Creative Tirana: the people and places revolutionising cultural identity

With both rugged mountains and glittering beaches, Albania has long been gathering force as an overlooked holiday hideaway on the Adriatic. But away from its coastal resorts, Albania’s capital of Tirana is also undergoing a small revolution, reforging its reputation as one of Europe’s emerging cultural hubs. A new generation of artists are embracing new formats and fighting for new causes, bringing a country that has for too long felt banished to the periphery to the beating artistic mainstream. Rapid change does not come without its challenges. Both artists and activists must find new ways to work and respond as the canvas of the capital shifts constantly underneath their feet. Yet this is also what makes their work more important than ever: redrawing connections between everyday Albanians and the world around them, rethinking what culture can be, and reaching new audiences.