Zeqirja Rexhepi

Biography

Education & Early Career

  • Embroidery Design, Arbon, Switzerland (1980)
  • Academy of Fine Arts, University of Prishtina, Kosovo (1976-1979)
  • College of Arts, Skopje, Macedonia (1974-1976)
  • High School of Arts, Peja, Kosovo (1973-1974)

Artistic Contributions in Kosovo

Zeqirja Rexhepi (Zecha), born in 1955 in Përlepnica, Gjilan, Kosovo, is an Albanian-born Canadian artist. He served as the chief textile designer for Europe’s second-largest textile mill and exhibited widely in Kosovo and internationally. His most renowned mural, Albanian Persecution, 1846 (650m², 1991), was created with Demir Behluli in the Church of Binqa in Gjilan, Kosovo.

Following the Kosovo War in 1999, Zecha and his family sought refuge in Canada. Settling in Nova Scotia, he continued his artistic endeavors, contributing significantly to the Canadian art scene

Exhibitions Since Arrival in Canada

  • Saint Marys University Art Gallery (1999)
  • Pier 21 (2001)
  • Nova Scotia Art Gallery (2002)
  • UCCB Art Gallery II, Sydney (2005)
  • National Defense Headquarters, Ottawa (2007)
  • Corridor Gallery VANS Gallery (2008)
  • Aviation Museum Gallery (2009)
  • Dalhousie University Art Gallery (2007 through 2019)
  • Canada Place, Vancouver (2012)
  • Halifax Club (2014)
  • Gainsborough Gallery, Calgary (2015)
  • Nova Scotia Archives (2016)
  • Corridor Gallery VANS (2016)
  • The Craig Gallery (2017)
  • Embassy of the Republic of Kosovo (2017)
  • Artusiasm Gallery Toronto (2018)
  • Hart House University of Toronto (2018)
  • Kosovo Consulate in Toronto (2018)
  • Dalhousie Art Gallery (2018)
  • Operation Parasol at Pier 21 (2019)
  • Hart House University, Toronto (2019)
  • The Flame of January, Gjilan, Kosovo (2020)
  • ECC Art Gallery, Toronto (2020)
  • COVID-XIX [A 2020/2021 Archive] Visual Arts Nova Scotia (2021)
  • Canadian War Museum, Ottawa (2024)
  • Kosovo National Day, Ottawa (2024)
  • Todmorden Mills Heritage Site, Toronto (2025)
  • Upcoming 70 Year Retrospective Exhibit, Gjilan, Kosovo (July 2025)

Mural Commissions in Nova Scotia

  • Tall Ships mural in downtown Halifax (2000)
  • A series of eight murals at Alderney Landing based on historic Dartmouth (2003-05)
  • Map of Canada for the Immigration of Canada (2009)
  • Commemoration mural for Joseph Howe's 200th Anniversary (2004)
  • 400 Years Anniversary of Acadians, Windsor (2004)
  • Murals in the Cole Harbour United Church and Trinity Church
  • Artwork donations to St. Patrick Church

Awards & Recognitions

  • Top Prize, Flaka e Janarit (2020)
  • Established Artist Recognition Award, Arts Nova Scotia (2021)

Current & Past Affiliations

  • Visual Arts Nova Scotia
  • Cape Breton Artists Association
  • Canadian Forces Artists Program
  • IATSE

Zeqirja has been part of a judges panel for the Canadian Air Forces Artists Program and featured in CBC’s ArtSpots. He continues to innovate and mentor emerging artists.

Visit Zeqirja Rexhepi’s website

The exhibit below is sourced from: https://visualarts.ns.ca/covid-xix-a-2020-2021-archive-by-zeqirja-rexhepi