The metamorphosis of Villa 31 — where the Hoxha family lived for decades until his regime was toppled in 1990, five years after his death — encapsulates Albania’s radical transformation from one of the world’s most hermetic countries into the modern society it is today.
The villa's rebirth stems from a pledge by Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama to visiting French President Emmanuel Macron in October 2023 to turn it into an artists’ center — “something that would make Enver Hoxha roll in his grave.”.
In a historical twist, the home of Albania’s late communist dictator Enver Hoxha is hosting international artists fascinated by the long-ruling leader’s library, the country’s history of isolation and its unique traditions.
“This is what I believe is the power of art, to deal with a past and a painful past, like the one that this villa symbolizes,” said Nita Deda, manager of Art Explora, a French-based foundation that spearheaded the building's transformation.
Inside the studios that replaced once labyrinthine apartments, visiting artists have the freedom to “express everything, from fury to anger, to betrayal, to ambivalence, to the absurd ... exactly his (Hoxha's) worst nightmare,” said Ukrainian artist Stanislava Pinchuk.
