The Gallery of Contemporary Art Tirana (GOCAT) has captured the attention of Italy’s largest cultural media outlet, Artribune.
The prestigious publication—Italy’s most followed source for all things art and culture—highlighted the gallery’s latest exhibition, Abito Mari, by renowned artist Fabrizio Bellomo.
“Where the roads of Italy and Albania meet: at the Gallery of Contemporary Art Tirana,” writes Artribune, offering an in-depth look at Bellomo’s artistic concept and the works currently on display at GOCAT.
Bellomo’s Mediterranean Journey at GOCAT
In his solo show Abito Mari, curated by Ardian Isufi and Elton Koritari, Bellomo reflects on the social and architectural landscapes of Puglia, Calabria, and Albania. The title draws inspiration from Predrag Matvejević’s Mediterranean Breviary, where the Adriatic is described as “the sea of intimacy”—a theme increasingly relevant in today’s volatile world.
Spanning twenty years of artistic exploration, the exhibition weaves together sculpture, photography, installation, and video, forming a cohesive narrative across GOCAT’s exhibition space. “The popular language of the works, emerging from the spontaneous interaction between people and environment,” the curators explain, “appears as a hybrid element in Bellomo’s work—questioning official narratives and revealing the social and architectural complexities of the Mediterranean region.”
Works Focused on Italy
In the first room—centered on Italy—stands Villaggio Cavatrulli, first shown at the 2018 Venice Architecture Biennale. It presents a photographic archive comparing abandoned “trulli” homes in Puglia with unfinished rural housing structures in Albanian villages.
Another standout piece is N’Ziembru (2024), supported by the Elpis Foundation. This multi-part installation delves into Calabria’s “unfinished architecture” through a handmade carpet, a photo album, and a video. Bellomo describes it as “a final act of resistance against a failed culture.”
Works Focused on Albania
The second room turns the spotlight to Albania, featuring two major works. Concrete Games (2015–2025) is an interactive installation based on games played by construction workers on Albanian building sites. Meanwhile, Vegla Bën Ustain (2015) is a video installation documenting life at the former “Shqiponja” Square in Tirana—once a common gathering point for day laborers.
According to the curators, the project offers “a critical and poetic interpretation of contemporary life, fostering open dialogue between past and present, Italy and Albania, art and territory.” Bellomo’s exhibition achieves this through rigorous curation and deeply engaging content.
The show is a remarkable example of cross-cultural artistic dialogue, and its feature in Artribune further affirms GOCAT’s growing role in the European contemporary art scene.
Bottom of Form
