Ben Shaban Kamili is a painter who feels at home anywhere in the world. He speaks a number of European languages fluently and without the slightest trace of accent. He is at home at all levels of society and knows its manners and customs, its art and, what is more important, the paintings of the people.
Thus, it goes without saying that he is able to paint vastly dissimilar motives in those vastly dissimilar countries in which he finds himself. Views of New York, Athens, Berlin and Hamburg. Generous, detailed canvasses vie with each other, a feast for the eye. Beaches on Sylt and landscapes in Macedonia. His oeuvre comprises still life, interiors and portraits- commitment to particular metier is, for him, quite inconceivable. Ben Shaban Kamili has his roots in Kosovo and, when he paints his Macedonian homeland; one senses the love and deep yearning he is feeling. Spring blossoms, white among the brambles and, in the distance, shimmering in the dusk, the faint outline of the Citadel- the village landmark- and affirmation of our distant past returns to haunt us. The blue- dusked distance, green meadows nestling at the foot of lofty mountains.
This element of distance in his work can be experienced yet again in his city images. Whether it be Berlin, New York or Athens we perceive immediately how spacious the metropolis is and a faint breeze of the unknown invades our being.
A long journey to faraway land is no stranger to Ben Shaban Kamili. These travels find expression in his pictures. His works are the perceptions of his long, tortuous path to the Citadel which, in spirit, he oft returns and, in remembrance paints again.
Klaus Fußmann
(Translation from the german: Tom Austin)