BEKIM HASAJ

Born in Bajram Curri, Albania, 1990. Currently based in Ostrobothnia, Finland.

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EDUCATION AND TRAINING

2010-2014, Bachelor degree in Visual Arts from Brera Academy of Fine Arts, Milan (Italy), score of 110/110; 2005–2009, Diploma from J. Misja High School of Art, Tirana (Albania), score of 10/10.

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ARTIST RESIDENCIES

Curated by Artist Residency Swap & Finnish Institute in UK and Ireland, Dublin (Ireland, March 2022); Moskosel Creative Lab-Northern Sustainable Futures, Moskosel (Sweden, October-November 2024).

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Next Artist Residency

Galerie Pleiku Exhibition-Residency, Berlin (Germany, May 2026).

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GRANTS (selection)

Svenska Kulturfonden, travel grant, Contemporanea 24, 2024; Svensk-Österbottniska Samfundet, project grant, 'The Shell Cracked', 2024; Svenska Kulturfonden, travel grant, 2022; Arts Promotion Center-Taike, working grant (two months), 2022; Finnish Institute in UK and Ireland, salary, short artist residency, 2022; Svenska Kulturfonden, working grant, project 'Scanning Landscape', 2021.

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Working group:

Svenska Kulturfonden, project grant, exhibition cycle, 2025; Svenska Kulturfonden-Frans Henriksson fund, development project, (public) art events in rural and natural areas, 2025; Svensk-Österbottniska Samfundet, project grant, 'Translucid Skins', 2023-2024; Eugène, Elisabeth och Birgit Nygréns stiftelse, project grant, exhibition, 2023; Bröderna Gröndahls Stiftelse, project grant, exhibition, 2023; Närpes City Cultural Grant, project grant, mural opening event, 2023; Svensk-Österbottniska Samfundet, project grant, public art, 2023; Svenska Kulturfonden, project grant, exhibitions promotion, 2022; Bröderna Gröndahls Stiftelse, project grant, installation - public art, 2022; Svenska Kulturfonden-Frans Henriksson fund, development project, public art, 2022; Svensk-Österbottniska Samfundet, project grant, exhibitions promotion, 2021-2022; Vaasa City Cultural Grant, project grant, installation - public art, 2021; Svenska Kulturfonden, project grant, installation - public art, 2021; Svenska Kulturfonden, project grant, art space - exhibitions, 2020; Vaasa City Cultural Grant, project grant, art space maintenance, 2020.

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HONOURS AND AWARDS (selection)

Selected, Contemporanea Prize 2024, ARTEiX (Tagliacozzo, Italy); Top ten Finalist, Exibart Prize 2023-24 (Rome, Italy); Selected, Yicca Art Prize 23/24, Aps MOHO (Udine, Italy); Top ten Finalist, Exibart Prize 2022-23 (Rome, Italy); Selected, 'RINart', Tirana International Contemporary Festival 2022 (Tirana, Albania); Selected, Who I am, VIZart International Biennale 2019 (Tirana, Albania); Winners, CCSA (under 35) open call, Crema Municipality with the collective La Faretra, (Crema, Italy, 2019).

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EXHIBITIONS (selection):

