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Albanian Artist Offers ‘Therapy’ with Portraits Painted in Coffee

Kryemadhi uses coffee like watercolour paints, composing portraits with a rich, brown patina -- adding water to create different shades Gent SHKULLAKU AFP
Kryemadhi uses coffee like watercolour paints, composing portraits with a rich, brown patina -- adding water to create different shades Gent SHKULLAKU AFP
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Albanian Artist Offers ‘Therapy’ with Portraits Painted in Coffee

Kryemadhi uses coffee like watercolour paints, composing portraits with a rich, brown patina -- adding water to create different shades Gent SHKULLAKU AFP
Kryemadhi uses coffee like watercolour paints, composing portraits with a rich, brown patina -- adding water to create different shades Gent SHKULLAKU AFP

Albanian artist David Kryemadhi douses his brush with coffee and carefully sketches the face of a cafe customer, hoping the offer of a free portrait will bring cheer amid the anxiety of the pandemic.

Many Albanians regard cafes as a vital institution and punctuate most days with caffeinated outings -- the country of 2.8 million reputedly has one of the highest numbers of cafes in the world per head of population.

"Art and coffee help a lot of people," Kryemadhi told AFP in the seaside city of Durres.

"The moment of calm and reflection while painting a portrait helps the other person gain self-confidence and see the world with a positive synergy, a more open eye."

Kryemadhi uses coffee like watercolor paints, composing portraits with a rich, brown patina -- adding water to create different shades.

In the cafes of Albania, he has found a natural setting for his brand of art therapy.

To find subjects to paint, he strikes up conversations with customers before offering a free portrait.

"It did me so much good," said student Alexsandra while waiting for her portrait to dry.

"I find in this painting all my emotions, my torments, my thoughts."

Eva Allushi from the University of Durres explains that cafes in Albania are "an essential form of social life" where people feel free to express themselves.

"The novelty in David's art is the fact that he builds bridges with his fellow travellers in this Albanian institution," she said.

According to Albania's Institute of Statistics, the country has roughly 600 cafes per 100,000 people -- one of the highest in the world.

Kryemadhi said he hoped his portraits would help alleviate some of the stress caused by coronavirus in Durres, an area still recovering from a devastating earthquake in 2019 that killed dozens and left thousands more homeless.

"Coffee art is one of the most successful therapies," said Kryemadhi.

"It helps to overcome difficult situations such as those experienced with this pandemic or with the earthquake."

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Blooming Hard: Taiwan's Persimmon Growers Struggle

Persimmons are popular in Taiwan but changing weather and an ageing population are posing a threat to the century-old industry. I-Hwa CHENG / AFP
Persimmons are popular in Taiwan but changing weather and an ageing population are posing a threat to the century-old industry. I-Hwa CHENG / AFP
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Blooming Hard: Taiwan's Persimmon Growers Struggle

Persimmons are popular in Taiwan but changing weather and an ageing population are posing a threat to the century-old industry. I-Hwa CHENG / AFP
Persimmons are popular in Taiwan but changing weather and an ageing population are posing a threat to the century-old industry. I-Hwa CHENG / AFP

Taiwanese persimmon farmer Lo Chih-neng stands on a ladder in his sprawling orchard using secateurs to cut the golden-yellow fruit still hanging from branches after enduring a tough season.
Persimmons are popular in Taiwan where people travel hours to buy bags and boxes of the sweet dried fruit to take home to their families or give away to friends.
But changing weather and an ageing population are posing a threat to the century-old industry, forcing some farmers to look at alternative ways to maximize returns -- or get out altogether, AFP said.
Lo's harvest was down by more than a third in 2024, Taiwan's hottest year on record, after some of his trees failed to bloom and two typhoons in October stripped many of their leaves and fruit.
"The yield has dropped by quite a lot, at least a third or more," Lo, 65, told AFP on his farm where persimmon trees carpet a valley in Dongshi district, in the central west of the island.
"The losses have been severe, and it's mostly due to the typhoons," said Lo, who expects to lose Nt$1 million ($30,000) from his takings on this year's crop.
Taiwan's Central Weather Administration said Tuesday that 2024 was the hottest year since records began 127 years ago, echoing unprecedented temperature highs felt around the world.
Climate hardship
Taiwan's annual persimmon harvest declined for the second year in a row in 2023 to around 59,000 tons.
It is expected to be more than 13 percent lower in 2024, figures from the Agriculture and Food Agency show.
The land area used for growing the fruit has shrunk to 4,700 hectares (11,600 acres) from more than 5,300 hectares a decade ago, and the number of persimmon farmers has also fallen, Su Tang-chao, director of the agency's fruit and flower division, told AFP.
"In recent years, we have observed changes in production areas and fluctuations in yield and quality due to broader environmental changes, such as climate change and global warming," Su said.
Fresh persimmons are harvested from September to December, with most of the fruit sent to Hsinchu county, south of Taipei, to be dried.
Nearly all of the fruit harvested every year is consumed in Taiwan.
Lo's harvest is put into plastic crates, loaded into the back of a truck and taken to Weiweijia persimmon orchard where Lu Li-chien's family has been growing and drying the fruit for more than a century.
Tourists flock to Lu's farm to pose for photos among outdoor circular racks of fruit that shrivel and darken as they dry in the sun and wind -- a traditional method used by Taiwan's ethnic Hakka community.
Normally, fresh persimmons arrive at the Weiweijia farm every day, but Lu said this year's harvest has been "extremely low" and deliveries have been every two days.
"Compared to previous years, we only have about 20 percent of the usual supply," Lu, 68, told AFP.
"When I ask the farmers about the cause, they said the trees are not blooming properly, the flowers aren't opening up as they should."
Lu blames "climate abnormalities", with the production problems worsened by ageing growers whose children have no interest in taking over the family orchard.
"We've never encountered such a situation," he said of the poor harvest.
To maximize earnings, Lu's workers collect persimmon peels and turn them into dye. There are also plans afoot to make skincare products.
Lo, who has a teenage daughter, said he hopes to pass his farm to his nephew in the next few years -- if he is up to the challenge.
"I told him, 'If you're afraid of hardship, you won't be able to do this'," Lo said. "It gets really hot sometimes, and other times, it's very cold."