Radio România Internațional

Category: World of Culture

Classical Theatre in Romania

Organised by the “Ioan Slavici” Classical Theatre, the festival unfolded under the apparently paradoxical motto “a creation is classical when it is modern”, which was suggested by a prominent member of the selection committee, Maria Zarnescu. As a growing number of theatre goers and budding writers in particular are taking a keen interest in contemporary texts, we have asked both the festival’s organisers and participants about the place of classical theatre in the Romanian artistic life.

Constantin Cojocaru: “Classical theatre, at a time when new formulas are significantly gaining ground, is the only way to strike a highly important balance in the theatrical world, so that it should not be completely invaded by social and political issues. I remember there was a time when the actor was primarily a citizen, the social role was most important and the political aspect was defining. For instance, at least three out of five shows premiered at the Youth Theatre in Piatra Neamt had to be stage adaptations of Romanian plays, and, furthermore, two of these had to focus on political issues of topical interest. In spite of this, during those times, a genuine classical theatre show emerged, I don’t know how, all the more so as classical theatre texts have no colour, do not include social and political elements, but humaneness. And it is precisely humaneness that always remains valid. So, that is why classical theatre is so important, as it artistically defines and recomposes on stage the human being, at painful or comical times.”

That was the opinion of the well-known Romanian actor Constantin Cojocaru, aged 70, who brought to the Arad-based festival Ibsen’s “Wild Duck”, staged by Peter Kerek at the “Bulandra” Theatre in Bucharest, this autumn.

Liviu Pintileasa, 38, is an actor of the “Maria Filotti” Theatre in Brăila who came to the Classical Theatre Festival in Arad, with the show “Platonov”. Well known for his roles in feature films as well as in independent theatre shows, Liviu Pintileasa, just like his older colleague, has words of praise for classical texts and theatre.

Liviu Pintileasa: “I think there were times when contemporary texts were in fashion, but my impression is that for a couple of years now, people have taken a growing interest in classical texts. Proof of this is the fact that, even in independent theatres, where people are generally looking for contemporary texts, we can speak of a return to classical texts. I myself am a good example, because I am the employee of a theatre in Braila, where a classical play has just been staged, and I also work for the independent theatre ‘Unteatru’ in Bucharest, where most texts adapted for stage are classical, and to our joy, there are many spectators who love and come to see classical theatre”.

The general opinion is that, at least in Romania, budding directors prefer to stage contemporary texts, whereas prominent directors have a penchant for classical texts. Alexandru Mazgareanu falls into the category of young creators, but shows based on classical texts and stage adaptations of contemporary plays are on an equal par in his case. At the Arad festival, Alexandru Mazgareanu was invited to present the show “The Impostures of Scapin” by Moliere staged at the Youth Theatre in Piatra Neamt.

Alexandru Mazgareanu: “I have tried to tell the story of some young people who want to love, who fall in love, who fight for their love and who do not want to obey rules. It is a show about young rebels. This is the starting point of the show. I couldn’t say that I have a special appetite for classical drama. I am drawn to texts with important themes, great, major themes. Maybe this could be a reason why I would sometimes tend to approach classical texts. “

Given that some artists love classical plays and that a large part of the public prefers the great texts, the Arad International Classical Theatre Festival reached this autumn its 21st edition.

Bogdan Costea, the director of the Ioan Slavici Theatre, the organizer of the festival, is more reticent when it comes to the future of classical theatre: “I can honestly say that nowadays it is rather hard to make a selection based on classical drama. I don’t think that the classical theatre festival, the classical text will disappear forever, but it will go through a stage when things will get more sensitive. I think young directors will find it harder and harder to show their talent and directorial conception on a classical text.”

Critic Maria Zarnescu, the selector of this year’s festival in Arad, believes that, on the contrary, classical drama is still much sought after: “What I find really thrilling is that young directors and not only, realize that new translations are needed, especially of the French classical works. They also feel the need to combine arts for a spectacular effect. Of course, I do not mean that every show should become a musical, but this combination and an arts syncretism is needed more than ever before, because unlike in the 17th and 18th centuries, audiences need more than text, they need other triggers. I don’t believe that classical texts will ever become sapless as long as today’s artists know how to make them modern”.

