Marubi National Museum of Photography

Marubi National Museum of Photography (Albanian: Muzeu Kombëtar i Fotografisë Marubi), also known as Marubi Museum, is a museum in Shkodër, Albania. At the center of the museum project is the legacy of the 'Photo-Studio Marubbi', founded in 1856 by Pietro Marubbi, an Italian painter and photographer who came and settled in Shkodër at the time. The activity of the studio over the years, was directed and enriched by three generations of photographers, until the early 1950s, time when Geg Marubi was forced to give oneself up to the communist collective anonymity, by joining other photographers in the photography unit of the former Repair-Services Cooperative. In 1970 was founded the Marubi Photo-Studio with around 500,000 negatives in various techniques and formats. Later on, historical images from the archive were (in many cases) used to feed the communist propaganda machine. It was during this period that many of them appeared in the editions of the time manipulated and alienated. The new museum, projected by the architectural studio Casanova + Hernandez, has been designed as a space which promote the dialogue between tradition and modernity, past and present. The heritage and tradition are emphasized by means of the restoration project of the historic building designed by Kole Idromeno – Albanian artist and architect, former student of Pietro Marubbi – while preserving its structural features. Exhibition From a Studio to an Archive and later a Museum of Photography Marubi collection Dedë Jakova, Curated by Lek M. Gjeloshi, 18.09.2020 Dynasty Marubi: A Hundred Years of Albanian Studio Photography, Curated by Kim Knoppers, 15.02-02.06.2019 Angjelin Nenshati. A witness between two ephocs, Curated by Luçjan Bedeni & Lek M.Gjeloshi, 22.06.-01.10.2018 Manipulation, Curated by Luçjan Bedeni, 03.08. -10.10.2017 Long live!, Curated by Blerta Hoçia, 21.04-23.09.2017 The Two Roads of Idromeno, Curated by Adrian Paci, 26.01. -20.04.2017 Albanian photographic collections Photographers of Southeastern Albania, Curated by Gjergj Spathari, 07.06-27.10.2019 Marubi celebrates the originals, Curated by Rudolf Schäfer, 11.04. -30.07.2017 The meeting tent of a courtyard, Curated by Luçjan Bedeni, 09.05.2016-20.01.2017 Women from the Marubi archive, Kuruar nga Kim Knoppers, 09.05.2016-20.01.2017 International photography collections Nadar. Rule and caprice, Curated by Michel Poivert, In collaboration with Jeu de Paume, Paris, 10.10.2018-03.02.2019 Albanian and international contemporary artists Armin Linke: A card or maybe two. Modalities of photography, Curated by Matteo Balduzzi, 11.01. -16.03.2020 Seven Albanian photographers. A residency, Curated by François Cheval, 11.01.2019-07.01.2020 Moira Ricci. Lookaftering, Curated by Lek M. Gjeloshi, 23.02-01.06.2018 Lala Meredith-Vula. Wisdom now and forever, Curated by Monika Szewczyk, 20.10.2017-21.01.2018 Traveling exhibitions Atheist Museum, Curated by Luçjan Bedeni, PhEST International Festival of Art and Photography, Monopoli, 06.09-04.11.2019 Marubi archive. The photographic ritual, Curated by Zef Paci, Triennale di Milano, 16.11 -09.12.2018 Kolë Idromeno, Curated by Luçjan Bedeni & Lek M.Gjeloshi, PhEST International Festival of Art and Photography, Monopoli, 06.09-04.11.2018 Dynasty Marubi: A Hundred Years of Albanian Studio Photography, Curated by Kim Knoppers, Foam Museum of Photography, Amsterdam, 16.09-27.11.2016 References Articles about the museum Snapshot: 'Kel Marubi with his wife' by Kel Marubi, Financial Times, September 2016 Europese uithoek in beeld gebracht, Het Parool, September 2016 L'Albania di Marubi, Internazionale, 6.01.2017 Fixierte Zeit, Art – Das Kunstmagazin, April 2017 L'Albania in un archivio di famiglia, Internazionale, 12.05.2017 Eintauchen in die Welt von gestern, Tiroler Tageszeitung, 4.05.2017 Massimiliano Tonnelli, Albania: Adrian Paci, curatore al nuovo Museo Marubi, Arttribune, 23.05.2017 Il testimone di due epoche, Internazionale, 25.07.2018 L'archivio Marubi, il rituale fotografico, Vogue Italia, 8.11.2018 Cent'anni di Albania, Internazionale, 15.11.2018 Looking at Photography now, European Society for the History of Photography, No.31, 2019 Luçjan Bedeni, Marubi Archive: Changing the history of Photography in Albania, MoMA Articles about the exhibitions Dynasty Marubi, A Hundred Years of Albanian Studio Photography, Foam Museum, Amsterdam, 16.09 - 27.11.2016 Kolë Idromeno, PhEST, Festival Internazionale di Fotografia e Arte, 2018 L'archivio Marubi. Il rituale fotografico, Triennale di Milano, 16.11-9.12.2018 Atheism Museum, PhEST, Festival Internazionale di Fotografia e Arte, 2019 Awards Nominated for the EMYA 2017 (European Museum of the Year Award) Works of art inspired by the Marubi archive Anri Sala, Déjeuner avec Marubi,1997