> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://hyperallergic.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Open Letter Condemns the "Artwashing" of Albanian Prime Minister's Politics - URL: https://hyperallergic.com/open-letter-condemns-artwashing-albania/ - Published: 2020-05-19T22:52:09.000Z - Updated: 2025-11-24T16:38:56.000Z - Description: Despite protests, artist and Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama demolished Tirana's historic National Theater this weekend, and has proposed to replace it with a €30 million renovation. - Author: Valentina Di Liscia - Tags: News, Bjarke Ingels Group, #wp, #wp-post, #image-position-hidden, #Import 2025-11-24 07:41 (2019, 2020, part 2) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/51/f8/51f871d8-b6be-4a73-b958-0ca4fff0110a/content/images/hyperallergic-newspack-s3-amazonaws-com/uploads/2020/05/signal-attachment-2020-05-17-183355_002.jpg) Protesters gathered Sunday morning at the now-demolished Albanian National Theater (Teatri Kombëtar) in Tirana before being dispersed by police. (photo by Wendy Morava) Albanian police dispersed dozens of protesters who gathered Sunday morning at the National Theater in the capital city of Tirana in an attempt to stop the demolition of the 80-year-old structure, despite a nationwide ban on group gatherings. The Teatri Kombëtar, built in 1939 during the Italian occupation, has been at the center of controversy for years since Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama shuttered the building and proposed its replacement with a €30 million (\~$32.8 million) [design](https://www.dezeen.com/2018/03/15/big-bjarke-ingels-national-theatre-of-albania-bow-tie-shaped-tirana/?ref=hyperallergic.com) by the Danish architecture firm the Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG). In an open letter released this week, a group of artists and cultural workers are not only condemning the theater’s destruction but bringing attention to what they deem the “artwashing” of Rama’s politics. The prime minister, who ascended to power in 2013, is also a [practicing artist](https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2016/nov/15/meet-edi-rama-albanias-artist-prime-minister-exhibition?ref=hyperallergic.com) who has achieved status and visibility in the contemporary art circuit, with exhibitions at venues including Marian Goodman Gallery in New York City. The letter’s authors, cultural theorist Jonida Gashi and journalist and publisher Vincent W.J. van Gerven Oei, express concern that mediagenic portrayals of Rama as an artist-politician have served to obfuscate abuses of power by the Albanian government he helms, citing among them the state repression of free press, which has also been flagged by watchdog organizations such as [Reporters Without Borders](https://rsf.org/en/news/repressive-laws-prosecutions-attacks-europe-fails-shield-its-journalists-against-abuse-covid-19?ref=hyperallergic.com). The German artist Wolfgang Staehle and Elidor Mëhilli, an associate professor at the City University of New York (CUNY), are among the 36 signatories of the letter so far. Van Gerven Oei told Hyperallergic that many people they approached hesitated to sign for fear of retribution, as they or their family members are employed by the state. “The rise of Edi Rama’s profile as a practicing artist on the international art scene, aided by a select group of artists, curators, and collectors, instead of drawing more attention to his politics has, paradoxically enough, completely eclipsed them,” the letter reads. The authors go on to censure Rama’s policies, in particular the prime minister’s decision to demolish cultural monuments in Tirana to make way for government-sponsored construction projects. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/51/f8/51f871d8-b6be-4a73-b958-0ca4fff0110a/content/images/hyperallergic-newspack-s3-amazonaws-com/uploads/2020/05/98613569_10216606518822376_787417515679547392_n.jpg) The demolished theater (courtesy of Exit News) “The ‘values’ and ‘colors’ of Edi Rama’s work as an artist, his speeches and interviews on the international art scene, and the promotional machinery that surrounds his career differ like day and night from the policies his regime is implementing in Albania,” they write. Rama arguably first gained widespread recognition in the art world when he undertook colorful renovations of communist-era buildings in Tirana while serving as the city’s mayor in the early 2000s. The project, described by Rama in a [TED Talk](https://www.ted.com/talks/edi%5Frama%5Ftake%5Fback%5Fyour%5Fcity%5Fwith%5Fpaint?ref=hyperallergic.com) as “not just an artistic act” but instead “a forum of political action,” is the subject of Albanian artist Anri Sala’s video “Dammi i Colori” (2003), which now [resides in Tate Modern’s collection](https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/sala-dammi-i-colori-t11813?ref=hyperallergic.com). But Gashi and van Gerven Oei argue that it is time to “look beyond Edi Rama’s ubiquitous painting of the façades in 2001 and turn our attention instead to his actual, recent policies, in particular in the context of his response to the global Covid-19 pandemic.” In a phone conversation with Hyperallergic, they noted that the demolition of the theater, which had been in the plans for years, finally took place while the country was in lockdown because of the coronavirus pandemic, on the weekend before the most severe measures were lifted. “Rama knew people would come out to protest,” said van Gerven Oei. “He forced people to sacrifice their health for the protection of a cultural heritage and endangered the health of his own police force.” Completed during World War II whilst Albania was under control of the Italian Fascist regime, the Teatri Kombëtar building was until now an enduring icon of Italian modernist architecture. It also hosted the first high-profile political show trials by the Albanian Communists, functioning as a reminder of the nation’s long period of Communist rule. Though the structure was officially shuttered by Rama two years ago, members of the Alliance for the Theater Protection [continued to stage performances](https://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2020/05/18/world/europe/ap-eu-albania-theater-protest.html?ref=hyperallergic.com) there until recently. A [video](https://twitter.com/SneskaEN/status/1262100502403321862?