“The Dancers” emerge from the shadows as monumental sculptures return to the former Kinostudio

The monumental “Dancers” sculptures, part of the artistic ensemble of the former “New Albania” Kinostudio, have returned to the entrance of the historic building — today the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sports — following restoration work.

The Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sports, Blendi Gonxhja, shared photographs from the Art Park spaces on social media, stressing the importance of reviving these works and returning them to public space.

“”The Dancers” emerge from the shadows of waiting and, after restoration, draw near the entrance of the historic former Kinostudio building — today the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sports — coming back into the light and receiving all the care and attention they deserve,” Gonxhja wrote.

The sculptures are part of the monumental ensemble of the former “New Albania” Kinostudio, erected in the 1950s, where neoclassical architecture and monumental art were conceived as part of a single whole.

According to the minister, among the sculptors who worked on their creation was Odhise Paskali, one of the founding figures of Albanian monumental sculpture.

The figures of “The Dancers,” dressed in traditional Albanian costumes, represent a blend of monumental art with motifs of Albanian tradition and identity.

The intervention was carried out as part of the new Art Park project and the urban requalification of the area, which also includes the Hangar space, aiming to revive the memory of the former Kinostudio and create a new public contour for the park.

“The intervention, consulted with the new Art Park project and part of an urban requalification that also includes the Hangar, revives the memory of the neighborhood in the park’s new public contour,” Gonxhja said.