For the first time, the museum spaces are opened to a group of young Albanian artists. Their selection came through a joint open call of Marubi Museum and the Art House for the third edition of the artist residency Art House School (19 August – 15 September 2019) entitled “Beyond the image” with a focus on the close relationship between the author and the images along with the complexed possibilities activated by this.
The artists Orestia Kapidani, Marlin Dedaj, Erjola Zhuka, Erdiola Mustafaj, Elton Gllava, Bib Frrokaj dhe Abi Shehu spent four weeks in Shkodra and through the presentation of their works, discussions about projects and initial intuition about future works, readings and screenings, reflections and debates over arguments, there was also created a space for individual research.
The exhibition, curated by François Cheval, takes place at the Marubi Museum and Art House from November 1st, 2019 until January 7th, 2020, and is supported by the French Embassy in Albania and Art House. (Text, taken from the Marubi Museum.)
* Orestia Kapidani was born in 1978 in Shkodra (Albania) and graduated in Graphics at the Academy of Arts in Tirana (1997-2001). She pursued postgraduate studies (2003-2005) at Burg Giebichenstein – Halle University of Art and Design, focusing on photography and digital photography. Since 2005 she is a freelance photographer in Halle (Saale) and Tirana. In 2013 she completed a master’s in photography at Burg Giebichenstein, University of the Arts in Halle (Saale). He has collaborated with the Berlin Philharmonic, the Goethe Institute, the Academy of Arts in Halle and Tirana, the International Butrint Theater Festival, the Bremen Chamber Orchestra and more.
* Marlin Dedaj was born in 1988 in Shkodra (Albania) and has been living in Italy since the age of 5. The connection to photography for him began self-evidently in 2008. In 2018 he won an international scholarship for photographers under the age of 35 from Magnum Photos for the masterclass organized by Alex Majoli. He has participated in a number of joint exhibitions in different cities in Italy and has published in the magazines: Arabica Fenice, Rolling Stone, Icon, 50 & Più Magazine and more.
* Erjola Zhuka was born in 1986 in Durres (Albania) and lives in Florence (Italy). He studied multimedia arts as well as painting at the Carrara Academy of Arts. After graduation, she pursued a master’s degree in photography at IUAV University in Venice. He has participated in several workshops and exhibitions with: Armin Linke, Josè Pedro Cortes, Bas Princen, Stefano Graziani, Robert Pettena, Massimo Vitali, Filippo Romano. In October 2019 he led a workshop with students of the Art School in Lucca, which was followed by an exhibition at the Palazzo delle Esposizioni (Exhibition Palace), Lucca, Italy.
* Erdiola Mustafaj was born in 1992 in Elbasan (Albania) and has been living in Italy since the age of 6, when she moved to Bologna with her family. Today she lives in Milan where she is completing her studies at CFP Bauer School of Photography. Her artistic research focuses primarily on reportage and documentary photography, with a particular focus on social issues. “Pezull” (“Hanging”), her most recent work in the field of photography, was presented at the “Yjëzat” (“Starlets”) Foundation (Fondazione Stelline), Milan, July 2019.
* Elton Gllava was born in 1974 in Vlora (Albania). He is a freelance photographer who has lived and worked in Italy since 1992. He graduated with a degree in photography from the Roman School of Photography and Cinema (Scuola Romana di Fotografia e Cinema) (2009). His projects and photographs have social and environmental themes treated with a personal approach to them. His photographic projects include: “The Hidden Identities” (2009-2010), a project developed at the Ali Mihali Psychiatric Hospital in Vlora; “Bulqiza” (2013-2017), a project developed on the city of Bulqiza, which was documented in a photo book published in March 2019. “Albanian Cinema Paradiso” (2018-2019) is his latest project, a video exploring the Albanian cinema of the 1950s and 1990s during the communist regime.
* Bib Frrokaj was born in 1992 in Lezha (Albania) and graduated in painting in 2016 from the Faculty of Arts in Tirana. In his artistic practice he uses photography as a tool through which he seeks to discover how the complexity we experience interacts through different ways and contexts, visual and spiritual, creating a metaphysical and visual connection through images, with particular attention to issues social. Since 2017, she has been working as a teacher of arts in the city of Lezha.
* Abi Shehu was born in 1993 in Lezha (Albania) and lives in Berlin where she studies photography. She works as a freelance photographer and has organized a number of group exhibitions in collaboration with other photographers. Her work focuses primarily on the nature of human relationships and seeks to unravel their character through a visual search in various spaces.