12 December 2015
The Gaudeamus International Book Fair

More than 300 exhibitors, 700 different events and a record number of 125,000 visitors have confirmed the fact that the Gaudeamus International Book Fair is the leading event on the domestic book fair market. The guest of honour of the fair, which took place between the 18th and the 22nd of November, was the Group of Francophone Embassies, Delegations and Institutions in Romania (GADIF), while its honorary president was Victor Ieronim Stoichita, an art history researcher and professor.

Its organiser, Radio Romania, through its Media Cultural Centre, is the only radio station in the world to develop such an extensive programme aimed at promoting written culture. Now in its 22nd year, the fair had three main themes: childrens literature, great inter-war writers and Romanian contemporary literature. Daria Ghiu, from Casa Radio publishing house, explains:

Daria Ghiu: “As far as childrens literature is concerned, in the Radio Prichindel collection, which we expand every year, we launched the audiobook and the illustrated text of Lewis Carrolls Alice in Wonderland. This year its the 150th anniversary of the publication of the first edition of this famous book and there is even a website dedicated to this anniversary. Exhibitions have also been staged, including one in London about the first editions of the book and how the story has been illustrated over the past 150 years, including by Salvador Dali. The text is not easy to illustrate, because it is such a complicated, playful and spectacular text and its difficult to create something new. The product we launched is based on a radio dramatisation from 1968, a version that is well known to almost all generations of radio listeners. Our package includes a CD and a book illustrated by a young artist, Ana Botezatu. I was surprised how good the illustration was. It uses collage and it reminds me of avant-garde art and Dadaism, I even compared the artist with Hannah Hoch. The result is something completely new.

One of the books launched by the Humanitas publishing house at this years Gaudeamus fair is called Our Imaginary Friends and brings together leading literary figures in Romania such as Serban Foarta, Elena Vladareanu, Emil Brumaru, Marin Malaicu-Hondrari and Antoaneta Ralian. This book by multiple authors teaches us that a child can live in his or her own world for a few days, but can also remain in this world forever, that some parents can themselves see the imaginary friends of their children and that you can be 91 years old and still wonder whether you are in fact your imaginary self. The coordinator of this interesting volume, Nadine Vladescu, tells us more:

Nadine Vladescu: “I was very happy that Antoaneta Ralian, who is 91 years old, accepted our invitation to be part of this book. She wrote about her imaginary friend, a young man called Marcel, which is her masculine alter ego and is somehow inspired by Marcel Proust. She talks about Proust beautifully and with a lot of depth, using a very personal kind of psychoanalytical approach. In this book, we also find out about other imaginary friends, just as interesting as Marcel. Its a very successful heterogeneous mix. As the critic Tania Radu wrote on the back of the book, the content of the book is a very natural mix. There are 13 different stories and 13 very different imaginary friends, from an imaginary balloon to a snail who is also a prince, the young man called Marcel, the woman as goddess, the adored woman, a very likeable pig who plays the bassoon, a spirit who can take any form, a mischievous doll, an alter ego in the mirror, and, at the head of this table around which the writers imaginary friends are gathered, sits God himself. I wont divulge whose friend he is, but will let readers find out.

The frACTalia publishing group was established this year, at the initiative of a group of Romanian writers and graphic artists. Iulia Militaru, one of the initiators, tells us more about the titles launched by the group at Gaudeamus:

Iulia Militaru: “While some publishing houses close down, others have record sales. At the end of the day, its all about how you manage things. We hope we will make it on this market and strike a balance between what we publish and how much profit we make, because there is always this problem. We didnt set out to make a profit from the sale of our books, but out of passion. This year at Gaudeamus, we launched our publishing house and presented several books of poetry, two debut works and a new edition of an older work.

The poetry books in question are by Razvan Pricop and Octavian Perpelea, as well as a new edition of Andra Rotarus debut work to mark ten years since debut.

5 December 2015
Romanian literature under the spotlight at the Istanbul Book Fair

Held between
November 7 and 10, the International Book Fair in Istanbul hosted Romania as
its Guest of Honour. The motto of this year’s edition was We owe you a few
words. Romania had a complex agenda, featuring well-established contemporary
authors. Gabriela Adamesteanu, Matei Visniec, Dan Lungu, Octavian Soviany,
Carmen Musat, Daniel Cristea-Enache, Florin Bican, Lucian Dan Teodorovici, Radu
Vancu, Vasile Ernu and Alexandru Matei are some of the writers who presented
their volumes and interacted with the reading public that visited Romania’s
pavilion.

