“I want to give voice to the voiceless and perhaps I want to illuminate the darkest regions of my unconscious self”

Elton Gllava

Elton Gllava was born in Albania under the closed communist regime of the 1970’s. When the borders opened in 1991 he seized his opportunity to experience another world and like thousands of Albanians made the crossing Italy. His early years in Rome exposed him to some of the darker sides of multilayered Roman society through various pursuits and employments……however in 2007 he made the decision to dedicate himself to photography. His photographic style is focused towards both social and authorial reportage with a strong draw towards the intimate aspects.

2007 / 2009 •  Diploma from Scuola Romana di Fotografia
2009 • Masterclass in photojournalism and reportage
2010 • Workshop with the photographer Lina Pallotta
2011 • Workshop with photo editor Christian Caujollle
2012 • Workshop with the photographer Morten Andersen
2012 • Residence at ISSP, Latvia
2014 / 2015 • The advanced lab “The Carbonar* Box 1.0” held by Lina Pallotta
2016 • “Finding the narrative in your work” – Workshop with Joan Lifting
2017 • “Anatomy of a book” – Workshop with Yolanda Cuomo
2017 • Workshop with Johannes Schwartz

2013 – 2017 “Bulqizë” project:

Winner of Fotoleggendo Festival 2016

Second Classified at UmbriaWorldFest 2016
www.umbriaworldfest.it/vincitori.html

Honorable Mention at MIFA 2016
moscowfotoawards.com/winners/hmention.php

Finalist Renaissance photography 2016
www.renaissancephotography.org/2016-series-finalists/

Featured on Colin Pantall’s blog
colinpantall.blogspot.it/2016/09/one-of-most-enjoyable-things-about.html

Exhibited at LaPelanda gallery (festival Fotoleggendo 2017 – Roma)

17/06/2017 – Featured on “Il Manifesto”
ilmanifesto.it/fotoleggendo-lo-storytelling-delle-miniere-dalbania/

16/06/2017 – Featured on “Burn Magazine”
www.burnmagazine.org/essays/2017/06/elton-gllava-where-the-crows-would-have-sung/

ShortListed on Instanbul Photo Book Festival
istanbulphotobookfestival.com/en/fuam-dummy-book-awards/

Exhibited at Castelnuovo Fotografia 2017