Artists unveil works representing Albania in Venice Biennale

TIRANA, May 18 – With few days to go before the International Art Exhibition of Venice Biennale kicks off, some of the works of Albanian participating artists have been unveiled. Gentian Shkurti is participating in the exhibition with a painting and a video called “Democratic Painting.” The painting was created based on a random survey on the public’s favorite colors. The video features the survey process while the painting was created by the surveyed people themselves with the artist being the executor of their ideas, says Shkurti. Orion Shima, another Albanian artist selected for the Venice Biennale is participating with three paintings. “They are works without social impacts. In my opinion, art should not be contaminated by the outer social and political circumstances. I see it detached from them. I am interested in the emotion caused by art itself,” says Shima. Eltjon Valle is participating with a project on Marinz, one of the most polluted oil-bearing fields. The project reflects important stories. “As there is no personality, this unidentified portrait covered up with adhesive could belong to everybody,” curators said. Albania has selected five artists to participate in this year’s 54th International Art Exhibition of the Venice Biennale scheduled from June, 4th to November, 27th 2011. Albania’s participants, young artists Anila Rubiku, Orion Shima, Gentian Shkurti, Eltjon Valli and Driant Zeneli were selected by Italy’s Riccardo Caldura, who is the curator of the Albanian pavilion. Albania’s exhibition will be called Geopathies, which condenses the curatorial idea of identifying a close relationship between the work of art and the geographical, historical and social context. “The works have been conceived as privileged dots of relief to catch aspects from another reality other than the every-day one,” organizers say in a statement. Albania’s pavilion will be displayed in Giudecca, one of the most beautiful venues in Venice, in front of the Academy of Fine Arts in a 160 m2 area. The Albanian pavilion is curated by Italy’s Riccardo Caldura, a well-known connoisseur of Albanian art who has participated in several important art events with Albanian artists both in Albania and Italy. The 54th International Art Exhibition will take place in Venice from June, 4th to November, 27th 2011 at the Giardini and at the Arsenale, as well as in various venues the city. The title chosen by director Bice Curiger for the 54th International Art Exhibition is ILLUMInations. “La Biennale is one of the world’s most important forums for the dissemination and “illumination” about the current developments in international art. The title of the 54th Exhibition, ILLUMInations literally draws attention to the importance of such developments in a globalised world. I am particularly interested in the eagerness of many contemporary artists to establish an intense dialogue with the viewer, and to challenge the conventions through which contemporary art is viewed,” says Bice Curiger. The 54th International Art Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia will present, as usual, the National Participations with their own exhibitions in the historic Pavilions of the Giardini, and in the centre of Venice.