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“Art, between dream and reality” – the first edition of the Contemporary Art Festival in Kukël, Shkodra, was much more than a cultural event. It was an act of love for memory, an embrace for heritage and an explosion of inspiration in a place full of history – the “Ndre Mjeda” Museum Center, where Mjeda’s poetry is not read, but felt in the air. In these two nights, night never completely fell. The center’s exterior and interior spaces were filled with light, images, sounds and voices – an exhibition that lived, moved and spoke through installations, performances, painting, photography, video art, films and sounds. Children, young people, artists, researchers, local residents and visitors from Tirana, Lezha and Shkodra – a total of 200 participants – shared together an experience that transcended the boundaries of a traditional festival. This was a rare encounter with art that does not stand at a distance, but invites you to come closer, to think and to feel.
This first edition was inspired by the poetry and vision of Ndre Mjeda and raised important questions:
What role does art have in today’s times?
How can it be a poetic form of resistance?
How is collective memory constructed through artistic work?
The exhibition included a variety of practices and mediums such as painting, drawing, sketches, photography, video art, sound installations and performance. These mediums communicate in a shared narrative space, creating a sensitive landscape that reflects the tensions, desires, hopes and dilemmas of our era. A key point remains the connection of media poetry with the contemporary image. This relationship between word and visual form became a critical instrument, capable of raising questions about the role of art today.
This festival was organized by Art Kontakt, in collaboration with EDS Foundation, H2H Foundation, Heinrich Böll Stiftung Tirana and is supported by the Ministry of Economy, Culture and Innovation.