project
Self in FluxVetja në Zhvendosje
Persona and the Veiled SelfPersona dhe Hijezimi i Vetvetes
Vetja në Zhvendosje (Self in Flux), is a multidisciplinary art project by the Albanian visual artist Kristian Zara that interrogates the psychic fragmentation of the contemporary appearance of society through Jungian archetypes, symbolic materiality, technological exposure, and post-dictatorship memory.
Drawing on alchemical frameworks and the concept of Persona, the project critiques the culture of visibility and proposes a counter-current of introspective resilience.
Situated within the broader context of Albanian social development, the project offers a poetic yet rigorous inquiry into the veiling of the self, the ethics of authenticity, and the transformative potential of art as a site of collective healing.
In progress>> 10.08.2025-31.01.2026
I aim to create a body of works culminating with a solo exhibition composed of drawings, paintings, video arts, installations, sculptures and a publication. The core of this project emerges from a personal perspective, as a human-artist, exploring the field of psychoanalysis through visual art practice. Intentionally, the project investigates individual existence and societal phenomena throughout past and present cultural/political context. This exploration, as well as building up from Jungian concept of Persona, will serve as the source for artworks creation.
Self in Flux serves as provocative, reflective, confronting, critical, and revealing tool of individual’s inner world in relation to collectiveness and social expectations. In such artistic approach, my aim is to interrogate the concept of self-authenticity dissolving and recombining, influenced by ancient inheritance and under current socio-political pressure.
Project Questions
How does the past traumatic memory inherit the individual’s inner self?
What is dissolved and what can be recombined throughout time and generations?
Methodology
I will use theoretical framework such as past history, generational trauma, alchemical processes, collective unconscious and current socio-political situations to inform the creation of artworks. Intentionally, materials such as
soil, plaster, carbon paper, linen fabric, different construction materials, and current innovative materials will be used through creative techniques to achieve artistic appearance of the artworks. Additionally, animative techniques and video art will be incorporated experimentally, partially, into the creation of the artworks. The exhibition of the artworks will present an interdisciplinary body of artistic creations. Regarding the format of the exhibition, I aim to rent a private space in the city of Elbasan and turn it into a temporary gallery. The goal, here, is to create a theatrical-like space where artworks will appear metaphorically as actors themselves. Another goal is to advocate, through this temporary gallery, the necessity of an art gallery in the city of Elbasan – the city does not have one, even though is written in a paper, as the municipality pretends.
Objectives
The overarching goal is to position “Self in Flux” within the contexts of archetype, symbolism, and philosophy, and confronting it with four categories: individual (self), collective (society), relationship (behaviour), and history (memory).
Through an interdisciplinary body of works, the project aims to achieve:
2 large-scale installations made with carbon paper
2 video art pieces using video mapping and animation techniques.
3 conceptual sculptures
4 mixed-media paintings, drawings, etc.
1 documentation of the creative process
1 work catalogue
1 exhibition
5 open studios
1 open artist discourse
By embracing an interdisciplinary approach encompassing painting, sculpture, video, installation, documentation, and mixed media “Self in flux” seeks to address the inner dynamics of the individual while opening space for dialogue about the relationship between authenticity, society, and self-awareness.
Project Title: Self in Flux: Persona and the Veiled Self
Artist: M.F.A Kristian Zara
Development: 10 August 2025 – 31 January 2026
Open Studio: 20.09/18.10/15.11/6&23.12.2025 – 10:00 -19:00
Venue: Private Space, Rr. 28 Nëntori (across from the former Maternity Hospital)
Location: Elbasan, Albania
Self in Flux: Persona and the Veiled Self is a contemporary art project by Elbasan-based visual artist Kristian Zara, supported by the Swiss Cultural Fund in Albania.
This interdisciplinary project spans painting, sculpture, installation, and video art, exploring the psychic world as a source of today’s socio-political context. In a country where independent authenticity often lingers in the shadow of self-appearance, the project merges art with psychoanalysis and alchemy to investigate how inner experiences are shaped, displaced, and reformed—bridging forth a fragmented, intangible world.
Running from 10 August 2025 to 31 January 2026, Self in Flux combines studio practice with public programming: five open studio events (20 September, 18 October, 15 November, and 6 & 23 December) and a scenographic exhibition (9–31 January 2026), followed by a conversation with the artist (20–28 January 2026).
Drawing on Jungian inquiries into persona and shadow—alongside the symbolic language of alchemy—Zara’s work foregrounds visual and material transformation as psychic process. Through clay, plaster, lime, linen, and resin, masks and sculptural installations become instruments for probing authenticity, collective memory, and intergenerational traces. A time-based video work will extend the inquiry into another temporal and performative layer.
Self in Flux also functions as a tool for reflection, confrontation, critique, and self-discovery—inviting individuals to examine their inner worlds in relation to collective and societal expectations. One of the artist’s central aims is to explore the concept of authenticity as it dissolves and reshapes under the influence of inherited pasts and present-future responsibilities.
The theoretical framework touches on history, intergenerational trauma, alchemical processes, collective memory, and contemporary developments—all informing the visual language of the artworks.
Moreover, the project arrives as a cultural act in the city of Elbasan, which currently lacks a gallery or dedicated space for visual art exhibitions.
What to expect
- A body of work and single time-based video work (5–12 minutes).
- Five open-studio events where visitors can observe the creative process and engage with the artist.
- A temporary gallery installation in a private space converted for the exhibition, using scenographic composition to shape the viewer’s experience.
- Documentation will include installation views, process records, and an accompanying art catalogue.
Location & visiting
Rruga 28 Nëntori (across from the former Maternity Hospital), Elbasan. All open studios and the exhibition are free and open to the public. Visitors are encouraged to ask questions and learn about the project’s themes and process.
Support & information
Welcome everyone to support and share, in any means, this project as this effort made by all of us supports not solely the artist and arts, but as well the cultural life of Elbasan—your effort is an added value into our culture.
For dates, updates and further details visit: @kristianzara_visual artist, https://kristianzara.com
Contact: kristianzara@outlook.com
[2025]
- 20 September
- 18 October
- 15 November
- 6 & 23 December
- Time: 10:00 – 19:00
Exhibition: January 2026
Supported by Swiss Cultural Fund, a project of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), implemented by the Center for Business, Technology and Leadership (CBTL)