Gëzim Hidri

Stone Slave

Stone sculptor

Carving a life out of stone

Gëzim principally makes sculptures and large mosaic pieces
He is convinced he knows stone as well as he knows himself
He particularly enjoys the sound of his tools when he carves

Born in Albania in 1969, Gëzim Hidri developed a strong talent and passion for painting from an early age. This drove him to study art in high school and later at the University of Arts in Tirana, where he specialised in monumental painting. In 1990, he started a hunger strike with other students in defiance of the communist regime. This forced him to emigrate, and he started a career as a painter, sculptor and mosaic maker in Greece. Gëzim later settled in the United Kingdom where he worked on the restoration of a Greek Orthodox church. He dedicated himself to the field of marble carving, opening his own company called Orbit Marble & Granit. After eight years, Gëzim returned to his hometown, Librazhd in Albania, and started to work with natural stones found on the riverbanks.

Interview

When did you know you wanted to be a craftsman?: As a child, I sat under a wooden table at home. With a green pencil, I sketched a portrait of our national hero Gjergj Kastrioti Skanderbeg. My father, who was a wood carver, wanted to repair our table and in doing so, saw the sketch. When my dad saw it, he understood that I had talent.
Why did you choose this career?: It was the only thing that inspired me and made me feel whole. During the time that I dedicated myself to art, every painting or composition that I created made me feel productive. And so, in one way or another I found myself, and I knew I would commit to this for a very long time.
Is your work connected to where you live?: I carve stone from the town where I live and the surrounding area, turning it into works of art. The ideas that I have are linked to the area and adapted to the stone that I choose to carve. So, this makes me feel linked to the territory.
What surprises people about your work?: People find it very easy to look at a work of art in its finished form, but what they cannot understand is how something can emerge from a massive stone. They cannot take their imagination that far.

Gëzim Hidri is an expert artisan: he began his career in 1995