Mural Spotting in Tirana
Look, I'm not about to blow smoke up your...wherever. Albania's young capital is not what one would call conventionally attractive, aesthetically speaking. Let's cut Tirana some slack, though — the city has been fighting an uphill battle since the 90s to salvage, rejuvenate, and forge something that people more accustomed to what I like to call "fairytale princess Europe" might want to visit. In its own way, I think it is succeeding at creating something different for travelers who have gotten bored of that section of the menu.
One aspect that I greatly admire is the strategy of leaning into rather than erasing the country's repressive past, turning concrete bunkers from the Communist era into art installations and must-see tourist attractions. Once a symbol of how megalomaniacal paranoia can bankrupt a generation, Albania's thousands of bunkers are becoming a famous oddity that people want to seek out and take selfies with. Some simply erode down to rusting rebar frames in stoic silence, while others flash vibrant and sometimes amusing paint jobs given by the locals.
“The murals are all over the city, popping out at you from around the corner when you least expect it.”
The bunkers aren't the only ugly blemishes getting a facelift. If you've traveled in China, Russia, or any of the post-Soviet states, you'll find some familiarity in Tirana's drab concrete blocks that follow a similar template. I don't think it's offensive to say that, from an objective standpoint, they are not exactly winning any awards for architecture.
The city has even recognized this and pioneered an initiative since the early 2000s, as many graphic design clients so often desire for their logos or websites, to make the buildings "pop".
It all started with then mayor, now prime minister Edi Rama’s plan to liven up the concrete “monsters” with playful pastel paint jobs. In 2018, the city’s first MurAL Fest took things a step further by inviting street artists to deck out apartment blocks with full-height evocative murals. The urban arts festival has continued every year since, with the exception of 2020 during the Covid pandemic. Visitors won’t only find them in the area surrounding the center or in the trendy Blloku nightlife district. The murals are all over the city, popping out at you from around the corner when you least expect it. I’ve even noticed the trend in cities beyond Tirana, including in Durrës and small towns outside of Berat.
I know many probably debate about whether this is the right place to allocate funds in a country that technically still has developing status, and when the municipality itself still struggles with services like rubbish collection — a major bone Tiranas often pick with the local government. But, as an outsider and a designer who's been here for months now, I personally really love this aspect of the city. A large part of the vibe I enjoy here would evaporate without seeing the murals while moving around what is a very walkable city. They have become an indispensable aspect of Tirana’s character.
Politics of beautification aside, I simply wanted to write an ongoing appreciation post of Tirana's murals with photos, locations, and the information I can find about each of them. I'll start off with the many I've encountered so far, and will continue to update this post throughout my stay with any new ones I stumble across in my day to day.
Nenë (Mother) by Theic Licuado.
Nenë (Mother) | Komuna e Parisit
This mural by Theic Camilo Nuñez of the Uruguayan collective Licuado was painted for MurAL Fest 2018. The subject is a female figure tying a knot, representing how the mother ties the family together. You can see this mural as you walk toward the Komuna e Parisit neighborhood after a night about town in Blloku.
Untitled by SAME84.
Untitled | Komuna e Parisit
Perhaps my most favorite mural out of the lot doesn’t even have a name, at least not that I can find. This piece was done by Greek mural artist SAME84 for Tirana’s MurAL Fest 2021. As you might have gathered, that particular year was sponsored by Coke. I love the simplicity of the black line work with only the red gradient as a splash of color.
Untitled by Julien de Casabianca
Untitled | Blloku
A boy sits on the bow of a boat the back of an unassuming short brick building behind the typical communal orange dumpsters. I stumbled across this untitled piece by Julien de Casabianca while wandering aimlessly around the back streets of Blloku.
Kathmandu Girl by Stinkfish.
Kathmandu Girl | Blloku
The Colombian street artist Stinkfish painted this enigmatic mural in Blloku near Wilson Square for MurAL Fest 2019. The piece was inspired by one of their photos of a girl taken in Nepal that you can see here. Blloku is a hotspot for both nightlife and Tirana’s murals, and this one is sure to greet you when walking the high street there.
Selena by GERA.
Selena | Komuna e Parisit
This touching and incredibly vibrant mural in Komuna by Greek artist GERA was inspired by a meeting they had with an Albanian immigrant in Greece. According to the artist, she hadn’t been able to return to her homeland in a while. So, GERA dedicated this mural to her, with Selena presenting a daily bouquet of flowers to the citizens of Tirana.
Ena by Wuper Kec.
Ena | Blloku
On the northeast end of the Selman Stërmasi Stadium you’ll see this girl with a Dragon Ball Z T-shirt casually reclining against an apartment block next to the alleyway I usually take as a shortcut between Komuna and Blloku. Some deep Googling revealed this to be the work of Serbian artist Wuper Kec based on a photo of model Ena.
Untitled by Manomatic
Untitled | Komuna e Parisit
This piece from MurAL Fest 2021 by Spanish artist Manomatic is on a short apartment block near the traffic circle next to the Sheshi Selam Musai monument in Komuna e Parisit. It’s seen better days and is starting to chip away. I see this mural just about every day on walks between Komuna and Blloku.
Untitled by Koz Dos.
Untitled | Komuna e Parisit
Diagonally across from the mural by Manomatic is this trippy piece on Rruga Medar Shtylla by Venezeulan muralist Koz Dos from MurAL Fest 2021. Koz Dos has quite a surrealist style that often incorporate staggered patterns blending people with animals. Here, monkeys open a cat head on a man’s head, which contains apples. So there’s that.
Change Prospective by CHEKOS
Change Prospective | Blloku
Lecce-based artist CHEKOS of 167/B Street painted this mural in Blloku for the 2018 MurAL Fest. I think the quote from 167/B Street’s Insta captures the purpose of the murals best:
“The impulse of beauty is in beauty that changes you without even having to think about it. Just look at it.”
The murals get people beyond the center.
If you want to collect them all, you’ll have to venture into parts of Tirana you might not have visited otherwise. I think this is actually a genius move in urban development. The murals generate interest as an attraction, but their locations also encourage tourists to venture beyond the center to see them. That means tourist dollars (or leke) aren’t concentrated in a couple of popular districts of the city. People who seek out a specific mural, for example, Selena in Komuna e Parisit, will spend their money in these communities as well.
I’ve started out this post with just a handful of murals I often pass to and from my usual haunts. Eventually, I’ll run out of them and start heading further afield to places where I’ve caught glimpses of murals from the city bus window. I’m well aware this is not the only listicle out there paying tribute to Tirana’s urban masterpieces. However, I do intend to eventually make it the most exhaustive and, crucially, link to their locations and the artists who painted them. Check back regularly for more murals! ༄
Written by Seth Barham
