Photography
The 90 Days Series
90 days… It's what it takes to be outside the European Union while I was waiting for a visa. 90 days is what it takes to discover Albania and Montenegro… It’s what it takes to feel deeply attached to Albania. I never dreamed of this place; it had never been on my “must-see before I die” list. At first, it was only a temporary place to wait… but something happened. The untouched landscape, the ruins, the people, the garbage, the history, the resilience, the beauty, the ugly, the bunkers, the new freedom… I knew nothing about Albania, and now I keep thinking about it.
THE 90 DAYS SERIES
Buljarica Beach, Montenegro
Gloss Photopaper Print 40cm x 30cm
Buljarica Beach is situated in the Budva Riviera in Montenegro. The mural is part of the visual landscape for the Sea Dance Festival, an annual electronic music festival, and is often associated with themes of hope, tolerance, love, and solidarity. The mural is made by Russian artist Anatoly Akue (known as @akue1).
Himarë Bunker, Albania
This emoji, painted on a bunker, is one of the most powerful forms of empowerment that you can do in Albania. Between the 1960s and 1980s, Albania's communist dictator Enver Hoxha ordered the construction of over 173,000 to 700,000 concrete bunkers to prevent a nonexistent foreign invasion. Under Hoxha’s rule, Albanians lived under strict isolation where free speech and communication—especially with the outside world—were heavily restricted or outright forbidden. Unfortunately, I don’t know who the artist is, but it’s a master piece. Himarë, Llogara National Park, Albania.
Sarandë, Albania
This poor Kukull teddy bear ended up in the garbage; maybe he didn’t do his job. In Albania, the Kukull is a traditional talisman, usually appearing as a creepy doll, scarecrow, or stuffed animal, and is hung outside houses, on building sites, on balconies, or in trees. While they may look like discarded trash or simple decorations to outsiders, they serve a vital cultural function in Albania: warding off the "evil eye" (syri i keq).
Himarë Bunker, Albania
The color version of the emoji bunker.
