TICA is the first centre for contemporary art in Tirana. It offers a much needed permanent platform for Albanian and international contemporary art in Albania. During the last years, the Albanian scene has thrived with various events of different size or quality. The Tirana Biennale has been Albania's most ambitious art event, however a biennale only takes place every second year and this leads to a serious discontinuity in the art scene that also suffers from a highly limited institutional respective private support. TICA has thus been an important complement to support a vital art scene on a more continuous basis through a diverse program supported by a light and flexible organizative structure that has allowed for exhibitions, film screenings and performance events as well as to create a forum for discussions and debates about art, politics and power.
Another important function of TICA is it's international A.I.R. program. The residency program is important as the first structure to offer support and encouragement to promising local artists and for enabling cross-cultural exchange in the Balkan region and beyond, as a response to the lost communication that has led to a nationalistic misuse of culture. Other important functions of TICA are the supporting of artistic production, the establishment of an archive of contemporary art in Albania and a reference library on international contemporary art. A great awareness and a strong engagement in gender-related questions and concerns will also permeate not only the activity of TICA but also its organization as a whole. TICA will be an attempt to reintroduce culture as one of the most effective ways in pushing for critical thinking in relation to our contemporary condition and will bring together all the energies, knowledge and contacts of all its founding members, to create an independent platform for socio-politically engaged contemporary art.
Partners:
TICA is established in partnership with:
THE INSTITUTE OF TIRANA BIENNALE,
1.60 INSURGENTSPACE (www.1-60insurgentspace.org)
TICA is initiated collectively by:
TINA FINNAS (artist and project leader)
JOA LJUNGBERG (curator and project leader)
MONICA MELIN (artist and project leader)
EDI MUKA (director and curator)
GEZIM QENDRO (curator and project leader)
STEFANO ROMANO (artist, curator and project leader)
Leading Team:
TICA is currently jointly run by:
EDI MUKA (director and curator)
TINA FINNAS (artist and producer)
ALKETA KURRIZO (program coordinator)
JOA LJUNGBERG (curator and producer)