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1262100502403321862&ref%5Furl=https%3A%2F%2Fhyperallergic.com%2Fwp-admin%2Fpost.php%3Fpost%3D565114%26action%3Dedit&ref=hyperallergic.com) shared by Sneška Quaedvlieg-Mihailović, Secretary General of the pan-European cultural heritage organization Europa Nostra, depicts a bulldozer amongst the National Theater’s ruins. (Europa Nostra included the building in its recent list of [Europe’s seven most endangered heritage sites](https://www.europanostra.org/europe-7-most-endangered-heritage-sites-2020-announced/?ref=hyperallergic.com) and has since condemned its demolition in a letter to the EU Council of Ministers.) > At the end of [#MuseumWeek](https://twitter.com/hashtag/MuseumWeek?src=hash&ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=hyperallergic.com) with a theme [#DreamsMW](https://twitter.com/hashtag/DreamsMW?src=hash&ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=hyperallergic.com), let me share today’s [#NightmareMW](https://twitter.com/hashtag/NightmareMW?src=hash&ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=hyperallergic.com) from [#Tirana](https://twitter.com/hashtag/Tirana?src=hash&ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=hyperallergic.com): amidst COVID19 pandemic, during the night, authorities sent police to arrest artists & NGO activists and also bulldozers to destroy 80years old [#NationalTheater](https://twitter.com/hashtag/NationalTheater?src=hash&ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=hyperallergic.com) protected by law > RIP [pic.twitter.com/KPdAiePovc](https://t.co/KPdAiePovc?ref=hyperallergic.com) > > — Sneška Quaedvlieg-Mihailović (@SneskaEN) [May 17, 2020](https://twitter.com/SneskaEN/status/1262100502403321862?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=hyperallergic.com) During Rama’s two mandates as mayor, Gashi says, Tirana saw a boom in construction accompanied by the transformation of inexpensive apartment blocks into costly, flashy skyscrapers unaffordable to most except for “an oligarchic sliver of the country.” According to the letter, a large part of the publicly held land on which the National Theater stood will be used for privately owned high-rise buildings and shopping malls. Though Rama touted the design for a new theater produced by BIG on his [Facebook page](https://www.facebook.com/edirama.al/posts/10157773375151523) as recently as last night, a definitive timeline for its construction has reportedly been stalled due to [funding conflicts](https://archpaper.com/2020/05/protests-erupt-over-national-theatre-of-albania-demolition-big/?ref=hyperallergic.com). “The government has publicly admitted that it has no budget to rebuild the theater,” reads the letter. Neither the Albanian Ministry of Culture nor BIG have yet responded to Hyperallergic’s immediate request for comment. “Certainly his neoliberal policies and rampant privatizations are high up on the reasons as to why he has stubbornly pursued this project,” Gashi told Hyperallergic when asked about the prime minister’s motivations. “But I think there’s also an element of Rama wanting to leave a mark on the city. If you want to leave a mark on a country, what better way to do it than urban design?” Eriola Pira, an art historian and critic who has closely followed and written about Rama’s interventions in Tirana since 2003, believes the demolition of the National Theater is just one blatant example in Rama’s long track record of co-opting art and “the empty promise of progress” to further the interests of private companies. “Contrary to Rama’s — and Tirana Mayor Erion Veliaj — assurances to their international friends, this was never about building a new and better theater for actors by Bjarke Ingels, a darling of technocrats the world over, which they could have built anywhere in town, but about clearing the way for commercial high-rises that would be built alongside it, on prime city real estate. This overreach of power will no doubt be followed by further demolitions or redevelopment of historic buildings in the city center, among them the National Gallery of Art,” Pira told Hyperallergic. “The 27-month public resistance was as much about preserving this building, full of theater and Albanian history, as it was about protesting the corrupt and autocratic ways in which his vision has come to define the city and who it is for. Last Sunday morning, under the cover of darkness, it became clear to all that it is not for its citizens, activists, artists and that Rama is willing to muzzle, beat, jail, and kill them,” she added, citing reports that protesters were still inside the building as it was being demolished. Rama has [reportedly denied](https://exit.al/en/2020/05/19/albanian-prime-minister-denies-police-violence-but-says-its-part-of-their-work/?ref=hyperallergic.com) that state police used violence to deter the demonstrators. According to the[ *Washington Post*](https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/albanian-protesters-police-clash-over-theater-demolition/2020/05/17/db5c62c2-9814-11ea-87a3-22d324235636%5Fstory.html?ref=hyperallergic.com), officers used pepper spray on protesters and some television reports showed a bloodied citizen. Two policemen were also injured in the scuffle. “For too long, his art world supporters and enablers have been willfully ignorant or looked the other way,” said Pira. “As of this Sunday, they no longer can ignore his record and anyone who continues to legitimize his political actions as artistic interventions is an accomplice to the suppression of civil rights and democracy in Albania.” Gashi says the letter will continue to circulate in the weeks to come, and they hope it will garner wider support. “When you speak about as an ‘artist politician,’ you should know his policies,” said van Gerven Oei. “As far as we are concerned, the discussion about Rama has been completely one-sided, predicated