Monika Molloholli

Can you tell us more about your journey as a self-taught artist? What first inspired you to start painting?

As I mentioned before I was born in Albania and I am a self–taught painter. I didn’t attend any academies or painting courses, but since I was a little girl I have always loved spending my free time drawing and admiring the paintings of my uncle (a well-known Albanian painter) who instilled in me a passion for this wonderful art, painting and music. For me painting is a way to communicate without words. It allows me to express feelings and desires through shapes and colors – desires that can be difficult to express verbally. It’s a way to completely free my mind and express myself freely and naturally. Painting is very important to me because it allows me to express my feelings and strengthen my character. Painting increases my self–confidence and helps me be happy.

Monika Molloholli | Dark Side | 2022

Your works often use strong contrasts of black, red and white. What do these colors mean to you?

For me the color black in my paintings has many meanings: fear, pain, mourning, mystery, sadness, and at the same time it represents elegance, authority, power and depth. It depends on how you view a painting (positive or negative).

The color red signifies passion, love, energy, strength, power but also anger, danger, and violence. For me red represents the strength of my life, my heart and the warmth of relationship. Red draws the eye and expresses the joy within me.

White for me means purity, innocence, peace and tranquility, simplicity and light within me, within my soul.

Monika Molloholli | Hope For Everything | 2024

Many of your paintings feature women – sometimes abstract, sometimes symbolic. What message do you want to convey through these feminine figures?

For me the female figure means breaking down prejudices, and fighting gender inequality and difference. In Middle Ages Art period, women were seen as sacred figures like the Virgin Mary, while during the Renaissance period they were seen as beauty, vital force and love. Today, in my opinion, it represents civil rights. A woman must be fully free to live her physical and sexual essence, her femininity free from the prejudice that always accompanies it. It goes without saying that we women have not fully achieved equality, even when women are still killed, raped or brutally beaten today.

I would like to quote a line from Austrian neurologist and psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud: The man who loves many women knows women. The man who loves one woman knows love.

Monika Molloholli | The Music Scales The Sky | 2025

How did you develop your signature minimalist yet expressive style?

This style has turned my life upside down, or rather my existence. Becoming a minimalist has improved my life in so many ways. I have fallen in love with this style. It gives me so much energy, so much strength, and improves my life by reducing daily stress. The minimalist yet expressive style makes me happy. For me, it’s not a style, it’s a way of being, against noise and visual clutter. For me this style means purity, serenity, silence, eternity.

Monika Molloholli | The Pain | 2015

You have exhibited in many cities around the world – Los Angeles, New York, Miami, Rome, Florence, Paris, Barcelona, Madrid, Milan. Which exhibition was the most memorable for you and why?

This is not an easy question for me. Each performance left an indelible mark on my soul, it was a pure, unforgettable emotion. But most memorable for me is my performance in Milan and Miami, where I performed with my daughters Viola and Virginia: each of us presented her own painting. Performing in Milan with the two of them made me feel alive. It was an unforgettable night that will forever remain in the memory of the three of us. Every time we saw our paintings on that large screen, it was as if a ray of light illuminated the entire square, and the music in the background touched our souls. It was such an intense experience that time seemed to have stood still. It was like a “wave of energies” or like a “firework of images” and it was “breathtaking”, “magical” and “transcendent”, so all of this made those moments more vivid. The other memorable performance for the three of us was also this one in Miami. Unfortunately, we weren’t there and followed the entire event live online. Seeing our paintings on those wonderful little trains along with other people’s works was a wonderful and exciting thing. The Miami exhibition was the true artistic mastery of people from all over the world.

Monika Molloholli | The Scream | 2023

What role does symbolism play in your work? For example lips, hands, and silhouettes appear frequently.

For me, symbolism in my work means exploring the artist’s inner, subjective and spiritual world. Through symbolism, I reveal my emotions, sensations, deepest thoughts, and the secrets within me. Lips are a symbol of sensuality, attraction and seduction – or emotional wounds and the power of words. Hands mean creation, power, love, faith, hate, hope, prayer. Hands represent the human capacity to love, hate, create, or destroy someone or something. The silhouette is like a dark figure. It’s a secret or a mystery (a dark side) that each of us holds within.

Monika Molloholli | Viola’S Beauty | 2024

Do you feel your Italian background influences your artistic vision?

Even though I am Italian by adoption, my true origins are Albanian. Yes, of course, Italy greatly influences my work through its artistic and cultural heritage, which includes monuments, artworks and traditions, and is a constant source of inspiration for me. Italian art, through movements such as Mannerism, Baroque, and Futurism, contributes to a diverse and influential artistic landscape. Many contemporary Italian artists integrate tradition into their work. Italy has always been at the center of key artistic eras such as the Roman Empire and the Renaissance, leaving behind an enormous legacy that is reflected in modern works.

Finally, I’d like to extend a heartfelt thank you to the entire staff at Visual Art Journal magazine, especially Lady Anna Gvozdeva for this beautiful interview. Thank you so much, everyone.