Author:  Gjylshahe Bequiraj
Place: Kosovo*
Date: 3 February 2009

Burim Myftiu, born in 1961, is an Albanian Fine Art Photographer from Kosovo. His passion for photography began when his father gave him his first camera, a "Certo 35". As Myftiu’s desire for photography grew, so did his drive to comprehend every aspect of his new found career. With a solid grounding in the history of photography and a developing technical expertise he, with a group of friends, began to experiment with black and white film.

Soon Burim Myftiu became a member of the “Federation International de l’Art Photographique” (FIAP), which enabled him to organise international exhibitions of his artworks in Asia, Europe and the United States. His first exhibition took place in Turkey, followed by others particularly in the United States.  After mastering the English language he was offered a place at the New York Institute of Photography – NYIP. After establishing his professional career, he stayed in the US until 2001 organising several individual photography exhibitions.

Myftiu´s art was strongly influenced by famous photographers such as Jay Maisel, John Sexton, Gary Auerbach, Gary Knight, Monte Zucker, and Paul Capponigro, from whom he learnt contemporary techniques.

In 2002, after having lived in the United States for fifteen years, Burim Myftiu returned to Kosovo. He then founded the Photographic Art Organisation of Kosovo – PAOK - and organised “Dokufest”, an International Documentary and Short Film Festival. Myftiu also took part in the “Gjon Mili” - an international exhibition of artistic photography that is organised by the Art Gallery of Kosovo and where he received the first prize for his work entitled “Grandmother”. The acknowledgement of his success was highlighted a year later when Myftiu was invited to become the curator of the Gallery.

Myfthiu’s career has been littered with success: in the year 1995 he won the Photography Award at the Photo Marathon Istanbul (Turkey); in 2000 he received the Photography Award of the PAC Annual Photography Exhibition, New Haven (USA).  In the year 2001 he won the NHCC PSA Photography Contest in New Haven (USA). In 2006 he got the Artistic Photography Award “Flaka e Janarit” in Gjilan (Kosovo) as well as the “Skenderbeu” Award from Skopje.

Burim Myftiu currently works as a commercial photographer and photography editor in Prishtina and Connecticut, USA. He gives photography classes and workshops and is doing curatorial work. The artist also has been the member of juries of film festivals and photography contests. He became the founder of "Kosovo Images", a photography agency and serves as a regional Liaison Officer of FIAP - Federation International de l'Art photographique.

Selection of most important exhibitions:

Artistic photography saloons FIAP
1985-2009, Italy, Turkey,Germany, Austria, USA

“Spectra”
1999-2008, PAC New Haven, USA

“Faces”
2000-2008, Connecticut, USA

Awards:

2006, Award for Artistic Photography
“Flaka e Janarit”, Gjilan

2006, “SKENDERBEU”
“Museum of Contemporary Arts Çifte Hamam”, Skopje

2001, “Gjon Mili Award”
Galeria e Arteve e Kosovës GAK, Pristina

2001, NHCC

* Under UNSCR 1244/1999. This article cannot be considered to be in any way an expression by the European Commission on the status of Kosovo and, in particular, does not prejudge the recognition of Kosovo's declaration of independence by the Member States of the European Union.