on a single work that he made with other artists in the early 2000s. We need to reassess the relationship between art and politics in his work.” Read Gashi and van Gerven Oei’s open letter, reproduced in full, below: \* \* \* *An Open Letter to the International Art Community: Stop Artwashing Edi Rama’s Politics* For years we have witnessed how Edi Rama’s ascent to power in his own country has facilitated and enabled the rise of his profile as a practicing artist on the international art scene, especially since becoming Prime Minister in 2013\. We are not immune to how attractive the idea of an artist-politician is at a time when mainstream politics has severe difficulties imagining any future at all. The artist-politician sells — both his work and his policies. Our concern then is that the rise of Edi Rama’s profile as a practicing artist on the international art scene, aided by a select group of artists, curators, and collectors, instead of drawing more attention to his politics has, paradoxically enough, completely eclipsed them. The time has come to look beyond Edi Rama’s ubiquitous painting of the façades in 2001 and turn our attention instead to his actual, recent policies, in particular in the context of his response to the global Covid-19 pandemic. Edi Rama’s government has systematically undermined freedom of speech and expression. Journalists are systematically attacked — both verbally and physically, threatened and blackmailed, and laid off for reporting on corruption and organized crime, or simply for criticising the Rama government. Television programs can and have been [shut down](https://balkaninsight.com/2016/10/18/media-watchdog-condemns-albania-censorship-case-10-17-2016/?ref=hyperallergic.com) abruptly, including *Públicus* in 2016 just as it was about to air an exposé on the death of Ardit Gjoklaj, a child laborer killed in a work accident on a government owned landfill site. Indeed, entire television channels have been [shut down](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/albania-agon-tv-press-freedom-censorship-corruption-francesco-becchetti-a9103496.html?ref=hyperallergic.com), the latest being Ora News this month for allegedly [violating](https://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2020/05/15/world/europe/ap-eu-virus-outbreak-albania-tv-station.html?ref=hyperallergic.com) social distancing measures but in fact because it is virtually the only remaining TV station critical of the government. All other major news stations are owned by businessmen close to Edi Rama’s government, while he communicates mainly through social media, including his Facebook video channel ERTV, whose extensive funding sources remain unknown and [unaccounted](https://netzpolitik.org/2020/a-german-company-is-responsible-for-the-deletion-of-videos-critical-of-the-albanian-government/?ref=hyperallergic.com) for. Media watchdog organizations like the [European Center for Press and Media Freedom](https://www.ecpmf.eu/joint-statement-urges-albania-to-drop-new-libel-law/?ref=hyperallergic.com) (ECPMF), the [European Federation of Journalists](https://europeanjournalists.org/blog/2019/12/10/albania-efj-ifj-urge-parliament-to-reject-online-media-law/?ref=hyperallergic.com) (EFJ), the [International Press Institute](https://ipi.media/albania-urged-to-reject-draconian-new-media-laws/?ref=hyperallergic.com) (IPI), [Reporters Without Borders](https://rsf.org/en/news/repressive-laws-prosecutions-attacks-europe-fails-shield-its-journalists-against-abuse-covid-19?ref=hyperallergic.com) (RSF), and the [Committee to Protect Journalists](https://cpj.org/2019/03/british-journalist-in-albania-targeted-in-smear-ca.php?ref=hyperallergic.com) (CPJ) have repeatedly called out the deterioration of free press in Albania. Their [condemnation](https://europeanjournalists.org/blog/2019/12/09/albanian-authorities-pursue-highly-problematic-media-laws-despite-public-outcry/?ref=hyperallergic.com) reached momentum at the end of 2019 and the beginning of 2020, when the Albanian government repeatedly tried to push through parliament the so-called “Anti-Defamation” bill, which gives an agency answering to the Council of Ministers the power to fine and even shut down online media with minimal evidence and without any oversight from the judiciary. Around the same time, the Albanian Parliament actually passed an even more disturbing piece of legislation, the so-called [“Anti-KÇK” bill](https://ahc.org.al/en/normative-act-1-surpasses-the-constitutional-competences-of-the-council-of-ministers-violates-the-principle-of-the-separation-and-balancing-of-powers-and-human-rights-and-freedoms/?ref=hyperallergic.com), thereby paving the way for the creation of an “elite” police force that, among other things, can conduct electronic surveillance and home searches, as well as stop and detain “suspects” without a court order. While the violation of human rights by and under Edi Rama’s government is not new, the creation of a legal framework for the abolition or suspension of the fundamental rights and freedoms of Albanian citizens by the executive *in toto* is exceptionally alarming. Edi Rama has ruthlessly exploited four key moments in order to achieve this. Namely, the institutional and power vacuum created by the so-called “Justice Reform” since 2016, as a result of which Albania has neither a fully functional [Constitutional Court](http://www.iconnectblog.com/2018/05/challenges-for-the-constitutional-court-and-democracy-in-albania/?ref=hyperallergic.com) nor a functional Supreme Court; the decision of the MPs of the two main opposition parties to [rescind](https://emerging-europe.com/news/albanian-opposition-calls-for-election-as-mps-resign-from-parliament/?ref=hyperallergic.com) their mandates in early 2019, as a result of which Albania does not have a functional parliament; the [one-party](https://www.osce.org/odihr/elections/albania/423107?download=true&ref=hyperallergic.com) local [elections](https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/07/disputed-election-leaves-albania-democracy-tatters-190701195743565.html?ref=hyperallergic.com) held in June 2019, enabling the Socialist Party to gain