MAKING ART IN THE FORM OF IDENTITY
FROM VASI, TO US
Kolevica Art Studio was founded by artist Vasillaq Kolevica as a space devoted to sculpture and artistic ceramics.
With deep roots in Korça, the studio embodies tradition, craftsmanship, and contemporary spirit in every creation, a place where clay breathes, and where art and love for form become a shared language.
Vasllaq Kolevica (Vasi) was born in Korça on April 17, 1959, into a family rich in artistic and intellectual heritage, from a Greek mother and an Albanian father.
Between 1974 and 1978, he attended the Art High School of Korça, where he created his first sculpture, a portrait of the girl he loved, Andoneta, then just fifteen, who would later become his wife.
In the difficult reality of that time, when creative freedom was often restricted, Vasi was unjustly denied the right to study at the University of Arts because of his family background. Yet his passion for art endured.
Years later, he fulfilled his dream, graduating from the University of Arts in Tirana (2008–2012), turning a youthful obstacle into a spiritual triumph.
The first studio was born in the late 1970s, in the Old Bazaar of Korça, where Vasi built by hand his first kiln and pottery wheel.
After the 1990s, as Albania transformed, the studio evolved too, moving first to his home and, by 1994, taking full shape as Kolevica Art Studio, uniting heritage with artistic philosophy.
Every object created here carries a fragment of identity, crafted with care, shaped with emotion, and guided by a creative intuition that goes beyond aesthetics.
Art, Family, and Memory
The Kolevica family has deep artistic and intellectual roots.
Vasi’s mother was a pianist and a graduate of the French Lyceum, while his father, Dhimitraq Kolevica, played the violin, guitar, and banjo, passing on a love for music, art, and creativity.
He also painted alongside his close friends Vangjush Mio and Guri Madhi, nurturing a spirit of creation that would echo through generations.
His grandfather, Ilo Mosko, one of the founders of the LIRA Choir in Korça, planted in the family a sense of harmony and devotion to beauty, a spirit that would later take form in clay, color, and light.
Equally influential was Petraq Kolevica, Vasi’s cousin, an architect, writer, and thinker, author of the Korça Library and the National Museum of Tirana.
Over the years, this rich cultural environment inspired Vasi to explore new forms of expression, blending tradition with contemporary ideas.
Every gathering in the family home was filled with music, discussions about art, and the sharing of creative visions, nurturing a generation that would continue to honor and expand this legacy.
It is in this atmosphere of curiosity, passion, and dedication that Vasi developed his unique approach to sculpture and ceramics, seeing each piece not just as an object, but as a story that connects past, present, and future.
FROM VASI, TO ANJEZA
Today, the creative legacy continues through Vasi’s daughters, who have both chosen the paths of art and architecture, preserving the family’s vision.
In particular, Anjeza Kolevica, Vasi’s younger daughter, follows in her father’s footsteps, expanding his artistic vision with contemporary sensitivity.
In their hands, every piece of clay becomes part of a larger story.
Ceramics come to life, and it revives every detail, every color that glows under sunlight.
For them, working with clay means engaging in a dialogue with time, roots, and the future.
An inseparable part of this creative world is Andoneta, Vasi’s wife.
Her role has always been essential, a companion in life and art, a muse, and a rare connoisseur of color.
With her experience in mixing and selecting glazes, she ensures every nuance finds its perfect light and balance.
Together, the three have built a true creative laboratory, where ideas are born on paper, take shape in clay, are fired, and finally find their identity.
They believe progress grows through collaboration, not imitation, and that art must remain a living, human, and unrepeatable act.
At its heart, Kolevica Art Studio stands as a testament that art, like love, can be created with hands, with heart, and with identity.
2022
• First Prize “Giancarlo Sciannella” at the Giovani per la Ceramica of Anjeza Kolevica – Art in Act 009 competition (Roseto degli Abruzzi, 2022), is now part of the Cingoli Art Foundation Collection
2022
• International collection of Contemporary Ceramic Art in Castelli (TE) which includes more than 500 artists from 50 countries
2020
• Title “Grand Master” – Awarded by the President of the Republic of Albania, Ilir Meta, for outstanding contribution to figurative art and national ceramic heritage
2019
• Title “World AS Sculptor” – Awarded by The World Peace Committee, Jakarta
• Title “Master Craftsman” – National Chamber of Crafts, Registration No. 146 (17.10.2019)
2016
• “Best in the Country” Award – For the promotion of traditional and modern Albanian ceramics
2008
• “Odise Paskali” Award – Boboshticë, for distinguished creativity and successful participation in national and international exhibitions
2006
• First Prize in Sculpture – National Competition “Vangjush Mio”, Guri Madhi Gallery, Korçë
2005
• Second Prize in Sculpture – National Competition “Vangjush Mio”, Guri Madhi Gallery, Korçë
1990
• “Naim Frashëri” Medal – Awarded by the Presidium of the People’s Assembly of Albania, for high artistic achievement in ceramic art
1983–1986
• Winner of the First and Second Prizes in the Applied Arts competitions – Youth Artistic Awards
EXHIBITIONS
- 7 solo exhibitions in Korçë
- 4 solo exhibitions in Tirana
- 4 international exhibitions (Italy & Greece)
- Solo exhibition at the National Gallery of Arts, Tirana (2007)
Donation of the work “Crucifixion” to the permanent collection of the NGA - Inter-Balkan exhibition of sacred art, Volos, Greece
- International Sculpture Symposium, Korçë (2010, 2024)
- Forms of Spiritual Gravity – Ceramics: Curator: Mikel Temo – 3 in 1 shows organized in Ministry of Culture Hall; Maritim Plaza Hotel; Credins Central Bank.