Dr. Dashamir Vaqarri is an Albanian-German higher education professional, international artist and arts consultant.

Born in Tirana, Albania, he developed an early passion for the visual arts. Continuing a family tradition, he attended the Tirana Artistic Lyceum (Albanian: Liceu Artistik). In 2000, he completed his BA and MA in Fine Art at the University of Arts, Tirana, Albania, with a final project entitled The Year of 1997 (oil on canvas, 110×150cm). Subsequently, he relocated to Germany to pursue studies in Art History and Comparative Cultural Studies, earning a Magister Artium degree from the University of Regensburg in 2008. His thesis, Madonna Tondi in Fourteenth and Fifteenth Century Florentine Painting (Botticelli, Signorelli, Michelangelo, Raphael), examined representations of the Madonna in Renaissance art. He was later awarded a scholarship for doctoral research at the University of Derby, UK and became a Doctor of Philosophy in Fine Art in 2020 under the supervision of Prof. Huw Davies (Lens Media) and Assoc. Prof. Dr. Robert Burstow (History and Theory of Art). His PhD investigation employed a practice-based research approach, integrating creative practice with scholarly inquiry. This was achieved through the production of a series of twelve oil paintings on canvas, accompanied by a written thesis titled “Transnationalism and Migration: Concepts of Home in Post-Communist Albanian Diasporas”. He is considered a pioneer in practice-based research, particularly within the field of Fine Art and transnational identity studies.

Dr. Vaqarri's doctoral research has been cited by scholars working at the intersection of practice-based research methodologies in Fine Art, migration and transnational identity studies, and world art theory. The thesis has made a significant contribution to interdisciplinary conversations concerning artistic methodology, cultural identity, and global artistic practices, advancing understanding of contemporary artistic practice within transnational contexts.

Currently based in Halifax, UK, Vaqarri is a studio artist at the prestigious Dean Clough Galleries, and lectures and publishes internationally on issues of European art theory and practice. His works have appeared in exhibitions held in Italy, Japan, France, Germany, Albania, the Czech Republic and the UK. He has also won numerous prizes including the Golden Prize for Europe awarded by UNESCO at its International Exhibition for Young Talent in the Czech town of Lidice. He has been invited to many interviews on current artistic debates with national TV journals such as News24, Report Tv and Euronews Albania. 

As a researcher, Vaqarri is keen to drive and develop the role of arts research and he has published internationally on the significance of art practice as a research methodology (Theorem 2017, 2018 Cambridge School of Art). He has been an active researcher in areas such as the concept of home, migration, transnationalism and national identity in art for over 15 years. Vaqarri is currently co-leading a UKCISA-funded project with Dr Filippo Nereo from Keele University. The project is exploring the experiences of students from Syria and Ukraine in UK higher education and will culminate in a public exhibition. His current practice-based research investigates the changes in urban environments after the fall of Communism in Central and Eastern Europe. This innovative approach to current research in migration and transnationalism includes architecture, space and place, identity and memory, as well as being a completely new research area in Central and Eastern European studies.

Inspired by Vaqarri’s work, Vic Allen, Executive Art Director of the Dean Clough Galleries writes: 

“Every painting is a metaphorical map … the paintings are studded with symbolism … Dashi’s technique studiedly blends edges and colours … for all its cleverness, Dashi’s work is deeply emotional … This is particularly evident in the landscapes, which free of Dashi’s individuated symbolism, glow with unimpeded feeling” (2022).

He is a keen proponent of creative assessment in higher education and has taught in the following areas:

• essay writing

• preparing for publication

• digital literacy

• marketing and small business planning

• creative methods, particularly visual methods 

Vaqarri is particularly committed to widening participation in higher education especially for non-native speakers and mature learners. He has worked collaboratively with organisations in the North East to promote this cause.