Pressura is a nomadic colony of artists dedicated to social photography. Photographers or artists engaged in the project develop a sense deeply oriented towards narration (storytelling) as a tool both ancient and modern, to show the often complex reality of our region, as well as fight public disinformation by authenticating reality according to ethics and their conscience. Furthermore, by creating an environment with a deep formative character but at the same time favouring the cultural and professional exchange between photographers – with the aim of strengthening their critical spirit – Pressura has the ambition to become a real artistic and ethical movement and help this class professionals to be oriented towards social photography – as an artistic sensibility and an attitude towards contemporary social historical reality. Pressura is an urgency of Albanian art to develop the premises for the creation of a photojournalism oriented not only towards the news, but towards its contextualisation and authorial analysis.
Albanian photojournalism has been among the artistic practices most subordinated and used by the dictatorial power and almost only the practice of its propaganda. Furthermore, this sector of journalism but also of Albanian art has suffered and continues to suffer a deep isolation from the Western world, in terms of exchange of ideas, experience, practice, etc. Reduced editorial budgets, the decline of trust in the press, its control by the government, the increase in the risk of photojournalists becoming targets during events or conflicts, this due to the increased need to consume “spot” images, the decline in interest in news ( public apathy) and its growth for the so-called “gossip”, social networks and the exponential growth of images in them, are just some of the factors that endanger the future of photojournalism, especially in our lands where there is a complete lack of social-cultural dampers to these shocks as well as experience in coping with them. All of these further directly and indirectly affect concrete daily problems that affect our society today, the preservation of the Collective Memory and the integration of the Albanian society into the Euro-Atlantic one in the future.
The exhibition itself aims to show the local public that photography can become a powerful form of expression of social reality and a catalyst for public debate, through stories that show human conditions, needs, dramas, but also the complexity of the way of life in these territories. . In this light, this exhibition is not dedicated only to photographers or the art scene, but to the entire public and especially to the space of free and independent thought. The participation of photographers in this nomadic colony – in a joint journey between them, organizers, lecturers and guests, where the expected results of this public intervention with a deep artistic character must necessarily be seen as an attempt to curb the continuous distortion of information and turning the photograph into a reliable source of information in itself.
Artists participating in the exhibition:
David Cuka / Vlasov Sulaj / Korab Basha / Enza Rripaj / Vigan Demiri / Marsej Fuçia / Majlinda Dedaj / Ber Abdulahi / Arben Alliaj / Bledar Hasimi
The methodology used in the Pressura project has mixed the confrontation between photographers and lecturers, but also field workshops, masterclasses, online lectures, work presentations (portfolios) and the realisation of a personal project for each participant, monitored by the project curator. For the multidimensional character of the colony, high professional and academic figures such as professors, curators, writers, photographers, visual artists, architects, activists, leaders of non-governmental organisations, journalists, etc. have been engaged as lecturers or workshop leaders. In total, 4 colonies have been organised. We especially thank our lecturers and collaborators:
Ardian Isufi / Arben Alliaj / Carmela Rosiello / Osman Demiri / Burim Myftiu / Vlora Demiri / Stefan Çapaliku / Eltjana Shkreli / Naim Spahiu / Nekije Shahinasi / Paul Lowe / Ziuah Grafić / Koloreto Cukali / Rozafa Shpuza
As well as the organisation:
Fokus Award / Fotoist / Punktum / MeWe / EJAlbum / Kult Gallery / Oda Gallery / GO2 Albania / Hapat e Lehtë / VII Academy
Tirana, Albania 17-18 October 2023
Amphitheater of the University of Arts, Mother Teresa Square
Opening Ceremony: 17 Tetor 2023 / 5:00pm
Gostivar, North Macedonia 21-22 October 2023
City Amphitheater
Opening Ceremony:21 October 2023 / 4:00pm
Pressura is implemented with the support of the regional project “SMART Balkans – Civil Society for Common Values in the Western Balkans” implemented by the “Centar za promeno svetna društva (CPCD”) in cooperation with the “Institute for Democracy and Mediation (IDM)” and the “Center for Research and Policymaking (CRPM)” and financially supported by the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (NMFA).
Curated by: Elton Koritari
