At the opening ceremony held at the historic former Royal Villa in Durrës, Deputy Minister of Culture Lira Pipa highlighted the event’s importance in promoting contemporary art and building new bridges of cooperation between countries and communities.

Pipa expressed her gratitude to the Biennale’s founder, the artist and art historian Oltsen Gripshi who established it to highlight Albania’s coastal heritage through global artistic dialogue. She also held in high esteem the curator of this edition Massimo Scaringella; the Municipality of Durrës; the embassies; and all the partners who contributed to making this cultural event a reality.

This year’s Biennial features 45 artists and 34 national pavilions, showcasing a vast global footprint that spans from Italy, Germany, and China to Togo, Uganda, and New Zealand.

The Biennial’s theme: “Periphery: Visual Transitions,” focuses on spaces, histories and anthropological realities that often remain outside the mainstream spotlight

Exhibits and national pavilions are hosted across multiple cultural and heritage landmarks in Durrës—such as the former Royal Villa and the Medieval Hammam—connecting modern art with the city’s history and daily life.

The second edition of the Durrës International Contemporary Art Biennial puts the city on the map of international art events, bringing together diverse artists, cultures and perspectives in a shared dialogue with Durrës’s history and urban space. /r.e/a.f/p.s./

Deputy Minister of Economy, Culture and Innovation Lira Pipa gave the news at the Cultural Diplomacy panel as part of the “DIPLO 2024” Ambassadors’ Conference.

Three prominent ambassadors of Albanian art and culture in the world participated in this panel: Lea Ypi, Albanian academic and author, Ramë Lahaj, well-known opera tenor and Professor Matteo Mandala, researcher of Albanian and Arbëresh literature.

“Diplo 2024” served as a platform for ambassadors, artists and representatives of the Diaspora to discuss and share successful experiences with the country of origin and foster dialogue on challenges and opportunities in cultural diplomacy. /p.s./