Twelve artists explain “What Happened to the General”

TIRANA, April 14 – Starting from Friday, April 15, a special exhibition bringing together twelve contemporary artists will be open at the FAP gallery next to the Academy of Arts in Tirana. The exhibition organized by the Tirana Institute of Contemporary Art (TICA) is curated by Zef Paci and Tina Finn峮
The exhibition What Happened to the General is inspired by the 1978 Albanian film “Gjeneral Gramafoni” (The General Gramophone). Even though made according to the requirements of the propaganda machinery at the time, there’s a curious underlying approach to the film. As the title suggests, the film is about the introduction of the first LP discs in Albania, brought to a small town, known for its folk musicians, by a “civilized”, mysterious Italian. The trick is that not only is he trying to lure the local musicians to get on the side of the upcoming fascist occupation of Albania, but when flipping the disc on the other side, it plays modern Italian music. The real occupation thus is not the military one, but the subtle one, intended to pervade the social fabric while instilling another lifestyle.
Today, 20 years after the fall of communism, western lifestyle has conquered every household and every particle of Albanian society. Yet, in a paradoxical shift, the old cultural clash introduced in the film didn’t disappear but has resurfaced stronger, while old contradictions and new social problems are brought to the fore by the advance of hardcore neoliberal policies. What has emerged as a result of a seemingly backward movement is the reappearance of archaic social and honour codes, an overwhelming consumerist lifestyle, a political rhetoric of hatred, and an increasing polarisation of society, organizers of the exhibition say.
The exhibition What happened to the General aims at filling the void created in the social fabric by reflecting on the recent historical past, with a clear perspective on today’s condition. The artists’ works introduce a large variety of topics touching upon personal stories, inward reflections, symbols of a past time and new dilemmas of an everlasting transition. The common denominator of the many art works spanning from video to painting, photography, performance and installation, is a reflective stance on our current social, cultural and political condition.
On April16th artist presentations will be given at the FAP Gallery at 11:00 am.
The exhibition is part of the long term project Individual Utopias Now And Then – Discontinuity of generation dialogue or what do we have in common, which is realized in cooperation with SCCA/pro.ba from Bosnia Herzegovina, T.I.C.A. from Albania, and New Media Center from Serbia. The project “Individual Utopias Now and Then” is supported by Swiss Cultural Program in the Western Balkans
The exhibition will be open every day from 15-24th of April between 10 am to 6 pm.
Participating artists include Adrian Paci, Albert Brahaj, Alketa Ramaj, Armand Lulaj, Enkelejd Zonja, Era Tula, Heldi Pema, Ledia Kostandini etc.