From the heart, thank you to all the artists, partners, and audience who turned Kukël into a heart beating with art and inspiration!
For two inspiring nights, the “Ndre Mjeda” Museum Center became a meeting place between dream and reality, between aesthetics, memory, and transformation.
We shaped an intense experience, filled with visual, performative, and poetic interweavings, where art raised questions about the present and embraced the past.
Thank you to the artists who believed in creative freedom, in the power of art as both an individual and collective commitment, guided by the strength of Mjeda’s aesthetics as an inspiring compass.
Every work, every gesture, and every presence contributed to creating a new poetic space and cultural dialogue.
“Art, between dream and reality” – the first edition of the Contemporary Art Festival in Kukël, Shkodër, was much more than a cultural event. It was an act of love for memory, an embrace of heritage, and an outburst of inspiration in a place full of history – the “Ndre Mjeda” Museum Center, where Mjeda’s poetry is not read, but felt in the air.
During these two nights, the night never fully fell. The museum’s indoor and outdoor spaces filled with light, images, sounds, and voices – a living exhibition that moved and spoke through installations, performances, painting, photography, video art, films, and sounds.
Children, young people, artists, scholars, local residents, and visitors from Tirana, Lezha, and Shkodër – a total of 200 participants – shared an experience that went beyond the boundaries of a traditional festival. This was a rare encounter with art that does not keep its distance, but invites you to come closer, to think, and to feel.
This first edition was inspired by the poetry and vision of Ndre Mjeda and posed important questions:
- What role does art play in today’s times?
- How can it be a poetic form of resistance?
- How is collective memory built through artistic work?
With deep and heartfelt gratitude, we thank:
- @Dom Nike Ukgjini, for the generous hospitality and unwavering support;
- EDS Foundation, for the warm and welcoming lighting that gave the event a magical atmosphere, as well as for their donation to the museum center, making this a valuable investment for the future;
- H2H Foundation, for logistical support;
- Heinrich Böll Stiftung Tirana, for providing technical equipment and screens that made the film screenings possible, offering the audience a unique visual experience;
- And above all, all our friends from Tirana, Lezha, and Shkodër, who traveled with love, sharing their time, energy, and dedication to art, memory, and community.
Kukël spoke the language of art, of encounter, and of memory. And it will continue to do so. This is only the beginning of an artistic journey we hope to continue together.
This festival was organized by Art Kontakt and supported by the Ministry of Economy, Culture, and Innovation.
Photo Credits: Ani Muraku & Dean Anadolli