‘The Shell Cracked’, duo exhibition, Rådhusgalleriet (Nykarleby, Finland, January-February 2025); 'The Shell Cracked', duo exhibition, Gallery 3H+K (Pori, Finland, January 2025); 'Contemporanea Prize 2024. Costruire Nuovi Mondi’ group exhibition, curator Cesare Biasini Selvaggi, Palazzo Ducale Orsini-Colonna (Tagliacozzo, Italy, August-September 2024); Yö Fest vol.4, 4.3 'Fishes of the paradise city' group exhibition, Yö Galleria (Helsinki, Finland, March-May 2024); Yicca Art Prize 23/24 group exhibition, curators Massimo Toffolo & Margherita Jedrzejewska, Luciana Matalon Foundation (Milan, Italy, January 2024); 'Dripping Cavities' duo exhibition, coordinator Silvia Rinne, Vaasa City Art Gallery- Vaasa City Museums (Finland, November 2023-January 2024); 'Papertopia' duo exhibition, Vaasa City Library (Vaasa, Finland, June 2023); Collision Festival group exhibition, Collision Art Collective, Gammal Brandkårshuset (Jakobstad, Finland, May 2023); 'Dripping Cavities’ duo exhibition, curator Anni Fahler, Galleria Albert IX (Helsinki, Finland, January 2023); 'New Beginnings' Festival group exhibition, Malakta Art Factory (Malax, Finland, September 2022); 'Offside #1' group exhibition, Offside, curator Marcus Lerviks, pop-up space in Varastokatu 6, 65100 Vaasa (Finland, May-June 2022); 'RINart' group exhibition, Tirana International Contemporary Festival, VIZart, National Historical Museum & COD (Tirana, Albania, May 2022); Group exhibition, Pasila Urban Art Center-Helsinki Urban Art (Helsinki, Finland, March-April 2022); 'Dripping Cavities' duo exhibition, Makers' Gallery (Vaasa, Finland, December 2021); 'Challanging the Support' solo show, G.A.P.-Globe Art Point (Helsinki, Finland, November-December 2021); 'The Body Lenguage' group exhibition, Itsliquid Group, The ROOM Contemporary Art Space and Palazzo Albrizzi Capello (Venice, Italy, March 2021); 'Wall Mania' group exhibition, Black Box Genesis art space (Vaasa, Finalnd, 2020); 'Terminal' group exhibition, curator Stefano Monti, Sale Agello (Crema, Italy, December 2019); 'Who I Am' group exhibition, VIZart International Biennal 2019 of Self-portrait, National Historical Museum (Tirana, Albania, September 2019); 'Untitled' solo show, Black Box Genesis art space (Vaasa, Finland, April-May 2019); 'Le Forme Dell'Uomo' group exhibition, curator Giuliana Nuvoli, La Casa delle Artiste (Milan, Italy, November 2018); 'Le Bestie di Brera' group exhibition, collective La Faretra, Sala Birolli (Verona, Italy, September 2018).

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EVENTS (selection):

'Deep-Scape', site-specific video/visual art event, Bock's Corner Village (Vaasa, Finland, 24th February 2024); Performative acts during the day, 'Dripping Cavities' duo exhibition, Vaasa City Art Gallery-Vaasa City Museums (12th December 2023); Finnish Painters' Association Sales Event at Cable Factory (Helsinki, Finland, March 2023); Konstrundan 2022, Malakta Art Factory (Malax, Finland, September 2022); Konstrundan 2021, online exhibition 'Virtual Walls? Virtual Murals¿' by Black Box Genesis / Open studio, Malakta art Factory (Malax, Finland, September 2021); Konstrundan 2020, open studio, Black Box Genesis (Vaasa, Finland, September 2020); Vaasa-Night of Arts, 'Glitch-sorry, there is interference' urban installation (Vaasa, Finland, 8th August 2019); Vaasa-Night of Arts, 'Living Painting' performance (Vaasa, Finland, 9th August 2018); Burning Art Festival, 'Deeps Smoke' performace, Malakta Art Factory (29th September 2018).

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Others:

‘Studio Visit’ on ‘Grandi Stazioni Retail’ project by Exibart, video presentation on monitors in the main Italian stations (Italy, 27th May-2nd June 2024).

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Next Exhibition/Event:

'The Shell Cracked', duo exhibition, Galleria Rajatila, (Tampere, Finland, September-October 2025); 'The Shell Cracked', duo exhibition, Varikko Galleria (Seinäjoki, Finland, October-November 2025); 'The Shell Cracked', duo exhibition, Taidekeskus Itä-Gallery Riutta (Lappeenranta, Finland, November-December 2025), Duo exhibition, Galerie Pleiku (Berlin, Germany, May 2026); Duo exhibition, Tempus-Jakobstad Museum (Jakobstad, Finland, January-March 2027).

