The joy of introducing the socialist realist period of Albanian Art to art lovers
Curator: Artan Shabani
In July 2020 Pera Museum introduced an interesting and important period of Albanian visual arts to its audience: Socialist Realism.
Pera Museum, İstanbul, Türkiye
Lasting nearly four decades, “socialist realism” was a period during which the state dominated every aspect of cultural life, especially art and literature, and guided artists and creativity alike.
Constructing a Dream: Socialist Realism in Albanian Art brings together a wide selection of artworks from the master artists of the socialist realist period in Albanian art. The exhibition offers the opportunity to witness the social change Albania underwent during those years, through the lenses of partisan warfare, resistance against occupation forces, the defense of the motherland, the construction of socialism, the industrialization of the country, social life, and sports.
Prepared with great difficulty while the world in general and Türkiye in particular is experiencing a series of problems and finally struggling to overcome the Covid-19 pandemic, this exhibition will undoubtedly hold a special place in the history of Pera Museum.
We would like to take this opportunity to sincerely congratulate the team at Pera Museum for their selfless work, Artan Shabani, the valuable curator of this exhibition, all the esteemed artists and collectors who opened up their collections for this exhibition, the Consulate General of Albania in Istanbul and all individuals and institutions who have contributed to this project.
We believe that after all these troubles besetting humankind, art will play a more important role in the creation of a better world and in the future of our planet.