Terminal for Tirana: Illuminating Albania’s Contemporary Art Scene in Conversation with Curator Adela Demetja

“As a curator, respecting the artistic process and the boundaries of each work is crucial.” – Adela Demetja

At the heart of Tirana, a new beacon of artistic expression has emerged with the installation of “Terminal for Tirana,” a mesmerizing light sculpture by Polish artist Karolina Halatek. This project, implemented by Tirana Art Lab – Center for Contemporary Art and curated by Adela Demetja, is situated at the entrance of the Mother Teresa University Hospital. The immersive work invites viewers into an ethereal experience inspired by near-death experiences (NDEs). The six-meter-tall polyethylene cylinder, illuminated by solar-powered LEDs, symbolizes a journey through light, offering a contemplative space where art, spirituality, and science converge.

Adela Demetja, a prominent figure in the Albanian art scene, has long been dedicated to promoting female artists, especially those whose work remains underrecognized. Her curatorial expertise, showcased through this project and her tenure at the Albanian Pavilion at the 59th Venice Biennale, highlights her commitment to enriching Albania’s cultural landscape. The contemporary art scene in Albania, as outlined by Demetja, is a vibrant tapestry woven from the country’s tumultuous history and rapid modernization. Emerging from decades of isolation under a communist regime, Albanian artists have navigated significant socio-political changes to establish a dynamic and diverse artistic community. Institutions like Tirana Art Lab – Center for Contemporary Art, founded by Demetja, play a crucial role in supporting contemporary artists and fostering critical engagement with cultural and social issues.

In an exclusive interview, Adela Demetja shares her insights on the significance of “Terminal for Tirana,” her curatorial journey, and the ever-evolving landscape of the contemporary art scene in Albania:

1. Adela, what inspired you to curate “Terminal for Tirana,” and how did the concept of near-death experiences influence this project?

The project “Terminal for Tirana” is more than an artwork; it involves the work of architects, engineers, and producers from Albania, Germany, and Poland. Tirana Art Lab participated in the international competition launched by the Ministry of Economy, Culture, and Innovation of Albania, which made several public locations across the country available for artworks by artists. These projects would also restructure the public space around the work itself. “Terminal for Tirana” was one of the winning projects selected by an international jury. One of the three proposed locations in Tirana was the entrance of the main hospital, Mother Teresa. We decided to send a proposal for this spot because of its specific location and context, which would challenge the entire team to create an art project that transcends the usual art-related context. Knowing Karolina Halatek’s practice, I immediately thought of her and knew she would be the right artist for this location. Halatek’s immersive light installations, characterized by simplicity and harmony, offer a strong aesthetic experience. However, they go beyond the extreme form of abstraction and the simplified play with geometrical shapes that characterized the minimalism of the 1960s. Her inspiration and material is light, but not just the usual experience of light. She collects the stories and testimonies of people who went through near-death experiences and had different experiences of extended consciousness beyond the physical body, described as being immersed in infinite light.

In her immersive light installations, Halatek tries to reconstruct those experiences, offering visitors a sense of infinity and well-being, set in motion by the white light and the shapes she creates with it. We decided that the work “Terminal,” which refers to the tunnel of light that many testimonies speak about, would be the perfect installation for the entrance of the main hospital of Albania. The installation and the entire surroundings aim to give visitors and workers of the hospital a place to take a break from the harsh reality of the hospital. The six-meter-tall and three-meter-wide polyethylene cylinder, with its white color during the day and white illumination inside during the night, seemingly emptied of any content, offers a neutral reality that invites visitors into an experience of expansion and regeneration. Beyond the unusual visual effect, the immense amount of white light can also have a therapeutic effect. This installation is meant to be a permanent one, and we hope that it can truly be used as a regenerative public station.

“Terminal for Tirana, 2024” by Karolina Halatek; photo credit: Ilir Tsouko.

2. Can you elaborate on your collaboration with Karolina Halatek and the unique challenges and rewards of this partnership?

