Erjon Hajnaj

Erjon Hajnaj is an Eastern European artist, born in 1977, Fier, Albania. At an early age Hajnaj was familiarized with the idea of art as a concept through his uncle Kujtim Komprencka's work, a brilliant classical style sculptor, which deeply influenced Hajnaj's work. In 1992, Hajnaj enrolled at Jakov Xoxa Art high school in Fier, Albania, to follow in his uncle's footsteps and study classical sculpture graduating in 1996. At that time, the country of Albania went through a political and economical crisis that created instability and uncertainty for its citizens, which forced Hajnaj to immigrate to the United States. As it can be for many immigrants in a foreign country, learning a new language, adapting to a new culture, working low-end jobs, shifted his focus away from his previous studies. Twenty years later, in 2017, Hajnaj found himself thinking about art again. But his interest this time was in painting instead of sculpture. Hajnaj is working towards obtaining a BFA in Painting at The Cleveland Institute of Art, in Cleveland, OH.

* This statement has been provided directly by the artist in association to their 16^th International ARC Salon entries. This content has not been edited for typos or grammatical errors and has not been vetted for accuracy.