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REZIDENCA #7
Alketa Ramaj, Donika Çina, Sokol Peçi
E premte, 2 Dhjetor 2011, ora 18:00, Galeria ZETA

TICA – Tirana Institute of Contemporary Art and Zeta Gallery present the final exhibition of the A.I.R. program 2011. The participating artists of A.I.R. #7 were selected among the participants of ARDHJE Award 2011. They have developed their research work while in residency during September – October 2011.

All three participating artists have followed an individual path in formulating their research interests and topics. However, this individual process was combined with numerous meetings among them, to discuss debate and update each other on the current phase of development of their projects, as well as exchanging ideas or suggestions regarding the final outcome.

Alketa Ramaj experiments with the relation between image and text, focusing on the process of perception. After taking a number of photographs, with the relation between body and environment as the main subject, she approaches a number of people of different background and asks them to react towards her photos in written word, preferably in an un-edited version of text. By exhibiting all photos and received texts in a mosaic-like setting, Ramaj attempts to discover the relation between the visual and the sayable, between what we see and what hides from our view, but reveals itself in imagination. In a few words, Ramaj tries to uncover the mechanism that gives rise to our perception of the world and the reality surrounding us.

Donika Cina uses her video camera to follow an hour of violin lesson. Central to her attention is not the automatic repetition of an exercise, but the change that occurs through repetition. Using montage to create her intervention, Cina leads us towards the obsession at the core of repetition. She’s not interested in simply documenting a violin lesson. She’s rather intent in creating a feeling of anxiety and uneasiness transmitted through the seemingly senseless, continuous interruption of the young violinist. As Cina herself says: “Through the chaos of broken sounds and background noise, I’m trying to create a new, imperfect musical piece.”

Sokol Peci’s proposal talks to us about an increasingly present concern of our global world – the relationship between Man and Nature. Focusing on the devastating effects that Man has had over Nature, as well as the fast pace this process has undergone in our neoliberal era, Peci proposes a quasi-utopian prototype that aims at easing the co-existence of Man and Nature. SKB is not a mere proposal for “more green areas”. It rather is a proposal that aims at paving the way for imagination, negotiating a possible space where Man and Nature can co-exist even within our contemporary condition of the unstoppable march of growing mega-cities. SKB is an attempt to the “de-stratification of conscience”, an attempt to re-direct our attention towards the primordial human condition – the essential relation between Man and Nature.

TICA – A.I.R. program is made possible due to the generous support from FAVA – The Foundation for Albanian Visual Arts, for the second consecutive year.

 

 

PRESS RELEASE

ALTERAZIONI VIDEO

SOLO EXHIBITION IN TIRANA

25th June – 20th July 2011

Curated by Claudia Zanfi (Director of aMAZElab Milan) and Edi Muka (Co-Director and curator of TICA – Tirana Institute of Contemporary Art)

As part of the ARCIPELAGO BALKANI project, devised by Claudia Zanfi and held in collaboration with the Culture Office of the European Community, on the occasion of their first solo exhibition in Tirana entitled “Alternative Tirana”, the international collective Alterazioni Video (Milan/ Berlin/ NYC), presents the first preview of a project made up of over 500 Polaroid snapshots taken during their stay in Albania in the summer of 2010. During their journey, the artists observed the reality around them, exploiting the distance that sets them apart from being inhabitants of the country. This fruitful mental state, one of active and imaginative observation, is what all travellers find themselves in when fascinated by the surrounding reality of a foreign country, perhaps also by virtue of the fact that they are unable to understand it completely.

The photos of cities, beaches, breathtaking panoramas, holidays, weddings, everyday and even intimate situations telling of the people and their lives, their great plans for the future and the traces of the past, documented using an innovative technique, come together to offer an original mapping of the territory and a heart-felt portrait of the country, seen also through the eyes of its inhabitants.

During the opening, the “LAVAZH SPECIAL PARTI” will take place: an installation/ performance in which the citizens of Tirana are invited to bring along their own cars and take part in a group car-washing session. The following will be made available: water, soap, sponges, vacuum cleaners and everything else you might need to make your car sparkling clean both inside and out. For the occasion, a number of commemorative t-shirts and posters will be produced. The video of the performance will be shown in the exhibition installed in the premises of Zeta Gallery in Tirana.