control of virtually all municipalities across the country; and, finally, the catastrophic earthquake of November 26, 2019, and the Covid-19 pandemic as a result of which Albania has been under a state of emergency that is continually extended, sometimes legally and [sometimes not](https://crd.org/2020/04/16/albanias-government-unconstitutionally-pushes-draconian-sentences-in-fight-against-covid-19/?ref=hyperallergic.com), and has seen the ushering in of a slew of [draconian](https://balkaninsight.com/2020/03/16/albania-mounts-millionaire-fines-against-covid-19/?ref=hyperallergic.com) emergency measures. It should come as no surprise then that, in stark contrast with Edi Rama’s own artistic career, cultural life in Albania has become increasingly precarious. Sources of funding for independent cultural producers are [scarce](https://balkaninsight.com/2016/08/02/low-budget-institutions-anger-artists-in-albania-08-01-2016/?ref=hyperallergic.com) and what non-state funding there is gets mostly channeled into the government’s [vanity projects](https://balkaninsight.com/2017/01/05/albanian-pm-criticised-over-pushing-european-art-agenda-01-04-2017/?ref=hyperallergic.com). Thus, whereas unaccounted sums of money were spent on the contemporary art center inside Edi Rama’s [offices](https://www.artpapers.org/give-me-the-color-and-the-country/?ref=hyperallergic.com), all other national cultural institutions are systematically underfunded and mismanaged. Cultural heritage is threatened too, [especially](https://exit.al/en/2018/03/07/durres-two-public-projects-threaten-ancient-roman-ruins/?ref=hyperallergic.com) the Roman and Byzantine archeological heritage of Albania. Similarly, most of the cultural monuments in Tirana dating to the Ottoman period have already been [destroyed](https://preservingtirana.city/?ref=hyperallergic.com) in order to make room for government sponsored construction projects, and plans are currently [underway](https://exit.al/en/2016/12/28/the-tirana-masterplan-the-last-raid-of-the-oligarchs/?ref=hyperallergic.com) to demolish the National Gallery of Arts, another architectural landmark and cultural heritage site. The demolition of the historic National Theatre building on 17 May 2020, only two days before Albania’s severe COVID-19 lockdown was lifted marks a point of no return. Completed by the Italian fascists in 1939, it also functioned as an important reminder of communist rule in Albania, with the first high profile Albanian communist show trial being held inside it in 1945\. The theater’s recent demolition came after two years of resistance by actors, writers, artists, and activists, only weeks after the building was nominated one of the seven most endangered cultural heritage sites in Europe by [Europa Nostra](https://www.europanostra.org/european-call-to-save-7-most-endangered-heritage-sites/?ref=hyperallergic.com), and after the European Commission [called](https://twitter.com/GabrielMariya/status/1261227201845919744?ref=hyperallergic.com) for dialogue about its preservation. This action was preceded by several unconstitutional and illegal acts at various levels of government, while a constitutional court [complaint](https://exit.al/en/2019/12/30/constitutional-court-to-decide-on-national-theatre-special-law/?ref=hyperallergic.com) and an anti-corruption [investigation](https://www.reporter.al/spak-nis-hetimin-per-shembjen-e-teatrit-por-pa-autor/?ref=hyperallergic.com) against the ownership transfer of the theater from the national to local government was still pending. A large part of the publicly held land on which the National Theater stood is [slated](https://exit.al/en/2018/03/13/a-new-theater-demands-new-laws/?ref=hyperallergic.com) to be turned into privately owned highrise-buildings and shopping malls on the most expensive piece of real-estate in Tirana. The government has publicly admitted that it has no budget to rebuild the theater. This building, and everything that was inside — costumes, props, and archives of more than eighty years of Albanian theater history — was demolished in the middle of the night on Sunday May 17, 2020, accompanied by wanton police violence, shutting down of all electronic communications in the area, and random arrests. The “values” and “colors” of Edi Rama’s work as an artist, his speeches and interviews on the international art scene, and the promotional machinery that surrounds his career differ like day and night from the policies his regime is implementing in Albania. Therefore, we, the undersigned, strongly call upon those in the international art community whose practices align with progressive politics, ethical work practices, and a critical engagement with civil society, to rethink their commitments – and the validity and honesty of these commitments — when collaborating with and promoting the work of an artist–politician whose practice goes against these commitments and who has shown to be an opponent of progressive, democratic, and inclusive ideals in his own country. We call for solidarity from the international art world with the citizens, activists, and artists of Albania in condemning the actions of the government of Edi Rama, and a thorough reflection on the ethical and artistic implications of exhibiting and supporting his work and by extension his politics. **Original Signatories** Jonida Gashi, academic, cultural theorist, co-founder of DebatikCenter of Contemporary Art, Tirana Vincent W.J. van Gerven Oei, journalist and publisher, The Hague/Tirana/Santa Barbara Armando Lulaj, artist and filmmaker, co-founder of DebatikCenter of Contemporary Art, Tirana Adela Halo, public policy analyst and anti-corruption expert, researcher in 18th century history of ideas at Queen Mary’s, London Elvis Hoxhaj, LGBT human rights activist, The Hague/Tirana Raino Isto, editor, ARTMargins Online Dritan Hyska, artist, Tirana/Berlin Alketa Ramaj, artist, Tirana Ergin Zaloshnja, artist and founder of SPUTNIK fanzine, Tirana Pleurad Xhafa, artist and co-founder of DebatikCenter of Contemporary Art, Tirana Wendy Morava, scriptwriter and editor, Tirana Xheni Karaj, LGBT activist and director of Aleanca LGBT, Tirana Eriola Pira, curator, Vera