10 years of "Art House"/ 33 artists become part of the exhibition

2025-09-14 10:37:00, Qyteti im CNA

Art House, the art house in Shkodra, turned 1 decade old. 33 Albanian and foreign artists became part of the “Homeward” exhibition!

Adrian Paci, the international artist who turned his house into a space dedicated entirely to cultural activities, naming it Art House 10 years ago, says that during this decade, artists from all over the world brought their art to Shkodra.

“ Art House is a house and this strongly marks its nature, but also the nature of the events it hosts. It is a family home that has decided to open itself to the public, it is a private space offered to the community as a public good. It is a house in the heart of Shkodra that has welcomed and accompanied people from different parts of the world, famous artists, curators, art historians, directors, gallery critics, collectors or researchers, who have come to Shkodra to dialogue with artists or the Albanian public, but beyond the physical dimension, Art House is above all a community of people, a union of wills and desires. In these 10 years it has served as a space for exchange between different people and not as a closed sect where a single identity is fractured. Art House is not and does not want to be a perfect creature, it is nourished by the lacks that produce desires and give it incentives to change. Artists are called to rebel against any power, not just one power government, but of all orders that atrophy in structures of rules and dominant narratives that are produced through clichés of a dull inertia. Every anniversary of Art House coincides with the death of Ferdinand Paci, preserving his memory and legacy are one of the creations of this foundation, so today we honorably remember the 59th anniversary of his death by making it part of this exhibition , "said Paci.

Two of the names who contributed to the founding of Art House, actress Rita Gjeka and painter Ikbale Kalaja, show that this art house of Adrian Paci in these 10 years turned into an important cultural institution for Shkodra...

" The Art Screen is one of the most important activities and this has come about thanks to Art House. I have been present since the beginning and it is one of the excellent events of the city and it is something that no one else does. An artist like Adrian Paci who has made his home available and has always shown what dimensions he has as an artist in the world and we are honored to have him in Shkodra and his relatives ", said actress Rita Gjeka.

" Art House is the most beautiful artistic event of the time and it came at a time when we were in great need, when institutions had faded a little and art did not have the opportunities it once had and it truly came as a flourishing. It is thanks to Art House and Adrian himself that he had such a vision to do such a good thing for Shkodra. The presence of Art House has emancipated Shkodra even more and is constantly followed by the public ," declared painter Ikbale Kalaja.

The 33 artists who brought the exhibition “Homeward”, each of them has been part of the 10-year journey of Art House in Shkodra, bringing the transformative experiences of migration and returning home. For 10 years, Art House brought many important events starting from the film festival “Ekrani i Artit”, “Art House School”, many workshops and various exhibitions of international artists./ CNA