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Elian Stefa

@elian.stefa

1.8K

followers

1986

following

Spatial practice, Research,
Curation & Contemporary Art
Director @galeria.e.bregdetit
Phd Researcher at @iscte_iul

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Ndërsa filmimi paraqet disa plazhe që rikrijohen dhe mirëmbahen artificialisht gjatë dimrit, rëra bëhet filli që përshkon të gjithë projektin: një material dhe një sipërfaqe përmes së cilës mund të vëzhgohen ekonomitë që i japin formë vijës bregdetar dhe që vazhdimisht ripërcaktojnë kufijtë e tij natyrorë dhe infrastrukturorë, por mbetet një paradoks. Nga vjen kjo tokë? Çfarë formash territori shfaqen kur materia kuptohet si diçka që vazhdimisht zhvendoset, grumbullohet dhe rishpërndahet? Territori bashkëkohor shfaqet si diçka ciklike, paraqitur në një formë idilike, si një peizazh në dukje i paprekur, i prodhuar artificialisht. Gjithçka që na mbetet është alegoria. “Alegoristi i mbahet fort rrënojës”

Pjesë nga teksti kuratorial i Arnold Brahos për Paradiz: Ekonomitë e rërës tek Galeria e Bregdetit, Radhimë. Ekspozita do të jetë e hapur jashtë sezonit, deri në prill.

While the video shows several beaches being continuously reproduced and artificially maintained throughout the winter, sand becomes the thread running through the project: a material and a surface through which to observe the economies that shape the coastal territory and continuously redefine its natural and infrastructural boundaries, but also a paradox. Where does this earth come from? What forms of territory emerge when matter is understood as something that is constantly moved, accumulated, and redistributed? The contemporary terrain appears as something cyclical, destined to present itself in an idyllic form, as a seemingly untouched landscape that is artificially produced. All that remains for us is the allegory. “The allegorist holds tightly to the rubble.”

Excerpt from @arnbrh curatorial text for Paradiz: Economies of sand @galeria.e.bregdetit. The exhibition will be on view during off-season until April by @elian.stefa

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23 days ago

“ARTiLERIA Sazan” nga Elian Stefa

“ARTiLERIA Sazan” është një laborator i vazhdueshëm kërkimi territorial përmes artit bashkëkohor, i nisur në vitin 2019 dhe i fokusuar në ishullin e Sazanit dhe peizazhin më të gjerë të Gjirit të Vlorës. Në Vilën 31 x Art Explora, projekti merr formën e një arkivi pune, duke bashkuar fotografi, harta, dokumente, botime, shënime nga terreni, vepra arti dhe materiale të mbledhura ndër vite.

Studioja nuk ofron një histori përfundimtare të ishullit, por e bën të dukshëm një proces kërkimi ende në zhvillim. Sazani shfaqet si një territor në transformim: një ishull i shënjuar nga infrastruktura ushtarake, rrënojat dhe historitë e kufizuara, por që sot po riformësohet përmes turizmit, investimeve dhe zhvillimit. Këto shtresa ngrenë pyetje mbi kujtesën, aksesin, pronësinë, ekologjinë dhe të drejtën për të imagjinuar të ardhmen e një territori.

ARTiLERIA Sazan pyet se si arti mund të prodhojë njohuri mbi një territor dhe të ndikojë në mënyrën se si ai kujtohet, përfaqësohet dhe transformohet.

〰

“ARTiLERIA Sazan” by Elian Stefa

“ARTiLERIA Sazan” is an ongoing territorial research laboratory through contemporary art, initiated in 2019 and focused on the island of Sazan and the wider landscape of the Bay of Vlora. At Vila 31 x Art Explora, the project takes the form of a working archive, bringing together photographs, maps, documents, publications, field notes, artworks and materials gathered over the years. Rather than presenting a complete history of the island, the studio makes visible a research process that is still unfolding.

Sazan emerges as a territory in transformation: an island marked by military infrastructure, ruins and restricted histories, now increasingly reshaped through tourism, investment and development. These overlapping narratives raise questions around memory, access, ownership, ecology and the right to imagine a territory’s future.

ARTiLERIA Sazan asks how art can produce knowledge about a territory and shape the ways it is remembered, represented and transformed.

📸 Atdhe Mulla @atdhemulla by @elian.stefa

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a month ago

From day 50, a discussion on the Flamingo Revolution with @elian.stefa and @ervinqafmolla at @vila31artexplora.
 It was a great conversation, the full talk can be watched on Youtube at my link in bio.  Thank you @elian.stefa and @nitadeda for the invite and everyone who came to listen.  Now into Day 80, the movement continues.  

—  

Nga Dita 50, një bisedë për Revolucionin e Flamingove me @elianstefa dhe @ervinqafmolla te @vila31. 

Ishte një bisedë e këndshme, videon e plotë mund ta shihni në YouTube (linku në bio). 