List Center for Art and Politics, The New School, New York Sonila Meço, producer, journalist and TV anchor, Tirana Adi Krasta, producer, journalist and TV anchor, Tirana/Prishtina Wolfgang Staehle, artist, New York Katerina Kolozova, Director of the Institute of Social Sciences and Humanities Skopje, Professor of Philosophy, Epistemology and Gender Studies at ISSH and University American College, Skopje Elvira Dones, novelist and documentary filmmaker, Switzerland Vasco Dones, journalist, Switzerland Marco Mazzi, photographer and painter, Florence Neritan Sejamini, editor-in-chief, Exit Albania, Tirana Elidor Mëhilli, Associate Professor, City University of New York, New York Silvana Toska, Assistant Professor, Davidson College, North Carolina Adrian Paci, artist, director of Art House, Shkodër/Milan Eni Derhemi, artist, art historian, and researcher in post-dictatorship Albanian art, Bologna/ Tirana Alice Elizabeth Taylor, journalist and media freedom activist, Tirana Vjosa Musliu, postdoctoral fellow, Free University of Brussels, Belgium Barbara Halla, assistant editor, Asymptote Journal, Tirana/Paris Fatos Lubonja, writer and journalist, Tirana Diana Malaj, writer and co-founder of activist group ATA, Kamza Vasilika Laçi, civil rights activist and feminist, Tirana Lori Lako, visual artist, Florence Besar Likmeta, editor, BIRN Albania Gjergji Erëbara, journalist, BIRN Albania Hana Qena, artist and co-founder of HAVEIT, Tirana Alketa Sylaj, artist and co-founder of HAVEIT, Prishtina Arbërore Sylaj, artist and co-founder of HAVEIT, Prishtina Sofia Kalo, anthropologist and researcher, Chicago **Also signed by:** Erion Gjatolli, translator, Tirana Sonja Lau, curator and writer, Berlin Isuf Alla, interreligious dialogue, Rome Jonas Staal, artist, Athens/Rotterdam Drita Alla, Fashion Studies, Rome Lorena Kalaja, artist, New York Iva Lulashi, artist, Milan Vesa Qena, artist and co-founder of HAVEIT, Prishtina Marsela Dauti, researcher, Uppsala University, Sweden Federica Pompejano, Postdoctoral researcher, University of Genova, Italy Klodiana Millona, architect and researcher, Rotterdam, Netherlands Rigels Metolli, Engineer, Hamburg, Germany Yuan Chun Liu, artist/architect, Rotterdam/Taipei Besfort Idrizi, actor and director, Albanian theater for children and youth, Skopje, RN Macedonia Jora Kasapi, Architect, Tirana, Albania Stuart Munro, writer, Tokyo Ricardo Dominguez, Associate Professor, UCSD Chun-chi Wang, curator and researcher, Berlin/Taipei Ervin Qafmolla, journalist, Tirana Dan Rudmann, publisher, US Andi Tepelena, cultural manager, activist, Albania Taulant Muka, Research Group Leader, Institute of Social and Preventive Medicine, University of Bern, Switzerland Donald Merizaj, software engineer, Albania Hana Halilaj, co-founder of Hajde! Foundation, Prishtinë Doruntina Kastrati, artist, Prishtina, Kosovo Andreas Petrossiants, independent scholar, NYC Blerta Hoçia, artist and curator, Tirana/Prishtina Emiljano Kaziaj, Media Researcher, Human Rights Activist, Albania Carrie Ann Morgan, anthropologist and linguist, Tirana/Ann Arbor Fatlum Doci, artist, Albania Entela Bineri, art journalist, Tirana Arba Bekteshi, urban anthropologist, Tirana Endri Dani, artist, Tirana Remijon Pronja, artist and lecturer, Polis University, Tirana Olson Lamaj, artist, Tirana, Albania Celik Rruplli, journalist, Tirana Enriketa Papa, historian, University of Tirana Genta Nishku, literary scholar, writer and translator, Tirana/NYC Boštjan Bugarič, architect , lecturer and senior editor at Architectuul, Berlin Alban Muja, artist, Prishtina, Kosovo Boris Budini, systems architect, Albania Sonia Budini, architect, Albania Matteo Pizzolante, Artist, Milan Gentian Shkurti, artist, Tirana, Albania Lorina Bekteshi, consultant, Tirana, Albania Orinda Malltezi, lecturer, University of Tirana, Albania Petrit Pula, Music Curator & Producer, New York City Sashenka Lleshaj, PhD student, McGill University, Montréal, Quebec Dushko Petrovich, Chair of New Arts Journalism, School of the Art Institute of Chicago Carin Kuoni, Vera List Center for Art and Politics, New York City Chelsea Haines, art historian, New York Koloreto Cukali, scriptwriter and producer, Tirana Besnik Pula, Assistant Professor, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg Claire Bishop, Professor, Graduate Center, City University of New York Hrisina Ivanoska, artist and co-founder of Press to Exit Project Space, Skopje Yane Calovski, artist and co-founder of Press to Exit Project Space, Skopje Saisha Grayson, contemporary curator, New York/DC Sadie Mlika, writer and activist, Boston, MA Kristale Ivezaj Rama, journalist, founder of The Balkan Artists’ Guild, London Donika Çina, artist, Tirana Dorina Pllumbi, architect and researcher, TU Delft, Netherlands Brunilda Pali, researcher, KU Leuven, Belgium Ornela Zani, activist, Tirana, Albania Ilir Kaso, artist, Tirana Pezana Rexha, architect, Tirana, Albania Elvia Wilk, writer/editor, New York City Valentina Koça, gallerist and founder of Zeta Center for Contemporary Art, Tirana Esmeralda Kallollari, semiotics student, University of Passau, Germany Ergys Mita, musician, Tirana Parid Cefa, artist, New York Angelo Careri, writer and theoretician, Paris Gerta Xhelo, Director of Production, TED-Ed --TED Conferences, New York Nina Power, writer and philosopher, London Merita Smaja, actress at Teatri Migjeni, Shkodër Stefan Çapaliku, writer, Tirana Eros Dibra, artist, Albania Virion Graçi, writer, Tirana-Albania Kastriot Çipi, theatre director, Albania María Novas Ferradás, architect and researcher, Galicia, Universidad de Sevilla, Spain and Delft University of Technology, Netherlands Kamela Guza, Postdoctoral researcher, University of Florence, Italy Borana Kullolli, Civil Eng. PhD candidate, TU Berlin, Germany Saimir Kristo, architect and Vice-Dean of POLIS University, Tirana Kristina Millona, human rights defender, Belgrade, Serbia Tancrède Rivière, writer and researcher, Paris Robert Aliaj Dragot, visual artist and activist, Tirana/Brussels Stefano Romano, artist and lecturer at Polis University, Tirana Elsa Demo, culture journalist, Tirana Anila Dedaj, journalist, Tirana Elian Stefa, architect