Vila 31: Tirana's New Art Hub in Former Dictator's Mansion

Vila 31 x Art Explora, a residency program in Tirana, Albania, opened in January 2025 in the former home of dictator Enver Hoxha. The project, a Franco-Albanian initiative formalized in 2023 between Prime Minister Edi Rama and President Emmanuel Macron, aims to transform the 1,000 sqm villa with 7,000 sqm of gardens into a cultural platform. Managed by the French foundation Art Explora, with executive director Bisej Kapo and cultural program head Nita Deda, the residency hosts up to 30 artists and curators annually in three cycles (Jan-Mar, May-Jul, Sep-Nov). Artists receive €800/month grants and €1,500 production budgets. The villa, built in the 1940s and expanded in the late 1970s, was preserved intact until its conversion. Restoration by NeM Architectes (Lucie Niney and Thibault Marca) retained original fixtures, furniture, and socialist realist paintings, with new interventions marked in white. Over 20,000 visitors attended open studios in 2025, and 2,000 applications were received for 2026. The 10-year contract with the Albanian state includes plans for a curator residency and gradual public access. The project addresses Tirana's cultural gap, as the National Gallery remains closed until mid-2026 and the National Museum's reopening is uncertain.