Shumë faleminderit @elian.stefa dhe @nitadeda për ftesën, si dhe të gjithëve që erdhën për të dëgjuar bisedën.

 Tani në Ditën 80, lëvizja vazhdon!

#flamingorevolution by @elian.stefa

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2 months ago

The looming feeling of an inevitable threat was present from a long time ago.

Join us Thursday, June 18th 2026, at 1700h for the screening of Legacy by @annabaranowski, followed by a discussion with @donika_cina, @joni_vorpsi, and myself, accompanied by the photographs of perished fauna of the Narta Lagoon by @abi_shehu.

We will be discussing artistic research and interventions in the Narta Lagoon and Sazan Island from 2020 until 2024, as part of the Off Season Artist Residency @off_.season hosted by @galeria.e.bregdetit for its first two editions.

📍 @vila31artexplora 🦩 🦩 🦩 🦩 taken in Vila31 x Art Explora by @elian.stefa

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4 months ago

Vila 31 x Art Explora ju fton në një prezantim të veprave artistike të zhvilluara në kuadër të rezidencës Off Season në Gjirin e Vlorës, një program që gjatë viteve 2020–2024 ka eksploruar transformimet sociale, ekologjike dhe territoriale të zonës.

Mbrëmja do të nisë me shfaqjen e filmit eksperimental Legacy (2021) nga Anna Baranowski @annabaranowski . I realizuar gjatë edicionit të parë të rezidencës, filmi ndjek gjurmët e së kaluarës komuniste përmes bunkerëve që vazhdojnë të jenë pjesë e peizazhit shqiptar, duke reflektuar mbi kujtesën, ideologjinë dhe trashëgiminë materiale.

Pas shfaqjes do të zhvillohet një diskutim i hapur me kuratorët dhe organizatorët e rezidencës, si dhe me Joni Vorpsin @joni_vorpsi (PPNEA) @ppnea , i cili do të sjellë perspektiva mbi rëndësinë mjedisore dhe kulturore të zonës dhe marrëdhënien e saj me natyrën, kujtesën dhe trashëgiminë.

Përmes filmit, tingullit dhe fotografisë, Off Season rikthehet te Sazani dhe Narta si peizazhe të brishta e të gjalla që kërkojnë vëmendje dhe reflektim të ri.

……

Vila 31 x Art Explora invites you to a presentation of works developed through the Off Season Artist Residency in the Bay of Vlora, a programme that explored the social, ecological, and territorial transformations of the region between 2020 and 2024.

The evening will open with a screening of Legacy (2021), an experimental documentary by Anna Baranowski @annabaranowski created during the residency’s first edition. Set against the landscapes of Sazan Island and the Bay of Vlora, the film reflects on the traces of Albania’s communist past through the military bunkers that remain embedded in the territory, exploring themes of memory, ideology, and material heritage.

The screening will be followed by an open discussion with the residency’s curators and organisers, joined by Joni Vorpsi @joni_vorpsi (PPNEA) @ppnea , who will share perspectives on the environmental and cultural significance of the area and its evolving relationship with nature, heritage, and memory.

Through film, sound, and photography, Off Season returns to Sazan and Narta as fragile archives and living environments that call for renewed attention and reflection. by @elian.stefa

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4 months ago

These are the things we are fighting for! #sazan #zvernec #albania 🦩🦩🦩🦩 taken in Sazan Island by @elian.stefa

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4 months ago

Just got this in my hands!

I’m deeply honored that MOMAFAD @momafad has been selected for the open call on TIME and featured in the latest issue of Sluice Magazine with the essay “Twenty-Four Hours of Institution.”

What makes this publication particularly meaningful is its timing. At a moment when Sazan Island has once again become the focus of intense political and social debate in Albania, the significance of MOMAFAD II – Legacy Landscapes (September 2025) becomes even more evident.

A year ago, together with artists, writers and collaborators, we temporarily activated a landscape shaped by military history, contested memories, borders, abandonment and transformation. Rather than claiming the site, the project sought to listen to it — allowing its existing narratives to resonate through contemporary artistic interventions.

The article reflects on MOMAFAD as a temporary institution: a museum that appears for only twenty-four hours and then disappears, leaving behind documentation, texts, images and memory as its lasting archive.

Grateful to Sluice Magazine @sluice__ and @karl_england and for the feature and to everyone who contributed to the project and its ongoing dialogue.

Special thanks to:
Ariana Kalliga (Co-curator, MOMAFAD I) @arianakalliga
Elian Stefa (Co-curator, MOMAFAD II) @elian.stefa
@galeria.e.bregdetit
Coordinator @charalampos.papadopoulos

Yorgos Tzirtzilakis @giorgostzirtzilakes
Eleni Riga @elenrica
Loukas Triantis @loukastriantis
Theophilos Tramboulis @tramboulis
Sotirios Bahtsetzis @sotiriosbahtsetzis

Featured artists in the publication include:
Maria Papadimitriou @papadimitriou_maria
Kostis Velonis @kostisvelonis
Sead Kazanxhiu @seadkazanxhiu

Photos momafad 1 @stathis.mamalakis
Photos momafad 2 @zamanfu

MOMAFAD continues to explore how art can briefly inhabit a place, activate its memory, and disappear—without claiming permanence.

