The Durrës International Biennale of Contemporary Art (DIBoCA) is a two-year non-profit exhibition founded in Durrës by the artist, esthete, curator, historian and art critic, Ph.D. Oltsen Gripshi.

This exhibition has the algorithm of its development every two years (biennale) and seeks to bring together the latest trends, aesthetic and stylistic approaches of contemporary international art, transforming the city of Durrës once every two years, into the most important and meaningful, in terms of visual art anywhere else.

This two-year international exhibition of contemporary art is supported by the Municipality of Durrës, as a way to focus the creative attention of the most prominent artists of contemporary art, local and foreign, in the most ancient city of Albania.

The city known in antiquity as Dyrrah, Epidamn, Dyrrachium and today Durrës, which had its greatest splendor with the arrival of the Illyrian king Monun, who during his rule in the settlements of Taulants in Durrës around 290-270 BC, was the first Illyrian king who produced his silver coins, where on one side of them, the cow with the calf drinking milk was configured (this symbol was taken from the Dyrrah staters) and the lower jaw of the wild boar, drawn on the back of cow, (symbol of the royal house of the Illyrians). While on the other hand, there is a square filled with stylized linear ornaments, symbolizing the Garden of Alcinout, and along the sides of the square, the abbreviated name of Dyrrah (DYRRA), the title, the name of King Monun (Basiloeos Monuniu) are written and the axe, the weapon of Heracles, known in mythology as the founder of Durrës.

The logo of the International Biennale of Contemporary Art of Durrës is inspired by this coin and on the sides of the square, the Albanian abbreviations of the biennale itself are written: BNABD. The International Biennale of Contemporary Art of Durrës aims to establish a dialogue between contemporary Albanian artists with the rest of the world, turning the city of Durrës more and more into a seismograph of developments in the field of contemporary art.

Apart from sharing the artistic experience between Albanian and foreign artists, this cultural activity is educational and inclusive and as such, it is addressed to an audience without age, without religious and racial definitions. Undoubtedly, the artistic activity of the biennale is not limited to bringing together the creativity of a group of artists, but during its open stay, workshops and Art-Talk are organized, inviting the most famous artists, curators, historians, critics, gallerists and museologists. prominent local and foreign artists, who in the practice of their activity are centered on contemporary art, in all its dimensions. Basic and essential for DIBoCA is the interaction with the local community, as a way for all formation and learning, for a quality education through art and culture.

Among other things, this biennial artistic event aims not just to organize a démodé exhibition, but to create an identifying brand for the city of Durrës, fully representative of the territory, mentality and local anthropology, but with an international perspective, where the headline of each, is the high artistic quality in the interplay between established artists and new talents. In this field, DIBoCA aims to be stable and long-term in time, thanks to its conception and new artistic approaches every two years.

The establishment of the Durrës International Biennale of Contemporary Art, in the modern times we live in, is now a necessity for the coastal city that looks towards the West, the local community and the establishment of the city as part of an important national and international map of contemporary art. Every two years, DIBoCA will bring a fresh look at reality, approaching and playing a leading role, to advance the international discourse on art in new directions.

The Durrës Biennale is an institution that goes beyond a representation of what is currently happening in our time. It seeks to research the artistic work both in terms of semiotics and aesthetic-philosophical content, inviting the attention of the international contemporary art world every two years in Durrës, to give voice to the dynamics and discussions about any approach that reflects and challenges society's expectations of visual art.