Genti Korini was born in 1979 in Tirana, Albania. He began to study painting at the University of Art and Design in Cluj-Napoca, Romania, before graduating in 2002 from the University of Arts in Tirana. He currently lives and works in Tirana.
Architecture is an important starting point for Genti in terms of form. Constructed from abstract elements and geometric shapes, his images evoke the atmosphere of the Albanian capital, where colourful, modernist buildings are juxtaposed with post-Communist brutalist architecture. Engagement with the past as well as the reception, transformation, interpretation, and translation of these formal elements, are an ongoing challenge for the artist. Genti employs modern technology to incorporate motifs that are redolent of the past, creating the background for his works with the help of 3D modelling software designed for architects. The manipulation of the 3D models generates simultaneous changes in reality as the images are produced. The geometric shapes are created, fashioned, and coloured as part of an entirely haphazard, spontaneous, unplanned process. Besides architecture and modelling, Genti also use photography, videos, and drawings to create his works.
The artist is interested in both conceptual and formal aspects of the works. Contradictory ideas and tendencies emerge in his work in a hybrid manner. These contrasts can be observed during Genti’s creative process: his point of departure is the architecture of the past yet he works with modern technology; expressionism comes face to face with geometric abstraction; and he simultaneously constructs and deconstructs during the realisation of his compositions and forms.
In his latest exhibition at Double Q Gallery, Genti Korini’s familiar abstract forms are given a gentler, “softer” expression. Produced in 2022, some of the works on display have a historical character which combines the stylistic elements of cubism and expressionism, while others are more detailed pieces that employ the more straightforward graphic idiom of the poster. The exhibition takes its name from the work displayed at the front of the gallery, raising the question: Do we really have a bright future ahead of us? We have been led to this notion by the growing prosperity and capitalist transformations in Eastern Europe, but whether or not we can achieve what is referred to as a better, brighter future ultimately depends on the kind of world we create.