Painter and scenographer. Around 40 years as an educator. Dean of the Faculty of Scenography at the Higher Institute of Arts in Tirana. Agim Zajmi is the most acclaimed scenographer in Albanian theatre, having created more than 300 scenographies and over 3,000 costume designs. His most fruitful collaboration was with director Pirro Mani, with whom he made over 40 scenographies. ‘Theatre becomes beautiful even with simple things, when you love it. Theatre is my home. Theatre is magic…,’ said Zajmi during a 1994 documentary about him, directed by Albert Minga.
Zajmi’s first scenography was the opera ‘Carmen’
“This opera was first performed on the Albanian stage on April 5, 1962. Composer Georges Bizet, librettists Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy. Conductor Mustafa Krantja, director Mihal Luarasi, scenographer Agim Zajmi, choir master Kostandin Trako, choreographer Panajot Kanaçi,” wrote the National Theatre of Opera and Ballet on the occasion of its restaging in 2021, featuring different protagonists.
“As a result, the increase in theatrical activity since the 1950s was accompanied by a growing demand for more professional scenography that met the requirements of the time. After the improvised scenographers of the 1950s, such as V. Mio, R. Daberdaku, and I. Hidri, the 1960s saw the arrival of the first professional scenographers like Shaban Hysa, Agim Zajmi, and Hysen Devolli. In the 1970s, the creativity of these artists reached its peak, while the criticism of the following years would highlight functional scenography such as Sh. Hysa’s work in ‘Shoqja nga fshati’ and ‘Furrnalta’, and the painterly scenography of Agim Zajmi in ‘Besa e madhe’, where the volumetric and functional solutions of the stage design adapted to the work according to the demands of the time,” writes Dr. Ermir Hoxha in his scholarly book, Art in Albania from 1945 to 2000.
First National Art Galery of Albania prize for ‘Kosova Field’ (1989)
Second National Art Galery of Albania prize for the composition ‘Ded Gjo Luli’ (1984)
People’s Painter’ Agim Zajmi is the recipient of numerous national awards in painting and scenography. He was recognized as ‘Best Scenographer of the Year’ by Kult magazine (2008), an award presented to him by the renowned painter Naxhi Bakalli. Zajmi authored the chapter ‘Problems of Scenography and Its Components’ included in the work Theoretical Foundations of Visual Arts, which is a textbook for students at the Academy of Arts of Albania. His works have been exhibited in many countries around the world.
