painter, photographer, novelist, poet, essay writter and exhibitions curator .
internationally well-known as creator of cultural policies also, bridge builder between peoples.
1963 was born in fier, grew up in vlora, albania
lives and works in vienna, tirana and vlora with a dual citizenship: an austrian and albanian passport. the government of austria gives the right of dual citizenship for merit rendered to the republic
study and diploma in "art & cultural management" at the university of applied arts, vienna.
academic degree: MAS
2017 - it's elected as member of albanian parliament
2013 - advisor of albanian prime minister edi rama for cultural diplomacy and albanian european rennaisance
2001-2017 - CEO of forum weltoffen internaional
for his contributions to art and the european integration through culture and as bridge builder between peoples, fate velaj has garnered many awards and recognitions
2019 - the president of austria in cooperation with the university of vienna awards the title "professor"
2014 - in cleveland, ohio-usa, the president of the city council gives "resolution of welcome and recognition" : the members of cleveland city council are extremely proud to welcome fate velaj to the city of cleveland and to recognize him for his contributions in international art and culture
2013 - the president of austria, gives the higher decoration "knights cross I-st class in gold"-order of merit for services rendered to the republic of austria http://youtu.be/wHTL1APdvjk
2012 - "albanian excellence award" on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the independence of albania
2011- the president of the european parliament, gives the higher decoration "european citizen prize" for special merit to the european union. the jury held its constituent meeting with jerzy buzek, president of european parliament present. http://velaj.com/?cid=1,103,359
2003- in federal chancellery of austria, in vienna,
the minister of foreign affairs hands out the decoration "bundesehrenzeichen"- an order of merit for services dedicated to the republic of austria
prizes
2010-in novoli, italy won the "focara" first prize for international contemporary photography
2003-in sanremo,italy won the "sanremo arte" first prize as the best artist in an international competition of art.
creator of european projects in public areas
2014 - in national opera realized "vienna night" in tirana
2012 - created and realized in the city centre of fier the project "europa plaza"
2009-created and realized in pogradec on lake ohrid between albania, macedonia and greece the project "100 steps toward europe"
1997 - in gaming, lower austria, he opened a beneficial exhibition with his paintings in which, half of the sales, he donated to the victims of a regional flood
fate velaj is:
since 2001-ceo and curator of "forum weltoffen international"
2004-2007 artistic director of "wmc artforum vienna"
since 2007-ceo of "europeanforum al"
since 2009-ceo of vlora forum for international dialogue
since 2002-board and honorary member in different international organizations
short statements
"normally contradicts the conventional sense and any human logic to have memories from the future. to date, this thinking category was a property of hollywood only. the future has always been the unknown and a free space for creative imagination...as it is shown in the paintings and especially by photographs of fate velaj that vary between melancholy and awakening..."
alfred gusenbauer-austrian chancellor-vienna, april 2008
"...one day mr. velajs vision will come true, i am absolutely sure." - peter balazs-minister for foreign affairs of hungary and former commissioner of eu-budapest, may 2009
"...this it's the third time that i meet fate velaj in bari. the first time, he came as an painter. the second time as a photographer and the third time, today, as a novelist. i'm convinced that the fourth time, he will come as a musician or as the producer of his renowned novel "kreuztanne" - prof. antonio uricchio - rector of the university of bari, italy, 29 march 2016
"...you are not only an artist, but also a wonderful bridge builder between the cultures, and one who very well understands the aim of the creation of infrastructure for the cultural exchange between the different european regions..." - erhard busek- president of european forum alpbach and former president of the stability pact for southeast europe- alpbach 2010
...the conception of the project 100 steps to europe was modified in vienna, a city known for its many artists, musicians, writers and philosophers more than 100 steps on the borders of europe. vienna's appeal has already inspired many artists to artistic excellence as well as artist and chairman of the forum weltoffen, fate velaj. last, was not casually that ludwig van beethoven had composed in vienna our european anthem ode to joy...- benita ferrero waldner-eu commissioner for foreign affairs, bruxelles 2009
"We need active Europeans like Fate Velaj who as Austrian and Albanian is constructing Europe with a special cultural emphasis. And the European Union should bring the Balcan closer to the EU without abandoning the main criteria in respecting the work of the manywho are acting like Fate Velaj."
Hannes Swoboda
"...the photographs of fate velaj are synthesis of sentences, pages and nearly a whole book ...in a single view they are the summary of all what the writers should describe in pages..."-toti carpentieri, art critique and director of the prestigious magazine "arte & cronaca" - lecce, january 2010
more statements http://velaj.com/?cid=1,111
about fate velajs activities higher personalities from art, culture and politic said:
jose manuel durao barroso-president of the european commission
imre kertesz-nobel prize winner in literature
vaclav havel-playwright, essayist and former dissident
heinz fischer-austrian president
alfred moisiu-albanian president
boris trajkovski-macedonian president
werner faymann-austrian chancellor
alfred gusenbauer-austrian chancellor
benita ferrero waldner-eu commissioner
peter balazs-hungarian foreign minister
michael spindelegger-austrian foreign minister
ursula plassnik-austrian minister for foreign affairs
george papandreou-greece foreign minister
elisabeth gehrer-austrian minister for culture
erhard busek-president of eropean forum alpbach
claudia schmidt-austrian culture minister
elisabeta k-milevska-culture minister of macedonia
hannes swoboda-member of european parliament
bernhard vogel-ministerpräsident a.d.-vorsitzender konrad adenauer stiftung berlin
dora bakoyanis-mayor of athens
riccardo illy-presidente della regione autonoma friuli venezia giulia
herbert stepic-ceo raiffeisen international bank
doris pack-member of european parliament
christa prets-member of european parliemnt
emil brix-historian and diplomat
wolfgang petritsch-diplomat
panayotis lukakos-head of culture department of athens municipality
samir faraag-president of egypts national cultural centre
franz morak-austrian state secretary for culture
andreas pawlitschek-diplomat
ferdinand trauttmansdorf-austrian ambassador in cairo
philipp hoyos-austrian ambssador in mocedonia
bernd borchardt-german ambassador in albania
manuel montobbio-spain ambassador in albania
robert bosch-osce ambassador in albania
helmuth lohan-eu ambassador in albania
fiona mcillwahn-uk ambassador in albania
maryse daviet-france ambassador in albania
florian raunig-austrian ambassador in albania
visar zhiti-poet, perparim kabo-philosoph and publicist
luan topciu-analist und diplomat,
the mayors of vienna, wels, mödling, baden, gaming, gresten, durres, pogradec, korca, werfenweng, gumpoldskirchne, ried, weisenkirchen, vienna, gostivar, ohrid...etc.