It has been both inspiring and challenging to work with Karolina Halatek on this project. It’s inspiring because her working process consists of many layers, and it’s amazing to get to know all of them. Her research with people and testimonies of near-death experiences is truly unique, and the stories she has collected are life-changing. Working with such an artist who can challenge and expand our understanding of existence is a great opportunity. I am particularly interested in the relationship between art and spirituality, a link that has existed since the dawn of humankind but, in my opinion, has been lost in contemporary society. It is refreshing to experience how Halatek’s practice brilliantly re-establishes that link and transcends the discussion beyond the ordinary without excluding it.

The process has also been challenging because the piece was designed and developed by engineers and custom-produced in Germany. Many elements had to be considered, such as ensuring the work is permanent, functional long-term, and resistant to Tirana’s hot summers and rainy winters. Tirana is the first city to host a permanent work by Halatek, and on this occasion, we also decided to build a solar panel roof near “Terminal for Tirana” to provide a sustainable energy source with low environmental impact and promote energy independence.

Overall, it has been a great project involving many experts and a truly international team, which I had the pleasure of leading to achieve the best result for Karolina’s vision and the public space of Tirana.

Albanian Pavilion at 59th Venice Biennal, represented by Lumturi Blloshmi; photo credit: Riccardo Tosetto.

3. You have a strong focus on highlighting female artists, especially those whose contributions have been overlooked. What drives this focus, and how do you select the artists you work with? Additionally, how do you see the role of female artists evolving in the Albanian and broader Southeast European art scenes?

In 2016, I met Lumturi Blloshmi (1944-2020) while researching for an exhibition in Vienna that featured three generations of women artists from Albania. Although I knew her as one of the most intriguing Albanian artists of her generation, I realized through my research how little I knew about her practice and her story. This gap in knowledge was partly due to the fact that we never studied any Albanian female artists in our art history classes. As one of the few female Albanian curators, I recognized that I had the opportunity to address the systematic neglect of female artists. In 2020, I was invited by the National Gallery of Arts in Tirana, alongside curator Erëmir Krasniqi, to curate a show featuring female artists from Albania and Kosovo. During our research, we faced challenges in finding materials, contacting artists, and convincing them to participate in the show. The exhibition “Ambitions“, showcasing the works of 38 artists from the first generation of women artists who studied art to the present day, was the first major overview of the practices of women artists from Albania, Kosovo, and the diaspora.

In 2022, I had the pleasure of curating the Albanian Pavilion at the 59th Venice Biennale, represented for the first time by a woman, Lumturi Blloshmi. Although this presentation was posthumous, it stands as a testament to the recognition of her contributions to contemporary art in Albania and beyond.

Beyond exhibition formats, research, publications, and archives dedicated to women artists play a crucial role in changing the male-dominated narratives of art. I would like to highlight the “Secondary Archive“, a platform for women artists from Central and Eastern Europe initiated by the Katarzyna Kozyra Foundation in collaboration with partners and curators across Europe. With over 500 artists, this archive features artistic statements and previously unknown aspects of the biographies and practices of women artists. It includes the names of those who have been marginalized, neglected, forgotten, or remain little known to the general public, alongside artifacts from key female figures of non-Western art. Through Tirana Art Lab, we have contributed with 24 statements of women artists from Albania to the archive and are currently working on adding new profiles. The inclusion and display of practices of women artists, especially those from older generations, have begun to shift narratives within national, regional, and world art histories, making them more polyphonic, hybrid, horizontal, inclusive, and empirical.

