06/07/2026
Being a Young Artist in Venice
Sulltane Tusha interviewed by Andrea Bruciati
"Memories cling to the chest, the back, to the whole skin, gradually forming an invisible crust that separates us from the world."
— Alejandro Jodorowsky, When Teresa Got Angry with God
"I knew that good and evil are a matter of habit, that what is temporary can become permanent, that external things pe*****te within us, and that, in time, the mask becomes the face."
— Marguerite Yourcenar, Memoirs of Hadrian
Andrea Bruciati: This passage has accompanied me for many years. My high school Italian teacher introduced me to it, and it inspired me to observe the world around me in a deeply intimate way. It also encouraged me to establish a natural connection between my artistic language and the deepest roots of my memory—my family, grandparents, uncles, teachers. Endless representations and endless masks, each demanding to be expressed in an unusual form. Perhaps this is why my painting develops along such different lines while always originating from the same roots: every reality demands its own space.
Roots, memories—there is a strong emotional and personal dimension in your work.
Sulltane Tusha:
After many reflections and experiences, emotional aspects become secondary—or at least we convince ourselves they do. Perhaps because conscious thought and the painterly gesture are directly connected to a mental process. The final stage—the reflection on hidden motivations and emotions—seems almost marginal while working on the canvas, yet it becomes significant once the work is complete.
I was born and raised in Albania, in Shijak. It is a place where traditions and human relationships, even more than religion, form the foundation of communal life. My memories of those places near the sea and of the people I knew remain incredibly vivid, despite the distance.
Although my research has expanded and my references have become increasingly varied, my thoughts constantly return to what I have lived.
Part one - to be continued …
