Foti Kllogjeri | Watercolours

Foti Kllogjeri, although known to the Greek public primarily for his urban oil landscapes, holds a distinctive place in the international art scene as a watercolorist. His engagement with watercolor is not merely an experimental interlude but a cohesive and deeply developed artistic universe, where the fluid element of his technique meets the atmospheric quality of his gaze. Kllogjeri’s watercolors are marked by a poetic realism, where the delicacy of color and the transparency of light interact with the structure of space. The fluidity of watercolor becomes the vehicle through which the artist deconstructs and reconstructs the landscape, transforming the ephemeral into the monumental, without ever resorting to rhetoric or affectation.

His subject matter often includes coastal landscapes, architectural motifs, and urban shadows, but the essence of his work lies not in what he depicts, but in how he depicts it. With an emphasis on gesture and silent narration, his watercolors resemble visual poems more than conventional landscape paintings. He does not seek to impress but to endure, achieving this through technical precision and emotional restraint. Kllogjeri reminds us that watercolor—often underestimated—can convey depth, intensity, and contemplation equal to that of grand oil paintings.

Fabriano In Acquarello 2019, Masterclass

In the Masterclass video, Foti Kllogjeri demonstrates with impressive precision the fundamental techniques of watercolor, such as wet on wet and wet on dry. With characteristic skill and a strong emphasis on the handling of light and texture, the artist reveals the delicate dialogue between water and pigment, offering valuable insights for both beginners and experienced creators alike.

Since 2017, Foti Kllogjeri has been invited annually to FabrianoInAcquarello—one of the most important watercolor festivals worldwide—as the Country Leader of the Albanian watercolorists’ team.

Critical approach on the watercolor works of Foti Kllogjeri on the occasion of the exhibition "HORIZONS"

Kllogjeri’s cities appear like fleeting memories, like imprints of time emerging from the earth and water, while the sea remains the inevitable element that embraces and ensures their communication. The handling of light and tonal color creates the sense of a dreamlike landscape dominated by harmony and the silent power of nature. Through his fluid compositions, new horizons emerge, not confined to the material dimension, but touching on the notion of nostalgia and the quest for meaning. Within the context of this exhibition, the viewer is invited to reflect on their place in the world and their connection to the horizons of existence, as they wander through images that evoke journeys both geographical and internal.

In the work of Foti Kllogjeri, landscape—both natural and urban—acquires a new character, as gestural mark-making becomes the primary expressive mechanism. His watercolors reject strict realism and align with a broader trend in contemporary landscape, where the landscape is no longer a precise record but a subjective, emotional experience. In the composition of the works, gesture functions as a mirror of the artist’s psychological state, while simultaneously capturing the fluidity and constant becoming of the natural world.

– Paris Kapralos
Art Curator