4. What role do independent art institutions like Tirana Art Lab play in shaping this landscape

Independent institutions that emerged in the early 2000s have played a crucial role in developing, maintaining, and advancing the contemporary art scene in Albania, as well as in many other countries in the region. The end of the Communist regime destabilized the system and its institutions, which, during a long period of transition, struggled to keep up with contemporary discourses. Consequently, the “Tirana Art Lab” and other initiatives that developed due to a lack of contemporary art institutions and the absence of an art market became leading actors in the contemporary art field. “Tirana Art Lab’s” program, comprising various formats, is process- and research-oriented and aims to create a space for emerging critical and reflective thoughts. The center initiates and supports new productions by national and international artists and projects critically engaged with the artistic, cultural, and social issues of transitional and contemporary societies. Our aim is to question, through art, the neoliberal, market-oriented policies that our country is advancing in the name of EU integration and progress.

Through numerous projects and artistic discourse, we have paid special attention to the rapid changes driven by the building industry and the extinction and misuse of public spaces. Two recent projects, “Tirana Floating Archive” and “Tirana Floating Tours,” have been developed to document art interventions in public space by the independent art scene from 2002 to today. In alignment with our programming, we are pleased to have produced “Terminal for Tirana,” an art project that goes beyond aesthetics and adds value to public space.

5. What upcoming projects or exhibitions are you particularly excited about, and how do they align with your vision for contemporary art in Albania?

After curating the largest retrospective of Lumturi Blloshmi to date at the National Gallery of Kosovo last September and publishing a catalogue, I look forward to continuing the research and promotion of her work. Currently, in collaboration with Instituto Susch, we are digitizing the estates of Lumturi Blloshmi and two other female artists, Diana Miziri and Liljana Çefa. Our goal is to make their works available to the public online and contribute to a publication on women artists active in the 60s-80s from Central and Eastern Europe. Next year, I am also launching the second edition of “Curating with Care,” an alternative educational program for young professionals from Albania and the region who are interested in pursuing a curatorial career. This initiative, developed with the support of the Italian Culture Institute in Tirana, responds to the need for additional opportunities for young local cultural workers in exhibition-making from a local perspective. The program spans four months and features block seminars led by Albanian and international curators, institution leaders, and art historians.

6. As a curator, how do you balance the artistic vision of the artists with your own curatorial narrative?

I believe that curatorial practice evolves with each project and the artist or group of artists involved. Having started my career and studies in the art field as an artist, I have a deep understanding of the artistic process, which fosters great collaboration with artists. As a curator, it is crucial for me to respect the artistic process and be mindful of the boundaries of each work and artist that need to be protected. For me, the artistic vision or artwork often serves as the starting point of the narrative. It is through the artworks that the narrative is woven. Although I may use different methods and tools to enhance the curatorial impact and convey a particular idea, the transmission ultimately occurs through the artworks and their interaction with the public. Ideally, the curatorial narrative and the artistic vision align, creating a stronger, unified experience.

“Terminal for Tirana, 2024” by Karolina Halatek; photo credit: Ilir Tsouko.

7. How do you measure the success and impact of a public art project like “Terminal for Tirana”?

I believe there are several ways to measure success. First, it depends on how well the work and its surroundings integrate and respect the space they become a part of. In our case, the work and the park resonate with the broader context of the hospital while adding value to what already exists. Another aspect of success is the quality of the materials and methods used in creating the work and the park. These should be environmentally friendly and sustainable. Ultimately, the true measure of success is the sense of ownership that citizens, hospital workers, patients, and visitors feel towards the work. The work belongs to the public, and if they make use of it, we consider ourselves successful facilitators. We are proud to contribute to Tirana’s art landscape with high-quality artworks such as “Terminal for Tirana” by Karolina Halatek, alongside public works by Philippe Parreno, Sou Fujimoto, Rirkrit Tiravanija, and Dominique Gonzalez-Foerster.

Thank you, Adela, for this enlightening interview. Your insights offer a deeper understanding of your influential role in the art world and your ongoing efforts to cultivate a rich, inclusive cultural landscape. “Terminal for Tirana” stands as a testament to your vision, blending art and human experience in a way that transcends the ordinary and invites profound contemplation. Through this conversation, we’ve gained valuable perspectives on the evolving landscape of contemporary art in Albania.

Text by Maria Nitulescu