and curator, Tirana Rita Gjeka, actress at Teatri Migjeni, Shkodër Durim Taçi, writer and translator, Italy Ag Apolloni, playwright, Prishtina Irsida Bejo, architectural theorist & educator, USA Caterina Preda, art and politics theoretician, Romania Anxhela Çikopano, theater director, translator and scholar in cultural anthropology, Tirana Nada Gurashi, translator Rezarta Caushaj, activist and journalist, Tirana Pietro Gaglianò, art critic and pedagogist, Florence Daria Filardo, curator and educator, Palermo/Florence Kristina Gjini, architect, Chicago IL Melina Kotsia, architect and critical writer, Tirana/Seattle Hashim Baftiari, publisher, Tetova, North Macedonia Kailey Rocker, Cultural Anthropologist and PhD Candidate, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, USA Suela Bako, film and theatre actress / director, Tirana Romir Zalla, actor, Tirana, Albania Dasara Xhangolli, theater director/actress, Tirana Dhimitraq Kote, artist, Florence/Korçë Ermela Teli, film director, Albania Josseline Black, choreographer and curator Edmond Dingu, electrical engineer, Tirana, Albania Driant Zeneli, visual artist, Milan and Tirana Parid Teferiçi, writer, Tirana Shilton Rica, Senior Design Engineer, Luxembourg Irhan Jubica, writer & journalist, "ARS" Albanian literary magazine Flora Camaj, journalist, Prishtinë Alban Gjata, art & architecture, Bergamo, Italy Corrado Gugliotta, Laveronica Gallery, Modica Italy Aida Baro, translator and editor, Tirana Lea Ademi, human rights defender Gladiola Harizaj, actress at National Theater of Albania Ervin Bejleri, actor at National Experimental Theater of Albania Simone Harrill, artist, UK Emi Furxhi, human rights activist, Tiranë Blerti Murataj, visual artist and filmmaker, New York Jonida Xherri, visual artist, Durrës/Modica Ilire Zajmi, writer and journalist, Prishtinë Chiara Enzo, artist, Venice, Italy Ludovico Riviera, Italy Elton Caushi, tour operator and media producer, Albania Artan Haxhi, professor, Shkodra University Albien Alushaj, visual artist, Florence Serena Becagli, art coordinator and co-founder of Estuario Project Space, Florence/Prato Rozi Kostani, theatre director, actress and professor Driada Dervishi, theatre director, Albania Eltjana Shkreli, urban planner, GO2\_Sustainable Urban Planning Organization Rosella Pellicciotti, choreographer, dancer, performer, Tirana (AL) Elona Pira, founding editor, Peizazhe të fjalës magazine, Tirana/New York Dalina Gashi, architect, London Agata Rogoś, curator, Institut für Slawistik Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin Matilda Odobashi, visual artist, Tirana Abderrahim Kassou, Architect, Casablanca Erla Gjinishi, social scientist, Sweden Valentina Bonizzi, artist, Glasgow/Tirana Nicola Pedrazzi, Bologna, journalist Osservatorio Balcani Caucaso Transeuropa Mikaela Minga, musicologist, Tirana Teuta Toska, linguist, Elbasan Su Tomesen, artist, Amsterdam, Netherlands Driton Selmani, visual artist, Prishtina, Kosovo Miran Mohar, artist, Ljubljana Maltin Grabivaj, structural engineer, Tirana Martino Baldi, poet and librarian, Pistoia, Italy Lorena Kalaja, artist, New York Pasko Kisic, political scientist, Stockholm Richard van den Brink, publisher, Skanderbeg Books, Tirana, Utrecht/the Netherlands Majkell Veizaj, web developer, Tirana Ataol Kaso, publisher, Pika pa sipërfaqe, Tirana Eyal Weizman, professor, Centre for Research Architecture at Goldsmiths, University of London, founder and director of Forensic Architecture, London Dr. Mateja Bučar, choreographer, president of DUM-Association of Artists, Slovenia Gerda Mulder, photo-editor Skanderbeg Books, Rotterdam, The Netherlands Mondi Denelli, violinist, Shkodër, Albania Ares Shporta, Director of Lumbardhi Foundation, Prizren, Kosovo Rok Vevar, dance historian and curator, Ljubljana Pia Brezavšček, editor of Maska journal, Ljubljana Alban Nimani, artist, director of TULLA - Culture Center, Tirana/Prishtina Vittoria Ciolini, President of the culture association Dryphoto Arte Contemporanea, Prato, Italy Mirna Pedalo, visiting lecturer, Royal College of Art, London, UK Endi Tupja, artist, filmmaker, Tirana/Berlin Jiří Němec, International Relations Student and Balkanologist, Brno, Czech Republic Sislej Xhafa, artist, New York, USA Daniel Languré, architect, Mexico City, Mexico Miloš Kosec, architect, Ljubljana, Slovenia Sanja Horvatinčić, Postdoctoral Researcher, Institute of Art History, Zagreb, Croatia Carolina Gómez Pérez, Architect & Strategic Urban Planner Irena Šentevska, researcher and curator, Belgrade, Serbia Davide Marchetti, architect & visiting professor, Rome, Italy Jelica Jovanović, architect & researcher, Belgrade, Serbia Rena Raedle, artist, Belgrade Vladan Jeremić, artist, Belgrade Alessandra Briganti, journalist, Rome Ana Jovanović, architect, Belgrade, Serbia Tiago Mota Saraiva, architect, Lisbon Mladen Jadric, Architect, Ass.Prof.Dr.DI Vienna Odeta Çunaj Stabenow, Filmmaker, Berlin Stefan Stabenow, Film Editor, Berlin Flutura Açka, writer/publisher, Tirana, Utrecht/the Netherlands Amelida Celepija, Photographer & Artist, London,UK Daniele Capra, art critic and independent curator, Venice Ana Džokić, architect, Belgrade/Rotterdam Marc Neelen, architect, Rotterdam/Belgrade Xhorxhina Bami, correspondent for Kosovo, Balkan Insight/BIRN, Tirana/Prishtina Aleš Vodopivec, Professor, Faculty of Architecture, University of Ljubljana, Slovenia Rosanna Cieri, director of the MOTUS Company (Italy) Simona Cieri, choreographer of the MOTUS Company (Italy) Ena Bavčić, human rights activist and documentarist (Sarajevo, BiH) Nevenka Koprivšek, director Bunker, Mladi levi festival (Ljubljana, Slovenia) Martina Agricoli, dancer of the MOTUS Company (Italy) Anisa Kushta, economist, Tirana Vjollca Rica, ingénieur d'études, France Rune Ottosen, Professor Emeritus journalism, Oslo Metropolitan University (Norway) Mamica Burda, architect, researcher, TU Wien, Vienna, Tirana Marson Korbi, architecture PhD, Polytechnic of Bari (Italy) Lejla Huremović, activist, Bosnia and Herzegovina Ilaria Fratantuono, dancer of the MOTUS Company (Italy) Lara Fresko, art historian, New York/Istanbul Gentiola Madhi, researcher & OBCT correspondent, Tirana / Verona (Italy) Maria Briganti, architect, Taranto Micol Viti, organizational staff of the MOTUS Company (Italy) Mattia Solano, dancer of the MOTUS Company (Italy) Ledio Allkja, urban planner, researcher Co-plan/Polis University Bruno Di Blasi, musician and photographer Judoris Merkaj, marketing student Realda Abdija, art historian, Sapienza University of Rome, Italy Lorena Gjana, Chief Operating Officer, INNVEST Gabriele Salvaterra, curator and museum professional, Trento, Italy jonathan lahey dronsfield, philosopher/artist, UK Clara Scola, art director of AnonimaKunsthalle, Milan, Italy Roberta Morello, dancer of the MOTUS Company (Italy) Armando Guçe, political analyst, Tirana, Albania Claudio Rossi, Italy Gorana Mlinarević, human rights lawyer, Sarajevo Beatrice Fleischlin, performer, Basel, Switzerland Marcella Stefanoni, gallerist, ARTRA Gallery, Milan Lorenzo Tiberio, student, Italy Anja Zorko, Slovenia Alexandros Tsakos, University of Bergen, Norway Yannis Papadopoulos, University of Brasília, Brazil Evan Panagopoulos, architecture tour guide, UK Sonja Dragović, researcher in urban studies, Podgorica / Lisbon Erion Hinaj, theater director and actor, Tirana Marilena Cammarota, teacher & researcher, Siena (Italy) Bernhard Studlar, playwright, Austria Ylber Marku, research fellow in World History, Xiamen University, China Paola Martina Petrocelli, student, University of Siena Giulia Dongilli, artist, Italy Katharina Stadler, artist, Tbilisi Herman Zonderland, photographer, Delft, the Netherlands Nina Galić, visual artist, Belgrade Arbër Elezi, visual artist, Florence Ivana Němec, nurse and midwife, Brno, Czech Republic Elidjon Grembi, artist, Düsseldorf, Germany Darko Vukić, artist, Serbia Lisandri Kola, poet, researcher and lecturer University of Michigan, Ann Arbor/Michigan Aristea Kola, Kêns (critical journal) publisher, researcher and Graduate Student, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor/Michigan Amy Zion, curator and writer, Faculty, CCS Bard College, New York Arben Prendi, poet, researcher and lecturer University of Shkodra "Luigj Gurakuqi", Albania Danilo Correale, independent artist and researcher, New York Jonathan Eaton, Anthropologist and PhD student, University of British Columbia, Canada Arta Arifi, Cultural Anthropologist & Archaeologist, Pristina, Kosovo Kleidi Eski, visual storyteller, Tirana, Albania David Quezada, architecture MSc, structural engineer; lecturer Universidad de Santiago de Chile, Escuela de Arquitectura; founder of ARCADA, Santiago de Chile. Marko Peterlin, Director at IPoP - Institute for Spatial Policies, Ljubljana, Slovenia Tadej Glažar, professor, University of Ljubljana, Slovenia Clarence Tsui, film critic, lecturer and programmer, Hong Kong Susann Kreplin, research assistant - constructionLab/perceptionLab, TH OWL, Germany Shpëtim Selmani, actor and writer. Petra Čeferin, assoc. professor, University of Ljubljana, Slovenia Giulia Morucchio, curator, Venice (IT) Arne Vehovar, architect, Ljubljana, Slovenia Iris Sojli, writer and translator Magdalena Prus, architect Yvonne van Osch, writer, Amsterdam, Holland Maja Vardjan, curator, Ljubljana, Slovenia Jeff Bickert, writer/editor, Ljubljana, Slovenia Jernej Prijon, architect, Ljubljana, Slovenia Anna de Manincor | ZimmerFrei collective, artist and filmmaker, Bologna, Italy Uršula Berlot Pompe, assoc. prof., University of Ljubljana, Slovenia Leda Lunghi, curator, Milan, Italy Regina Longo, media archivist and lecturer, Brown University, Providence, RI, USA Fatmira Nikolli, culture journalist, Tirana Reto Kromer, film conservator and restorer, Lausanne, Switzerland Andrea Abati, photographer and founder of Dryphoto Arte Contemporanea, Prato, Italy Barbara Predan, assistant prof., University of Ljubljana, Slovenia Simon Hewitt, art historian and journalist, Switzerland Stefan Haas, musician & graphic designer, Lucerne, Switzerland Sesilja Plasari, director, France Dritan Laçi, journalist, Tirana Franco ‘Bifo’ Berardi, writer, philosopher, and activist, Bologna Andrea Pagnes, artist at VestAndPage, Italy/Germany Fatos Dingo, Psychologist and Cultural Anthropologist, Florence Nikola Slavevski, artist, Macedonia Kaja Lipnik Vehovar, architect, Ljubljana, Slovenia Fioralba Duma, human & civil rights activist and cultural promoter, Rome, Italy Ilir Qyrana, Albanian architect, Tirana, Albania Ana Grgić, lecturer in Film and Screen Studies, Monash University Malaysia Ervin Goci, activist and lecturer in journalism, University of Tirana Despina Zefkili, art critic, Athens, Greece Ismete Selmanaj Leba, journalist, writer and construction engineer, Italy Adele Budina, producer, Rome, Italy Nicole Davi, actor & director, Coach & Therapist, Lucerne, Switzerland Heligonka, Handcrafted New Folk Pop Band, Emmenbronx, Switzerland Ivi Petja, Freiburg im Breisgau Dorota Horodyska, interpreter, Poland Anne-Marie Tangen, Niayesh Travel, Norway John Dale, historian, Norway Dens Dimiņš, translator, Latvia Arjon Muarremi, Architect - Founder MAS - Muarremi Architecture Studio, Milano, Italy Ilda Mara, director of Art & Heritage Publication Mauro Geraci, Professore di Antropologia Culturale all'Università degli Studi di Messina. Cantastorie e Antifascista. Italia. Doris Xhaferi, resident intern, Bielefeld, Germany Michelle Millar Fisher, curator, MFA Boston Avni Delvina, artist, Cesena, Italy. Anxhelo Matrangolo, teacher, Italy. Louis Seiller, independent journalist, Western Balkans/Paris. Hans Peter Jost, photographer. Zurich, Switzerland. Barbad Golshiri, artist and critic, Iran Maryam Ashrafi, social documentary photographer, Paris Małgorzata Margo Rejmer, writer, Tirana/Warsaw Jan Jansen, human rights activist, Zutphen, The Netherlands. Jonila Godole, writer and director of IDMC, Tirana Leo Platvoet, writer, former member Dutch Senate, The Netherlands Loreta Nikolli, translator and fair & events organizer, Bologna, Italy Endri Rexhepaj, IT auditor KPMG, Switzerland Viktor Misiano, “Moscow Art Magazine” chief-editor, Moscow, Russia Ilda Papajani, artist & DOP, Tirana, Albania Fabian Kati, documentary film director & sociologist, Manchester, UK Elgoni Nikolla, American Studies, PhD candidate at Sofia