about me
Architect, researcher, and curator based in Lisbon and Tirana.
Elian Stefa (b. 1985) is a spatial practitioner and curator who lives and works between Lisbon and Tirana. He is currently pursuing a PhD at Iscte-University Institute of Lisbon, investigating the implications of curating and spatial practices as catalysts for urban transformation. As a platform for related research, he founded Galeria e Bregdetit in 2019, an independent exhibition space and artist residency located along the Albanian Riviera, inviting contemporary artists to explore and document local identities, stories, and landscapes during a period of intense transformation driven by rapid touristification.
Previously, he exhibited the collaborative artistic research project ‘Off Season‘ at Manifesta Biennale 14 in Prishtina (2022). Earlier in his career he participated in the Albanian Pavilion at the 13th Architecture Biennale in Venice in 2012 with ‘Concrete Mushrooms‘ a multidisciplinary project proposing the participative transformation of Albania’s abandoned bunkers into purposeful attractions. This work also provided the first comprehensive study on the bunkerization of Albania. Having graduated Magna cum Laude in Architecture at the Politecnico di Milano in 2009, Elian always focused on the research and exhibition aspects of the practice. In 2019, he was a finalist in the “Ardhje” Young Artists Award of Albania, building on over a decade of sustained engagement across artistic research, curation, architecture, and territorial transformation.
Other notable exhibitions or collaborations include the Istanbul Design Biennial, the New Museum in NYC, LimeWharf London, La Triennale di Milano, the EXD’11 Lisbon Biennale, the Helsinki Museum of Cultures, Strelka Institute, and the Harvard GSD.
achievements & prizes
2020 BigSEE Interior Design Award – Winner
2019 Ardhje: Albanian Under 35 Artist Prize – Finalist
2019 Future Architecture Platform Alumni
2015 Atelier Albania’s Osumi Island Competition – 3rd Prize
2012 13th Venice Architecture Biennale – Albanian Pavillion Participation
2011 Arup Phase2 Stories of Change – Winner in Video Category
2010 Docufest 9 – National Category Official Selection
2009 Politecnico di Milano – Magna Cum Laude Alumni