Fabrizio Bellomo's 'Abito Mari' Bridges Italy and Albania at GOCAT Tirana

The exhibition 'Abito Mari' at GOCAT gallery in Tirana brings together two decades of Fabrizio Bellomo's work exploring the Adriatic as a space of intimacy and hybridity. Curated by Ardian Isufi and Elton Koritari, the show spans sculptures, photographs, installations, and videos across two rooms. The first room focuses on Italy, featuring 'Villaggio Cavatrulli' (shown at the 2018 Architecture Biennale) comparing abandoned Apulian trulli with unfinished Albanian buildings, and 'N'Ziembru' (2024, promoted by Fondazione Elpis) interpreting Calabria's unfinished architecture through a carpet, photographic leporello, and video. The second room addresses Albania with 'Concrete Games' (2015-2025), an interactive sculpture based on construction workers' games, and 'Vegla Bën Ustain' (2015), a video installation about unemployed workers gathering in a Tirana square. Bellomo, born in Bari in 1982, has worked across Puglia, Calabria, and Albania. The curators describe his vernacular approach as hybrid, challenging official narratives and revealing social and architectural complexity.