“The necklace is kind of antagonism between the two symbols integrated with each other, that of the religious dogma and the pickaxe which is the symbol of communism. When together they put the public in front of a question mark,” says artist Ardian Isufi, the curator of the exhibition
TIRANA, Dec. 11 – History under reconstruction. This is the exhibition which has brought together an analyst, a playwright and a painter.
Playwright Stefan ȡpaliku is represented with a video installation on the funeral ritual in the northeastern region of Tropoja based on a real amateur shooting in 1995.
Fatos Lubonja, a writer and analyst, showcases an iconostasis named “The return of birds” an artwork which he has created with personal items.
Artist Ardian Isufi, who is also the curator of the exhibition, is featuring an installation called “The Gift,” a symbol of the religious and communist dogma which is portrayed through a necklace worn on a mannequin.
The exhibition at the FAP gallery of the University of Arts represents the artists’ concern over the cultural heritage and the preservation of the Albanian identity.
“The necklace is kind of antagonism between the two symbols integrated with each other, that of the religious dogma and the pickaxe which is the symbol of communism. When together they put the public in front of a question mark,” says Isufi.
Lubonja’s modern iconostasis is a reminder of the massacres to the cultural heritage in the 23 years of the transition to democracy while ȡpaliku’s video is a reflection of Albania’s cultural identity and its protection after the collapse of the communist regime.
“History under reconstruction consists of spiritual architectures reconstructed from factual events and experience through the artistic intervention to the unstable phenomena under review by a critic’s eye,” adds the curator.
The exhibition at the FAP gallery will remain open until December 17.
