Autobiography of Xhemajl Ramadani

My name is Xhemajl Ramadani. I was born on 15 August 1930 in Pristina, Kosovo.

I finished high school and upper secondary school in Pristina. During my time in upper secondary school I spontaneously started to get interested in Art.

Due to my knowledge and desire for art I managed to win a scholarship provided by the Municipality of Pristina. This scholarship made it possible for me to start my study at the Academy of Arts in Zagreb, Croatia.

Later in 1970, when the Faculty of Arts first started in Pristina, I subscribed to the Academy of Figurative Art, focused on painting, and in 1978 I graduated cum laude.

Immediately after graduation, I joined the Association of Figurative Artists (Artistëve Figurativ të Kosovës) in Kosovo. During this period I participated in joint exhibitions in Kosovo.

In 1979 I participated in ‘Salloni Pranveror’ and ‘Bienale të Vizatimit’ at the Art Gallery of Pristina and Groznjan, Kosovo and in 1996 I exhibited my work at “RADA” in Prizren.

In 1999 when the war had begun and NATO attacked the Serbians, the situation was obviously not suitable for preceding my work as an artist and a member of the Association. Me and my family were not safe and we were forced to leave our country.

From April 28th that year me and my family found shelter for several weeks in different camps in Blace and Stankovec, Macedonia.

The Dutch Government offered us shelter, and the first few months in the Netherlands we stayed at a refugee center in Ermelo , where many other refugees from Kosovo stayed as well. The conditions we had to live in didn’t damage my passion for Arts, and I started to sketch numerous portraits of many Albanian refugees and (mostly Dutch) visitors at the camp

Thanks to my work, I met numerous people who were also interested in art.

After we spent several months in Ermelo, me and my family moved to our first apartment in Amersfoort, were we still live today.

During this period in Amersfoort I got me many creative artists, who supported my work and provided me with information on how I could show my work to other people with an interest in art.

I made numerous of portraits and between 2000 and 2010 I exhibited my work in Amersfoort (11/April - 21/Maj in location Birkhoven, Maj/2000 at restaurant Florijntje), Amsterdam, Soest, Nijkerk, Leusden and Baarn and participated in joint exhibitions at De Zonnehof- Centrum Voor Moderne Kunst, Amersfoort.

My artwork consists mostly of abstract oil paintings, painted in darker colors which reflect my experiences from my childhood and my youth.

Even today, despite the problems that I faced concerning my wife’s health and problems with my leg which lead to amputation, I still spend a lot of time to paint and sketch, for it’s my passion.

Best Regards

Xhemajl Ramadani