzburg (A)
SOLO driving at with Artists Unlimited and Bielefelder Kunstverein (D)
SOLO driving at Kunstverein Kassel (D)
2016
SOLO Tent City-Projection - documentary festival, Karlsruhe (D)
Tent City drawings, Dr. Wolfgang Zippel Stiftung, Kunstverein Kassel (D)
2015
EXAMEN Tent City-Projektion, Meisterschülerarbeit portraits and documentation of the refugee camp of Kassel-Calden, documenta-Halle, Kassel (D)
Bath-Projection international installation of drawings from Kassel (D) and Bath (UK) at the Bath Fringe Festival (UK)
2014
Exam at Kunsthochschule Kassel, Prof. Florian Slowata and Prof. Johannes Spehr, documenta-Halle, Kassel (D)
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FUNDS & AWARDS
2025
exhibition fund, Kulturamt Stadt Kassel (D)
2023
artist residency, Gerson Cardoso, São Paulo (BR)
2021
project grant, "Lebewesen zeichnen Lebewesen in der JVA", Hessische Kulturstiftung (D)
artist grant, Jahr der Kulturschaffenden, ver.di Nordhessen (D)
2020
art project grant, "Frauen zeichnen Frauen", Hessische Kulturstiftung (D)
art work grant, Torrey Pine, Hessische Kulturstiftung (D)
2019
artist residency, Kolonia e Artit, Suharekë (RKS)
2018
exhibition grant for "driving", Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Kosovo (RKS)
winner exhibition proposal for driving, National Gallery of the Republic of Kosovo (RKS)
project grant for "driving", Kulturamt Stadt Kassel (D)
catalogue grant for "driving", Hessisches Ministerium für Wissenschaft und Kunst (D)
catalogue grant for "driving", IMPULSE für Kassel Stiftung (D)
artist residency for "driving", Kollegienkirche Salzburg (A)
artist residency for "driving", Kunstverein Bielefeld (D)
2016
winner fine arts award for Tent City, documentary festival, Karlsruhe (D)
art collection of "Tent City" drawings, by Dr.-Wolfgang-Zippel-Stiftung for Artothek Kassel (D)
2015
artist residency, Bath Fringe Festival, Bath (UK)
2011
artist residency, Kolonia e Artit, Suharekë (RKS)
COLLECTIONS
public
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National Gallery of Kosovo, Prishtina (RKS)
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Historical Museum of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Sarajevo (BIH)
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National Gallery of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Sarajevo (BIH)
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Artothek Kassel (D)
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Ethnologjcal Museum of Theranda, Suharekë (RKS)
private
Austria, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Brazil, CroaWa, France, Germany, Italy, Republic of Kosovo, Slovenia, Swizerland, United Kingdom, U.S.A.