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COLLABORATIONS / PROJECTS  (selection)

‘Awake’ mural painting for D.P.A.R.A. pilot (Övermark, Finland, April-June 2023); 'Unfolding thoughts - Requiem of a phoenix', public art installation for 'Book - the Lafkan project' (Vaasa City Library, Finland, 2021-22); 'Click', mural painting for WIC-Wasa Innovation Center (Vaasa, Finland, August-September 2021 / June 2022 ); 'Mural Rural' Festival 2021, selected artist, Art in Malakta rf (Malax, Finland,  autumn 2020, postpone to spring 2021); Vaasa Arts Night 2020, mural painting for the 30° anniversary (Finland, August 2020); Vaasa Arts Night 2019, art installation 'Glitch - sorry, there is interference' (Finland, August 2019); Creation of sacred painting 'La Madre Nostra' in collaboration with Fondazione Michetti and the Academy of Fine Art of Brera (Italy, 2013-2014).

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​´Scanning Landscape​´ multidisciplinary project and ´Shells´series by Bekim Hasaj, 2021-2025.

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BIBLIOGRAPHY (selection)

Interview by Reija Penttinen for ´Followers of the Movement´ column, Regional Dance Center of Ostrobothnia (31 January 2025); Article by Elsa Barbieri about 'The Shell Cracked' exhibition, Exibart (12 January 2025); 'Exibart Prize 2023-24', finalists' digital catalog, publisher Exibart (19th September 2024); 'Abruzzo contemporaneo. Focus sull'arte emergente', Contemporanea 24, curator Cesare Biasini Selvaggi, publisher Metilene, printing house Polistampa (Firenze, Italy, July 2024); Interview by Kirsi Koivuporras, Magazine Y 1/24 (March 2024); 'Yicca 23/24', International Contest of Contemporary Art, digital and printed catalog, publisher - Aps MOHO (1st December 2023); Interview by Elsa Barbieri about 'Dripping Cavities' exhibition, Exibart (12 November 2023); '222 Artisti emergenti su cui investire / 2024', book, curator Cesare Biasini Selvaggi, publisher - Exibart/Exibartlab (Rome, Italy, 12th October 2023); 'Exibart Prize 2022-23', finalists' digital catalog, publisher - Exibart (27th July 2023); Offside #1, online exhibition archive (May 2022); ‘RINart’, Tirana Contemporary Art Festival, exhibition catalog, publisher - VIZart (Tirana, Albania, May 2022); Globe Art Point online exhibition archive (17th December 2021); Article about 'Mural Rural' Festival by Clara Amodeo, Another Scratch In The Wall (Milan, Italy, 31st August 2021); Interview and online article by Luca Curci, Itsliquid Group (8th April 2021); Interview and photo documentation about 'Growing' mural painting, 'Mural Rural' project, for the Vaasa Museum Archive by Silvia Rinne (Vaasa, Finland, May 2021); Interview and photo documentation about Vaasa Arts Night Mural Painting for the Vaasa Museum Archive by Silvia Rinne (Vaasa, Finland, September 2020); Participation in the television program, workshop and interview for Yle Strömsö (Finland, October 2020); Interview, article and video documentation by Vaasa City cultural department, about the Mural for Vaasa Arts Night 2020 (Vaasa, Finland, 1st September 2020); Radio interview and article by Yle cultural section (Vaasa, Ostrobothnia, Finland, 31st July 2020); 'Who I Am', VIZart International Biennale 2019 of Self-portrait, exhibition catalog, publisher - VIZart (Tirana, Albania, September 2019); Video documentation by Crem@online and article by Cultura Crema about 'Terminal' group exhibition (Crema, Italy, December 2019).

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PUBLICATIONS 

'Taide', Yö Lehti #4, edited by Henrik Pathirane and Atte Karttunen, Yö ry (Helsinki, Finland, 2023); 'Public Art in Rural Areas', Ostrobothnian Regional Museum's Cultural Blog (Vaasa, Finland, 2nd May 2023).

