Berlin gallery Société has announced that it now represents Edi Rama, the Prime Minister of Albania, as an artist. Rama, who has been in office since 2013, studied at the Academy of Arts in Tirana, worked as an artist in Paris in the 1990s, and served as Albania's minister of culture before entering politics. His work includes boldly colored ceramic sculptures and abstract works on paper, often created on repurposed official documents during meetings. He previously exhibited at Marian Goodman's Paris space in 2024.
This representation matters because it blurs the line between high-level politics and the contemporary art world, highlighting how a sitting head of state maintains a serious artistic practice. Rama joins a roster of established international artists at Société, including Trisha Baga, Lu Yang, and Petra Cortright, signaling that his work is taken seriously by the commercial gallery system. The move also underscores the ongoing dialogue between art and governance, as Rama has long used his position to promote contemporary art in Albania.