From government papers to bronze: El País profiles Edi Rama’s double life in politics and art

A NEW PROFILE, NOT A NEWLY OPENED EXHIBITION

Spanish newspaper El País published an extended profile of Edi Rama on 20 August 2026, presenting the Albanian prime minister through his two public roles: politics and art. The piece was prepared during his time in Berlin in early May, when Société gallery was presenting his solo exhibition “Chrysalizing”.

The Berlin exhibition did not open today. According to the gallery’s official calendar, it ran from 1 May to 27 June 2026. The new development is the publication of the El País profile and interview, which brings renewed attention to the way Rama maintains an artistic practice alongside political office.

FROM DRAWING TO THREE-DIMENSIONAL FORM

The profile explains that some of Rama’s recent sculptures begin with his drawings. They are first translated into digital models, move through 3D printing and are then worked by hand before being cast in bronze. Société describes the forms as biomorphic and presents the exhibition as a passage from drawing into sculpture.

The process connects the new work with a familiar element of Rama’s practice: drawing on documents and notes during official meetings or telephone calls. In the interview, he describes creative work as a personal way of managing the pressure and intensity of politics.

ART AND POLITICS, WITH A PRACTICAL DIVIDING LINE

In the profile, Rama argues that art should not be treated as a substitute for political decision-making and that artists should not automatically be idealised. He also describes a practical boundary between public office and the art market: according to him, galleries check prospective buyers and he does not sell works to Albanians or people with business interests in Albania.

That is Rama’s own account in the interview and is not presented here as an independent audit of art sales.

WHY IT HAS EDITORIAL VALUE

The El País profile matters because it is not an ordinary social-media post or a rumour about private life. It is an identifiable interview published by an established international newspaper, documenting how a serving prime minister positions himself simultaneously within politics and contemporary art.

SOURCES AND DATE

This article is based on the El País profile published on 20 August 2026 and Société gallery’s official page for the Berlin exhibition “Chrysalizing”. The exhibition dates and description of the works were checked against the gallery; statements and the creative process are summarised from the El País interview.