Despite all the works of art exhibited in galleries and museums, his works are the most popular and the most tangible. Most likely, those who recognize its authorship are very few, but this is what worries Petraq Papa the least, who has made images of coins, banknotes and postage stamps. It has been 10 years now that he regularly participates in every announcement of the Albanian Post and the Bank of Albania. If it ever occurred to him to design banknotes, of course not. But one competition led to another.

“I used to collect postage stamps. I was passionate. I learned geography and history from them. I was curious to learn about different countries. But they were also very beautiful. Then I gave up, they didn’t interest me anymore. Meanwhile, I studied graphics, graduated from the Academy of Arts and continued my work, focusing on graphics, but I also did painting and ceramics. Someone told me about the contest opened by the Albanian Post and I participated, won and that’s how this journey began. It was like a return to the former passion, but in a different form”, says Petraq Papa, who today is deputy. Dean at the Faculty of Visual Arts.

He doesn’t know how many stamps he made, but he remembers the first one, a stamp with four views on the latest archaeological finds. He preferred to highlight various topics, but also to select. He even realized the image of the stamps issued on the occasion of the arrival of Pope Francis in Albania in 2014. At that time he was “the Pope who made the Pope”. Beyond the satisfaction of the work, that miniature artwork serves to connect people and that is an added value.

But a separate challenge is coins and banknotes. He started with numismatics, and thanks to an invitation 10 years ago, he also tried banknotes. You are probably referring to the 2,000 Lek banknote, the violet one, which has the portrait of the Illyrian King, Gent. Unlike the image of any other figure, that of Ghent was not so simple to realize. “The realization of an image is always accompanied by a preliminary study. Sketching is the last moment. I don’t sketch what comes to mind. I can think about it for a long time, I sketch it in my head. There are readings, consultations with researchers, historians, archaeologists… In the case of Ghent, it was not so simple, since there is no image of him. So I had to study the period, the way his sera was worn, how they wore their hats. A job that lasted 2-3 months. I was helped only by a copy of a very small bronze coin, called a mullage, which, weathered by time, gave only a faint silhouette of him. But I imagined it and built an image and it was liked”. Petraq Papa reveals some “secrets” about banknote images. It is a commission in the Bank of Albania, which makes the decision to put into circulation a coin or banknote with a certain value, determines the image and even the color. For the latter, according to him, it is preferable to approach the euro. After 2,000 Leksh, Petraq Papa has won the competition of another cut, this time bigger. It is about the one worth 10,000 ALL and which is expected to be put into circulation. “I can say it now, it’s no longer a secret. Ten thousand lekshi will come out with the image of Asdren. The output of this cut had been discussed for some time, and it came back as an idea and the image of the poet was chosen. I have also learned that very soon the entire series of banknotes will be put into circulation, refreshed. They are the same characters, but somewhat more moderate. Since they were created in different periods, there was a kind of inconsistency, but now they come out more unified in cut, design”, he says.

Maybe for most people it doesn’t matter what images the leku has, just enough to get them to work, but the Pope says that he has a psychological connection with his color or image. That’s why he makes sure that everything is thought out in detail, both visible and invisible. In all the multitude of banknotes, he appreciates the Austrian shilling, which for him was a gem, the lira, the drachma, filled with elements of the culture and history of different countries. Regarding the banknotes of the 1990s, Pope says that “despite the ideological elements, the pathos with wheat stalks, stockists, tractors, there were also good banknotes, such as the 10-lek or 50-lek. But despite the hype, I liked that they were unique and the print quality was very good. As long as we had good relations with China, they were produced there. Until the 90s, they were also printed here.”

Among the banknotes and postage stamps there are also those that have not been announced as winners, however he treats them as works of art and one day he will exhibit them. Especially postage stamps, he will collect them in an exhibition dedicated to students. “I want to make a very good exhibition. My goal is not to evaluate my work, but for them to see that there is another possibility where they can try… They don’t deal with philately at all and it would be good if they went there too, to participate in competitions. It seems like there are only two names that got their hands on it… But it’s not just cash prizes. There is no lack of encouragement”.

Among the masters of stamp design, he appreciates the painter Naxhi Bakalli, his teacher, for the elegance, the line, but he also has high hopes for the students, for those who will also be the heirs of the “craft”.