Dammi i Colori (2003) is a 16–minute video by Albanian artist Anri Sala which chronicles the work of Sala’s friend and former artist Edi Rama as Mayor of Tirana, Albania. Dammi i Colori evokes the city as canvas and champions art as a means for social transformation. Edi Rama became mayor of Tirana in 2000, and quickly went about re-painting the capital’s decaying buildings in brilliant, provocative colors and patterns. His aesthetic and political act was a powerful visualization of change—a source of both public debate and renewed civic pride.
The exhibition accompanies Citizen Culture: Artists and Architects Shape Policy, organized by independent curator Lucía Sanromán. Citizen Culture celebrates the power of art to spark dialogue, create new modes of civic engagement, and transform the laws by which cities and citizens are governed.
Anri Sala: Dammi i Colori is organized by Executive Director Elsa Longhauser.
This exhibition has been made possible by the City of Santa Monica and the Santa Monica Arts Commission and the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors through the Los Angeles County Arts Commission. Additional support has been provided by SMMoA’s Ambassadors Circle.