The unconscious in the world of Jon Kraja

Artist Jon Kraja captures a “shiver frozen in time” with his surrealist works. Raised in communist Albania, the artist sees painting as a revolutionary act, infusing the world around him with color and meaning. Drawing from the unconscious, Kraja creates vivid scenes where his figures are often marred with pain. Teetering between his own personal heaven and hell, his works feel caught between these two opposing forces.

In Moonlight 9, a bull dog lies on its side underneath a vibrant, cloudy orb separated by two, distinct planes of color. Lifeless and with just a dot of purple around the face, the dog seems disinterested in what’s happening above, denying itself the pleasures of the unknown. In Political Movement in Developing Countries, a colorless woman bends over with a twisted arm, caught on the precipice of two colliding planes imbued with hints of blue and yellow. Infusing the work with symbolism, the artist gives us a window into his own internal struggles, drawing from his experiences of living in a world without color.