Marubi National Museum of Photography


Marubi National Museum of Photography , 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 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.
WWW marubi.gov.al

Exhibition

From a Studio to an Archive and later a Museum of Photography

Marubi collection

Dedë Jakova, Curated by Lek M. Gjeloshi, 18.09.2020Dynasty Marubi: A Hundred Years of Albanian Studio Photography, Curated by Kim Knoppers, 15.02-02.06.2019Angjelin Nenshati. A witness between two ephocs, Curated by Luçjan Bedeni & Lek M.Gjeloshi, 22.06.-01.10.2018Manipulation, Curated by Luçjan Bedeni, 03.08. -10.10.2017Long live!, Curated by Blerta Hoçia, 21.04-23.09.2017The Two Roads of Idromeno, Curated by Adrian Paci, 26.01. -20.04.2017

Albanian photographic collections

Photographers of Southeastern Albania, Curated by Gjergj Spathari, 07.06-27.10.2019Marubi celebrates the originals, Curated by Rudolf Schäfer, 11.04. -30.07.2017The meeting tent of a courtyard, Curated by Luçjan Bedeni, 09.05.2016-20.01.2017Women 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. -16.03.2020Seven Albanian photographers. A residency, Curated by François Cheval, 11.01.2019-07.01.2020Moira Ricci. Lookaftering, Curated by Lek M. Gjeloshi, 23.02-01.06.2018Lala 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, 06.09-04.11.2019Marubi archive. The photographic ritual, Curated by Zef Paci, Triennale di Milano, 16.11 -09.12.2018Kolë Idromeno, Curated by Luçjan Bedeni & Lek M.Gjeloshi, PhEST International Festival of Art and Photography, Monopoli, 06.09-04.11.2018Dynasty Marubi: A Hundred Years of Albanian Studio Photography, Curated by Kim Knoppers, Foam Museum of Photography, Amsterdam, 16.09-27.11.2016

Articles about the museum

Articles about the exhibitions

Dynasty Marubi, A Hundred Years of Albanian Studio Photography, Foam Museum, Amsterdam, 16.09 - 27.11.2016Kolë Idromeno, PhEST, Festival Internazionale di Fotografia e Arte, 2018L'archivio ''Marubi. Il rituale fotografico, Triennale di Milano, 16.11-9.12.2018Atheism Museum'', PhEST, Festival Internazionale di Fotografia e Arte, 2019

Awards

  • Nominated for the EMYA 2017

Works of art inspired by the Marubi archive