Although raised in New York, the most diverse cultural city in the world, the artist Arta Gashi-Loxha, has known how to best preserve the identity of her ancestors.
With her art, she expresses the strong connection she has with the culture and traditions of the Albanian people.
It all started when she was a kid. The work that her grandmother did at that time, motivated the artist Gashi-Loxha, to create on patriotic motives.
“I used to help my grandmother make traditional Albanian clothing for the women in our family. I started with small things, like drawing designs on handkerchiefs for her, and she would embroider them, and eventually I moved on to sewing shirts and embroidering larger pieces myself. It was artwork, albeit a different form than I was used to and it merged naturally into my drawings. I became aware of the patterns and motifs that were prevalent in clothing and started incorporating them into my other pieces. It is important for me to represent our culture in my work, even if it is through a simple line drawing or tattoo design”, says Gashi- Loxha for Atlantiku.
Traditional costumes are a key element in the art of the Albanian-American Arta Gashi-Loxha.
She says that except they are unique, the costumes of our ancestors carry with them interesting stories.
“Our clothing serves as a record of our history and culture. National costumes are unique to every culture on earth, and one of the oldest forms of identification. When our ancestors started making their clothing, they began to develop their personal style. The oldest article of clothing in Europe is the Albanian xhubleta. It was created to mimic the shape of a bee, which was worshipped by our pagan ancestors. The various pieces that comprise the xhubleta all have specific design elements that each carry a meaning. For example, the belt that is worn on the waist is embroidered with various colors and lines. These lines serve as protection for the uterus against the evil eye; this way, the pregnant woman that wears the xhubleta as well as the child she is carrying, will be protected from harm. These are just two different traditional Albanian costumes, we have so many more that are just as detailed and wonderous! Each one is like a mini history lesson and a glimpse into our past” she adds.
Life between two different cultures
Although she adores the Albanian traditions, for the artist Arta Gashi-Loxha, growing up between two very different cultures was quite challenging.
There were moments when she did not feel comfortable with either the Albanians or the Americans.
“There were times when I was younger, that I didn’t feel wholly “American;” as if I had too much Albanian in me for my non-Albanian co-workers and friends to understand (try explaining “po shkunden plakat,” to an American, for example).
Then there were times when I was surrounded by Albanians but felt foreign to them, as if I was too “American.” It was difficult to find a balance between the two. Speaking English outside of my home, English at school, English at work, being surrounded by non-Albanians, and then returning to a traditional Albanian home was a culture-shock in some ways. I always felt like two halves of a whole that did not break evenly. Neither here nor there, “as mish as peshk,” as my mother says”, adds Arta for Atlantiku.
Tattoos on national symbols and new projects
Her art expressed in playing cards, received a lot of attention from many art lovers.
But, tattoo designs with traditional motives, are the artist’s favorites.
“As much as I enjoyed working on all the different illustrated series (my playing cards, the Albanian phrases, the song lyrics, etc), I would probably have to say the tattoo designs are my favorite. Tattooing is one of the oldest artforms and can be found among the oldest cultures across the planet and Albanians are no exception. We also used to tattoo ourselves, as a form of protection and self-identification. These traditional Albanian tattoos are an ancient part of our culture. I design tattoos inspired by our Illyrian roots and based on our pagan past and our folklore. For me, it is a fun way to combine our past and present, to unite the ancient with the modern”, she says.
Her artistic baggage, Arta Gashi Loxha, very soon plans to enrich it with new projects, which will also include traditional motives.
In her plans is to present all of her new works in an exhibition in the city of New York.
“I am currently finishing illustration projects that will be released later this year (a children’s book I illustrated as well as a deck of cards featuring Albanian Historical Figures), and hopefully covid restrictions will be lifted in the near future so we can properly organize an art show”, she adds.
The message of the artist Arta Gashi- Loxha, addressed to the Albanian youth
“ I will give this one piece of advice to the Albanian youth and that is, “share your work.”It sounds simple enough but the message it holds is a deep one. As Albanians, we are descended from a long line of strong, resilient, powerful and creative people. We have an amazing culture, a unique language, a proud and ancient history, and all of these characteristics run through our veins. Having met so many fellow Albanian-American artists on social media during the pandemic, I noticed that our culture is always prevalent in our work. We are a product of our environment and our upbringing, and we cannot forget that. So show your work. If you write, dance, sing, compose music, paint, whatever creative outlet you have, use that as a tool to express yourself. The world needs to see your creativity, to read your novels, to hear your voice. Share your work”
Arta Gashi- Loxha’s Instagram account:
View this profile on Instagram
Atlantiku.com will bring daily articles from the life of Albanian-Americans. If you would like to share your story with Atlantiku readers, write to info@atlantiku.com
