Albania's Secret Security Report: Bekim Fehmiu wants Kosovo, people and its culture

The State Security Report on Bekim Fehmiu is the following:

“Know when I collect mail stamps. I was passionate. From them I learned geography, history. I was curious to learn about various countries. But they were also beautiful. Then I gave up, and I lost interest. And I studied for graphics, graduated from the Academy of Arts, and I went back to my work, focused on graphics, but I also took pictures and ceramics. Someone told me about the open competition from Albanian Post and I took part, I won, and that's how it started. It was like a return to former passion, but in another form”, suggests Petraq the Pope, who is now a vicedekan at the School of Pamor Arts.

He does not know how many stamps he has made, but he remembers the first, a four - picture stamp on the newest archaeological findings. He's preferred to mention topics from different backgrounds, but also to select. He has even realized the image of stamps labeled on the occasion of Pope Francis' arrival in Albania in 2014. At the time it was “pa that made Pope”. Beyond the satisfaction of his work, that miniature art work serves to connect people, and that is an added value.

But a separate challenge is coins and bills. He started it with the numismics, and because of an invitation from 10 years ago, he also experienced bills. You probably know the two thousand dollar bill, the violin color, that looks like the portrait of Gent, the Illyrian king. Unlike any other image, Gent's was not that simple to achieve.

“The realisation of an image is always accompanied by a feasibility study. Skiing is the last moment. I don't sketch what comes to my mind. I can think about it for a long time, sketch it in the head. It's readings, consultations with scholars, historians, archaeologists... In Gent's case it wasn't that simple, since there's no image of him. So I had to study his period, his dress, his hat. A job that lasted two or three months. I received only a copy of a tiny bronze coin called mulazh, which, eroded by time, gave only a pale silhouette of it. But I imagined and built an image and liked”.

Petraq Pope reveals some “secret” on bank notes images. There's a commission at the Bank of Albania, making the decision to cast a coin or banknote at a certain value, determines image, even color. For the latter, according to him, it has preferred to approach the euro. After two thousand dollars, Petraq the Pope has won the competition for another cut, this greater time. It's about 10,000 dollars worth of what's expected to go into circulation.

I can already say, it's not secret anymore. Ten thousand dollars will come up with the image of Asdren. It's been a long time since this cut was discussed and the image of the poet returned as an idea and was chosen. I've also learned that very soon all the updated bills will be released. They're the same characters, but they're a little more moderate. Because they were created in different periods, there was a kind of incompatibility, and now they come out more unified in cutting, design”, he says.

It may not matter to most people what images the money has, as long as it is useful, but the pope says he has a psychological connection with his color or image. So he makes sure everything is thought out in detail, visible and invisible. Throughout the stack of bills, you value the Austrian sholl, which was a pearl, the lira, and the drachmy, filled with elements of different countries' culture and history. As for the first bank notes, the pope says that “regardless of ideological elements, crutches with wheat, stockist, tractors, also had good bills, such as 10-lex or 50-letch.

Despite propaganda, however, I liked that they had the initiative and the quality of printing has been very good. Until we maintained good relations with China, they were produced there. Until the 1990s were also printed here”

Among the bills and stamps are those not declared winners, yet he treats them as works of art and will someday expose them. Especially the post stamps will gather at an exhibition dedicated to students. I want to make a very good exhibition. My goal is not to appreciate my work, but to see that there is another possibility where they can prove... They are not involved in philosophy, and it would be good for them to be guided, to participate in competitions. Looks like there's only two names that they've got... But there are not only first prizes. The incentive is not missing”

Among the designers of stamp design, for elegantness, the line, he appreciates painter Naji Bakalli, his teacher, but he also hopes very much for students, who will be the heirs of “zanate”. /“Secrete artefact... ” The Albanian Culture Ministry.