University "St.Kliment Ohridski", Sofia, Bulgaria Alessandra Ghinato, journalist and communications expert, Milano, Italy Lindita Komani, writer and translator, Tirana, Albania Elvin Nuri, advertiser, writer and communication expert, Tirana, AL Edmond Budina, director, scriptwriter and actor, Rome/Tirana Effi Weiss, artist, Filmmaker, Brussels, Belgium Jasmina Topić, writer and teacher, Pančevo, Serbia Prof. Waldemar Kuligowski, academic, editor and activist, Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznań, Poland Alina Kubiak, producer and curator, Berlin, Germany Ewa Tracz, student, Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznań, Poland Gazmend Bakalli, artist, Connecticut, US Davide Quadrio, curator and producer Art Hub, Hong Kong Andrej Strehovec, architect, critic, independent custos, member of Management Board at Association of Architects Novi Sad, Serbia Albi Cela, lawyer, human rights activist, LLM, Arizona State University, Washington D.C Ariglon Pali, journalist, Top Channel, Albania Norbert Tobolski, student, Mikołaj Kopernik University, Toruń, Poland Edona Bala, visual artist, Tirana, Albania Erid Katroshi, medical doctor, Germany Irena Sawicka, Institute of Slavic Studies, Warsaw, Poland Jean-Arnault Dérens, rédacteur en chef du Courrier des Balkans (France) Amaël Cattaruzza, Université Paris-VIII (France) Yoko Sawada, editor and publisher, Tokyo, Japan Sandra Krizic Roban, Institute of Art History, Zagreb, Croatia Florian Daka, architect, Tirana, Albania Lori E. Amy, Professor, Georgia Southern University Denis Esakov, artist, Berlin Magdalena Rekść, academic, University of Lodz, Poland Dana Kopel, writer and editor, New York Elsa Skënderi Rakipllari, linguist and lecturer, Tirana Vjeran Pavlaković, historian, University of Rijeka, Croatia Jeanne Lakits, dancer, France Viltė Migonytė-Petrulienė, Kaunas, Lithuania Edi Muka, curator, Sweden/Albania Samuel Gonçalves, architect, Portugal Philippa Driest, artist and janitor, Rotterdam, Netherlands Kristian Zara, visual artist, Curator, Art critic, UK, AL, GR Davide Sgambaro, artist, Turin, IT Amos Cappuccio, Turin, IT Nela Gubic, Institute of Art History, Croatia Eleonora Castagna, curator, Vipiteno, IT Mariana León, Art Historian, Actress, México Emma Tagliacollo, Adjunct Professor Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, IT Ugo Carughi, President Docomomo Italia, IT Beatrice Marchi, artist, Berlin, Germany Alice Pedroletti, artist and art worker, Italy Lucrezia Calabrò Visconti, curator, Italy Alessio Mazzaro, artist, Italy Caterina Erica Shanta, artist, Italy Eugenia Delfini, 2019-2020 Guggenheim Hilla Rebay International Fellow, Italy Simona Barbera, artist, Italy/Norway Beatrice Sacco, artist, Italy Maximiliano Siñani, artist, Bolivia Rachele D’Osualdo, Udine, Italy Jovan Minic, architect, SRB, IT Bertin Christelbauer, musician, Linz, Austria Dardana Berdyna, actor, Italy Ruth Beraha, artist, Italy Marta Papini, curator, Italy Rebecca Moccia, artist, Italy Irene Bagnara, curator and journalist, Italy Melpomeni Nelaj, multidisciplinary storyteller, Serbia Denis Ymeri, artist, Spain Enisa Selmanaj, architect, Rotterdam, Netherlands Carlo Sala, curator, Italy Naeem Mohaiemen, Society of Fellows, Columbia University, New York, US Hiroko Komatsu, artist, Japan Osamu Kanemura, artist, Japan Chiara Trivelli, artist, Italy Alessandra Saviotti, curator/educator, PhD fellow Liverpool John Moores University, UK Giorgio Verzotti, art critic, Milan Marco Scotini, curator, Milan Andris Brinkmanis, curator, Milan Valerio Deho, curator, Bologna Leah Whitman-Salkin, Tirana Yusuke Inoue, artist, Japan Gemma Medina Estupiñán, curator, art historian and educator, Netherlands. Marko Stamenkoviq, curator, art historian and writer, Albania. Fabiola Fiocco, curator/art worker, Italy G. Olmo Stuppia, artist, researcher, Italy Paola Pietronave, Italy Sara Molho, Italy Henri Kergomard, musician, Greece Kiyoshiro Tatekawa, artist, Japan Marta Orsola Sironi, curator/art worker, Italy Ilaria Conti, Italy/USA Alessia Certo, visual artist (collettivo Didymos), Italy Giulia Vannucci, visual artist (collettivo Didymos), Italy Riitta Nikula, Professor Emerita in Art History, Helsinki, Finland Jiewen Xiao, philosopher, Italy Francesca Blandino, art historian, Italy Mona Vatamanu, artist, Romania Florin Tudor, artist, Romania Joanna Minksztym, ethnologist, Poznań, Poland John Tilbury, pianist, England Eric van Hove, artist, Brussels/Marrakech Jon Campbell, artist, Berlin, Germany Tim Shaw, artist and academic, Newcastle, UK Braden Phillips, journalist and screenwriter, Barcelona, Spain Aaron Levy, Slought Foundation, Philadelphia/USA Marina Tkalčić, curator, Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Croatia Corinne Mazzoli, Artist, Italy Art Workers Italia, Italy Eva Basso, curator and museum educator, Italy Virginia Lupo, gallery assistant, Italy Jacopo Belloni, artist, Italy Anna Stoppa, curator and educator, Curatorial Studies at KASK, Belgium Filippo Minelli, artist, Italy Klaus Schafler, artist, Austria Irene Guandalini, art mediator, MUSEION, Italy Silvia Jánošková, Slovakia Giovanni De Donà, artist and producer, Italy Dario Alì, editor-in-chief, KABUL magazine, Italy Dr Mark George, historian/accountant, England Peggy Gale, independent curator /critic, Toronto (Canada) Arnisa Halili, editor for culture, youth and society, online magazin treffpunkteuropa.de (Germany) Anila Shehaj, architect, Italy Nico Angiuli, visual artist, Italy Christos Savvidis, Arts Manager, Curator, Greece Forum of Italian Contemporary Art Jorida Shahinas, independent researcher and writer Tirana, Albania Tania Bruguera, artist and activist, Havana and New York ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/51/f8/51f871d8-b6be-4a73-b958-0ca4fff0110a/content/images/hyperallergic-newspack-s3-amazonaws-com/uploads/2020/05/signal-2020-05-18-214436.jpg) The demolished theater (courtesy of Exit News) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/51/f8/51f871d8-b6be-4a73-b958-0ca4fff0110a/content/images/hyperallergic-newspack-s3-amazonaws-com/uploads/2020/05/signal-2020-05-18-214404.jpg) The demolished theater (courtesy of Exit News)