Comfort

“This series of paintings united by the theme of comfort arose at a time when a large group of nouveaux riches were appearing in Albania. These paintings speak of the thorough changes and new relations arising after the fall of the dictatorship. This particular painting, presenting Paolina Borghese, has a symbolic dimension. The composition is based on a dance of flies. I completed it in 1997. The transformation, combined with the prospect of a new and better life, changed people’s way of thinking and acting. To tell the truth, the beginnings of capitalism in Albania were very tough. After the fall of the dictatorship we thought that everything would function perfectly. We believed in a quick transition to democracy, but it didn’t happen that way at all.” (Edi Hila)