for more information please see opinions and publications
creator and leader of several european initiatives:
2015 - xenos-living and working in diversity - university of vlora
2014- europe begins inside of your house - university of vlora
2014 - europe begins inside from your house door - municipality of fier
2013- europe begins inside from your house door - vlora university
2013-albania-shaping the future, in diplomatic academy,vienna
2012-austrian day in fier
2012-german day in fier
2012-the oscd mission in albania
2012-eu-between me and you- fier
2012-eu-between me and you, in athens
2012-eu-between me and you, in house of the eu in vienna
2011-"eu-between me and you"-france/albania in vlora
2011-"austrian day in vlora"-political debates
2011-"austrian day in vlora"-economic debates
2011-"austrian day in vlora"-cultural debates
2011-"eu-between me and you"-eu/ks in pristina
2010-"eu-between me and you"-european union/albania in vlora university
2010-"eu-between me and you"-spain/albania in vlora 2010-"eu-between me and you"-osce/albania in vlora
2010-"eu-between me and you"-uk/albania
2009-"vlora forum for international dialog"
2008-"the new positions in the contemporary photography" in art school of vlora
2007-university of vlora "europa-so far so near"
2006-academy of fine arts tirana "orgies mysteries theatre" from hermann nitsch
2006-europaen forum alpbach "albania - differently seen
2005-romanian centre,vienna-book presentation -paradigm of the longing" from luan topciu
2005-mc vienna-"albania:take me to the ionian sea"
2005-managementclub-"bulgaria-art,economy,politic" 2005-art school of vlora - "art positioins" 2005-managementclub-"croatia-art,economy,politic"
2005-managementclub-"macedonia-art,economy,politic"
2004-oberbank, vienna "macedonia"
2004-diplomatic academy
2004-cultural centre of czech republic,vienna "eu enlargement-also cultural?"
2003-cultural centre of athens, greece "xenos"
2003-diplomatic academy,vienna book presentation-albanien-from christine von kohl
2002-house of literature
2002-schrack ag
2002-city hall of scheibbs
2001-renner institute
2001-university of vienna
initiator and curator of international exhibitions and cultural initiatives with the participation of international acclaimed artists: hermann nitsch, adolf frohner, theodoros papayannis, zaharias avranitis, robert kabas, oliver dorfer, kyoko adanyia, zora stancic, aurel vlad, etc.
selcted:
2012-art improves the time- in gallery of the city athens
2011-"eu-between me and you"-austria/albania in the gallery of the city vlora
2011-"the tendency of modern in guri madhi's painting"- symposium in tirana business university 2011-"black and white...and some colour" in national gallery of kosovo, prishtina
2001-"weltoffen" in austrian parliament, vienna
2010-"die donau-(k)ein langer, ruhiger fluss"-art exhibition in palais kabelwerk, vienna
2010-"eu-between me and you"-eu/albania in gallery of the city vlora
2010-"eu-between me and you"-germany/albania in gallery of the city vlora
2009-"100 steps towards europe-europa boulevard " in pogradec on lake ohrid
2008-"good morning, balkan" european forum alpbach
2008-"light&shadow"- new photography from macedonia 2
007-"heat" in the gallery of the city vlora, albania
2007-"good morning, balkan" national gallery of macedonia, ohrid 2006-"good morning, balkan" in national gallery of kosovo,pristina
2006-"good morning,balkan" in gallery of the city trieste, italy
2005-"good morning, balkan" in national gallery of albania, tirana
2005-"into the south's blue" art colony in radhima beach
2005-"artist of the month" klaus joachim keller
2005-"artist of the month" erwin maria hafner
2005-"artist of the month" mario grubisic
2005-"artist of the month" nadja dimitrova
2005-"a japanese in florisdorf " kyoko adanyia
2005-"artist of the month"–alex bilc
2005-"artist of the month" sinasi bozatli
2005-"artist of the month" reshat ameti, flora emurlai
2005-"artist of the month" valentina koleva
2005-"artist of the month"-jasna sukalo
2005-"artist of the month" fate velaj
2004-"new art from neighbours" romanian art centre, vienna
2004-"good morning, balkan" in national museum of romania, bucharest
2003- good morning, balkan- in art centre of athens, greece
2002-art improves the time- in city hall of vienna
2002-"art improves the time" in national cultural centre of macedonia, skopje
2002-between danube and nile in egyptian cultural centre, vienna
2002-"between danube and nile" in national art centre of egypt, cairo
2001-"weltoffen" in austrian parliament, vienna
for more information please see views of activities