#MOMAFAD #SluiceMagazine #TwentyFourHoursOfInstitution #LegacyLandscapes #sazanisland by @elian.stefa

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4 months ago

A double exhibition between Vlora and Basel.
🪟 An Office without a View is not an Office
by DRITON SELMANI @selmani.driton
curated by ELIAN STEFA @elian.stefa taken in Basel, Switzerland by @elian.stefa

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4 months ago

Moments from the opening of 🫒 A Country Without Olive Trees Is Not a Country 🫒
by DRITON SELMANI @selmani.driton
curated by ELIAN STEFA @elian.stefa 🦩🦩🦩 taken in Radhimë, Vlorë, Albania by @elian.stefa

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4 months ago

NJIHUNI ME ARTISTIN: Elian Stefa (Shqipëri) është një praktikues hapësinor, kurator dhe regjisor eksperimental që punon mes Lisbonës dhe Vlorës. Praktika e tij ndërthur kërkimin artistik, arkitekturën dhe ndërhyrjet territoriale, duke eksploruar transformimet sociale, turistifikimin dhe kujtesën kolektive. Ai është themelues i Galeria e Bregdetit, një hapësirë e pavarur dhe program rezidence në Rivierën Shqiptare, si dhe autor i projekteve si Concrete Mushrooms dhe Off Season Tourism Agency.

PROJEKTI I REZIDENCËS: Next Generation Concrete Mushrooms
 “Next Generation Concrete Mushrooms” rikthehet te procesi i bunkerizimit dhe shbunkerizimit të Shqipërisë, duke eksploruar trashëgiminë psikologjike dhe materiale të izolimit. Përmes një qasjeje kërkimore dhe dokumentarit eksperimental, projekti shqyrton mënyrën se si betoni vazhdon të përdoret si instrument kontrolli dhe pushteti në kontekste të reja gjeopolitike.

……

MEET THE ARTIST: Elian Stefa (Albania) is a spatial practitioner, curator and experimental filmmaker working between Lisbon and Vlora. His practice combines artistic research, architecture and territorial interventions, exploring social transformation, touristification and collective memory. He is the founder of Galeria e Bregdetit, an independent project space and residency on the Albanian Riviera, and the creator of projects such as Concrete Mushrooms and Off Season Tourism Agency.

RESIDENCY PROJECT: Next Generation Concrete Mushrooms
 “Next Generation Concrete Mushrooms” revisits Albania’s processes of bunkerization and debunkerization, exploring the psychological and material legacy of isolation. Through research and experimental documentary practices, the project examines how concrete continues to function as an instrument of control and power within emerging geopolitical realities.

🔗 Lidhja në bio për listën e plotë të rezidentëve të vitit 2026 | Link in our bio for the full list of 2026
📷 Portreti nga | Portrait by Atdhe Mulla 🖼️ Punë të mëparshme | Previous works by Elian Stefa by @elian.stefa

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4 months ago

Honored to receive a BIG SEE Architecture Award in the Public/Open Space and Landscape category! A massive thank you to artist @karolinahalatek , curator @adelademetja and @elian.stefa for landscape support to our practice. Special thanks to the managing institution @tiranaartlab , the @mtks.gov.al for making this possible, @rsce.al al for the civil works, and of course, our amazing team! 🥂

@bigsee.makesense @bigsee.albania taken in Portorož, Slovenija by @elian.stefa

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5 months ago

🤯 My first PhD level academic paper! 💖
This one was quite the challenge -- the foundations that it lays have been shaped through observations in professional practice and personal research for more than a decade. Its publication in "City: Analysis of Urban Change, Theory, Action" by Taylor&Francis is surreal! Sincere thanks to my supervisor at @iscte_iul Alexandra Paio @paioalexandra for all her guidance and support.

-=-=-=-=-

Reposted from @dinamiacet.iscte. The article 'Critical spatial agency in public space: towards a framework for collaboration and contestation through curatorial spatial practice', authored by DINÂMIA'CET-Iscte researcher Elian Stefa has been published by Taylor & Francis.

Curatorial work has increasingly transcended the confines of traditional cultural institutions, intervening in diverse urban contexts, from prominent public squares to marginal and disused sites.

This article positions ‘the curatorial’ as a form of critical spatial agency, interrogating how curatorial thinking and practice mediate public interests, contest institutional power, and reimagine civic life.

#dinamiacet #dinamiacetiscte #iscte taken in Lisbon, Portugal by @elian.stefa

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5 months ago