Tirana Institute of Contemporary Art (T.I.C.A) in Tirana in collaboration with Zeta Gallery organized in the premises of the latter the closing exhibition of the artist-in-residence program for the spring period, which was on display from the 19th until the 29th of April. The exhibition was concluded with a performance from the Kosovo artist, Dardan Zhegrova at the Bazament Art Space on April, 22.
The 2018 artist-in-residence program was organized by T.I.C.A in collaboration with ZETA Gallery and was supported by the Ministry of Culture of Albania.
The artists in residence were the following: Zoran Shekerov (Macedonia), Matilda Odobashi (Albania) and Dardan Zhegrova (Kosovo) who undertook their artistic research during their two months long stay in Albania. The artists presented their research process in the exhibition, as well as some conclusions regarding the urban space, the constant thoughts of the human inner world, and the peoples’ awareness in the context of social dynamics.
The techniques used by the artist to represent their ideas were a number: from documentary photography, drawing, collage and performance.
Zoran Shekerov focuses on documentary research in specific political and social contexts, and he presented in his photography the footprint we leave in our everyday life. The artist is not interested in the footprint in terms of location and time, or what causes it for that matter of fact-what interests him the most are the effects of this footprint in the environment. The location of the occurrences is not defined-it only says that it relates to urban spaces; the time of the occurrences is not defined either-it is a present one and part of our everyday life. Nevertheless, this ambiguity of time and location does not affect the relationship between the artist and the viewer, the contrary…
Drawing, installation, painting and photography are the mediums used by the artist Matilda Odobashi to research the human complexity. In the exhibition, she presented the human individual through sketches of portraits and stones of different sizes. The stone is used as a symbol to represent the way the human individual relates to sustainability, and also to present the interaction between the human and the nature.
The artist Dardan Zhegrova distinguished himself in this exhibition because he presented creations composed of a number of materials, such as fabric and glass, in which he placed digital drawings that reflect different themes. His aim is the replacement of expressions with visual representation by using a number of elements. This is his own way of building the memory of the changing reality that he lives in. The intensity of the present is followed by the tomorrow, creating some kind of a cloud in relation to what has happened yesterday-the latter, if not documented might be in danger of being forgotten, and to remain as a vague footprint in our unconsciousness. Hence, the truth is put in discussion.