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ARTIST TALKS

Public Art Seminar on public art in urban and rural areas, organised by Vaasa City Museums, Ostrobothnian Museum (Vaasa, Finland, 29 April 2025); Guest artist for the Kuvata Webinar with focus on ‘As an Artist in a Sparsely Populated Area', organised by Tampere University of Applied Sciences, the University of Lapland’s Faculty of Art​ and Globe Art Point, 20 January 2025; ‘Dripping Cavities’ duo exhibition, finissage, Vaasa City Art Gallery (Vaasa, Finland, 4th January 2024); 'Papertopia', duo exhibition, Vaasa City Library (Vaasa, Finland, 15th June 2023); Artist Talk, three meetings with the students of Vasa övningsskola, about the mural commissioned by Vaasa City (Vaasa, Finland, September 2020); Invitation, Malakta Art Factory (Malax, Finland, 27th June 2019).

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WORKSHOPS

'Kroki-Figure Drawing', with a live model, Art Saturday by Art in Malakta rf (Malax, Finland, 20th April 2024); 'Figure Drawing', workshop on the analysis and drawing of the human anatomy, with a live model, in collaboration with Regnbågsallians rf and Art in Malakta rf (Malax, Finland, 16th November 2023); 'Papertopia' exhibition, handmade paper workshop, co-host Jenni Österlund, Vaasa City Library (Vaasa, Finland, 29th June 2023); Online Workshop 'Monotype', co-host Susanne Marins, Art Saturday by Art in Malakta rf (Malakta Art Factory, Malax, Finland, 2nd May 2020); Handmade Paper Workshop, co-host Valentina Gelain, Art Saturday by Art in Malakta rf (Malakta Art Factory, Malax, Finland, 14th December 2019).

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ORGANIZATIONS

August 2023-Present, Artists' Association of Finland - Artist Register; August 2023 – Present, member of Suomen Taideyhdistys  (Finland); November 2022-Present, member of Yö ry (Finland); February 2022-Present, Artists Bank of Rakennustieto rts sr; January 2022-Present, member of Finnish Painters' Union ry (Finland); February 2021-Present, full member of Globe Art Point ry (Finland); January 2021-Present, client of Kuvasto ry Visual Arts' Copyright Society (Finland); April 2023-April 2025, board member of Globe Art Point ry (Finland); May 2019-September 2023, board member of Art in Malakta rf (Finland); August 2022-April 2023, vice member of the Board for Globe Art Point ry (Finland).

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OTHER WORK EXPERIENCES (selection)

August 2021-Present, co-manager of Black Box Genesis art space (online and pop-up events); May 2018-Present, Black Box Genesis co-founder as visual artist, creative freelancer & cultural worker / Visual artists and visual art experts | Organisation of exhibition and cultural events | Planning and management of projects, including long-term ones | Collaborations​ ; February 2024, guest teacher at Novia University to hold an intensive workshop on handmade paper for second/third-year visual art students, the position is shared with colleague Valentina Gelain (Jakobstad, Finland); October-November 2023, guest teacher at Novia University to hold the course Ateljestudier 7 for second-year visual art students, the position is shared with colleague Valentina Gelain (Jakobstad, Finland); September-October 2022, manager of Mural Rural project and assistant curator of New Beginnings Festival exhibition by Art in Malakta rf (Malax, Finland); October-November 2021, art course at Malakta Art Factory (Malax, Finalnd); April 2020-August 2021, co-organizer and artists´ coordinator of Mural Rural Festival for Art in Malakta rf  (Malax, Finland); June 2018-July 2021, co-manager of Black Box Genesis art space (Vaasa, Finland); 23rd September 2020, guest artist in Yle Strömsö for an episode on the monotype technique (Vaasa, Finland), areena.yle.fi | article; 2014-2017, freelance artist (Milan, Italy); 2011-2014, assistant for Remo Salvadori (Milan, Italy).

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