On Wednesday 22nd, at 20.30, Alterazioni Video will present their work as well as talk about the larger project Archipelago Balkani. The presentation is realized in collaboration with Tirana Express Art Center and will take place in the premises of their open air cinema.

Alterazioni Video is a collective founded in Milan in 2003. The group has displayed in numerous events, including the 52nd Venice Biennale, Manifesta 7 (Rovereto), Performa 09 (New York), the Fondazione Sandretto Re Rebaudengo (Turin), Palazzo Rosso (Genoa) and at the Moderna Galerija (Ljubljana) - www.alterazionivideo.com -

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Exhibition: solo exhibition by the group ALTERAZIONI VIDEO

Title: ‘Alternative Tirana’

Curated by: Claudia Zanfi, with Edi Muka.

In collaboration with IIC- Istituto Italiano di Cultura Tirana;

TICA – Tirana Institute of Contemporary Art, Zeta Gallery and Tirana International Contemporary Art Biennial.

Supported by: EU Cultural Office, Bruxelles; Regione Emilia Romagna, Bologna.

Sponsors: Kimicar, Tirana; Dispari&Dispari Gallery, Reggio Emilia.

Patronage: MiBAC, Ministry of Art and Culture, Rome.

Media Partners: Artribune; Osservatorio Balcani; Teknemedia; Studio Pesci.

Venue: Zeta Gallery,

Abdyl Frashëri n.31, A4, Hekla Center, Tirana (Albania)

info@zetagaleri.com - www.zetagaleri.com

Opening: Saturday 25th June 2011, 7pm

Party: Saturday 25th June, after 22.00 at Tirana Express Art Center

Dates: from 25th June until 18th July 2011

Further info and images: press@amaze.it - t/f +39.02.6071623


Announcement of the winner of this year’s Contemporary Art prize ARDHJE

On May 16th, 2011, during the opening of the fifth edition of the ”ARDHJE” Award for Contemporary Art in Tirana, Albania, the international jury consisting Alessandra Pioselli, curator and Director of Academy Carrara in Bergamo, Italy, Vladimir Myrtezai, artist and professor of the Multimedia Atelier at the Academy of Fine Arts in Tirana and Stefano Romano, artist, curator and professor at the Polis University in Tirana, Albania awarded Ledia Kostandini as winner of this year’s prize. The other finalists were: Armando Lulaj, Ilir Kaso, Olson Lamaj, Silva Agostini, Sokol Peçi, Yllka Gjollesha.

 

Jury´s motivation for this year´s winner

“After having valued the artistic research and the artworks of the seven artists, selected among 36 applications, has assigned the prize on the base of the following criteria:

The jury has considered high the quality of all the exhibited artworks. For this reason the decision has been pondered over and it has taken long time.

The jury has chosen to assign the award valuating the coherence of the artistic research, the clarity of the objectives, the coherence between concept and form in the artworks, the possibility of evolution and growing, assured that for the young selected artist the residence in NY will be the occasion for a further development of her work.

The jury has considered interesting the use of the archive’s materials done by the artist selected for the prize, the ability to trace connections between the past and the present, and to articulate the research in a very personal way through various media, from painting and installation, to photography.

The jury has the honor to announce that the winner of the 2011 edition of ARHJE prize is Ledia Kostandini and wish her a very useful stay in NY.

The jury would also like to thank TICA-Tirana Institute of Contemporary Art, Zeta gallery and FAP gallery and all the participating artists”.

ABOUT ARDHJE AWARD

Initiated in 2007, ARDHJE Award has established itself as a very important event, entirely dedicated to the work of young Albanian artists. The award, created by TICA – Tirana Institute of Contemporary Art, in collaboration with FCS – Foundation for Civil Society, New York, consists of a six week long residency in New York City for the winner, provided by FCS. The ARDHJE Award is built only on the independently created artistic work of young Albanian artists, and focuses in providing high exhibition standards, production of art works and projects as well as vital connections to the professional, international art world.

Since 2008, the Grand Finale exhibition is co-organized with Zeta Gallery.

The exhibition of the Grand Finale of ARDHJE 2011 is realized in collaboration with the Academy of Fine Arts in Tirana and made possible due to the generous support provided by:

FAVA – The Foundation for Albanian Visual Arts, the only independent foundation in Albania, offering support to contemporary art, artists and artist’ initiatives.

The exhibition will be open every day from 16-24th of May.

 

Photo Gallery (click here)