Bunk’Art 2

Bunk’Art 2 is the second phase of a project aiming at preserving the memory of the communist era. While Bunk’Art (aka Bunk’Art 1) focuses on the history of the communist army, Bunk’Art 2 presents the history of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and its secret police, Sigurimi. Hence, conceptually, Bunk’Art 2 sits between Bunk’Art (1) and the House of Leaves, complementing both.

Bunk’Art 2 is set in the very heart of Tirana, surrounded by several ministries, the town hall, and Skanderbeg Square, the main square of Tirana. The structure was a nuclear bunker that went by the code Objekti Shtylla (Object Pillar). 

One of the last major structures commissioned by Enver Hoxha, its construction began in 1981 and ended in 1986.  The bunker remained off-limit until 2015, when work was transformed into a museum, which opened the following year.   

After the fall of the communist regime, a few individuals decided to attack the dome that constitutes the entrance to the bunker because it symbolizes years of oppression. The curators of the project Bunk’Art 2 decided to keep the dome damaged, as this was part of the living history of the communist regime.   

Bunk’Art 2 consists of 24 rooms that extend for a total of over 1,000 square meters. Some rooms recreate the ambiance of that particular period in history, while others house art installations inspired by this era. The entrance is particularly striking, with images of the victims of the regime outlining the shape of the dome.