Throughout the
entire duration of the Istanbul Book Fair, Romania also hosted a series of
debates featuring literary figures from Romania and Turkey and book launches,
both at its pavilion and at the Romanian Cultural Institute in Istanbul. Among
them were Dan Lungu’s I’m a Communist Biddy!, brought out in Turkish by
Bence Kitap Publishers and Florin Irimia’s Dark Windows, published by
Aylak Adam. Children’s events were also held. The Uskudar Tekel Stage and the
Sainte Pulcherie French High School in Istanbul played host to two plays by
Matei Visniec, attended by the playwright himself: The Chekhov Machine
and The Word Progress on my Mother’s Lips doesn’t Ring True.

The debate that
stirred the public’s interest the most was entitled Children’s literature – a
serious matter and was attended by Oana Ispir from the Illustrators’ Club and
writers Florin Bican and Vasile Ernu. Asked what exactly prompted him to
approach children’s literature, Vasile Ernu said he had always been a fan of
children’s literature, and that there is an important moment in childhood when
reading becomes paramount:

I started looking
into this phenomenon out of sheer interest. I wanted to understand why
children’s books are so important. The idea that the 1990s brought about more
openness in this respect was false, because the book market only felt more
caged. Whatever was available in terms of children’s books were works by
foreign authors translated into Romanian. People were deluded into thinking the
market was very diverse, whereas in fact all you could find were Disney-like
books. And don’t get me wrong, I have nothing against Disney stories, I grew up
with this kind of stories myself, but we’re left with only one choice. And the
worst part is that books by Romanian authors started slowly disappearing. I
think what’s important is that we tell our stories plainly, so children can
understand them, and to share with them our opinions and concerns.

Another question journalist Carmen Musat asked those who
took part in the debate was if we could set up a hierarchy between image and
text, to what extent the text can compel its illustration, and the other way
round. Briefly, which of the two came first, the text or the image? Writer and
translator Florin Bican believes that the text came first, unmistakably, but
that things shouldn’t be like this any longer. In order to encourage communication
between writers and illustrators, he came up with the idea that writers and
graphic artists should work together. The outcome of that kind of joint work is
entitled The Bookatteria of Texts and Images. An illustrated children’s
stories anthology, brought out by the Pro Editura Print and Publishers. It is
a book-manifesto, it is the proof that there still are fresh resources as
regards Romanian original texts for children, but also the potential for
quality books illustration. In the void created by the disappearance of
Romanian books for children in the 1980s, Bookatteria demonstrates we can still
bridge the gap between ourselves and an apparently lost generation. With
details on that, here is writer Florin Bican again:

At the suggestion
of Oana Ispir, the one who initiated the Illustrators’ Club, we suggested
writers that they should try their hand at writing texts for children as well,
to be used by illustrators in their attempt to make the most of their talent
and imagination. And I daresay it was a happy collaboration, illustrators were
happy to illustrate texts at the suggestion of writers, while in turn, authors
were delighted to see what kind of illustration their stories were capable of
generating. Among the writers who this
year took part in the Book Fair in Istanbul, three could also be found in this
volume, as authors of children’s stories: Vasile Ernu, Doina Rusti and myself,
Florin Bican. The idea of the book was to draw attention to the fact that in
Romania, there are both publishers
and illustrators for children. When
asked if literature for children entailed a different kind of approach
regarding the recipient, here is what Vasile Ernu answered:

Indeed, when you are an author of literature and you also
start writing for children you realize things tend to become even more
intricate. Because in time I understood
it was easy to lie to the grown-ups, but impossible to lie to children. If you
succeed in writing a book children think is captivating, that is something
really great. Because you need to surprise children, and children have not just
as yet become altered by lies as we are.. And a book for children comes out as
a whole, with the child still unable to tell the text from the image, like we
do. That is why the word illustrator sounds a bit inappropriate when we speak
about drawings for those books for children. The one who writes, as much as the
one who does the drawings, both of them are authors.

Romania’s participation as a guest of honour
in the Istanbul International Book Fair was organised jointly by the Ministry
of Culture and the Dimitrie Cantemir Cultural Institute in Istanbul.

(Translated by: E. Nasta; edited by: M. Igantescu)

28 November 2015
The 27th Theatre Festival in Piatra Neamt

Aimed at promoting young theatre professionals, including directors, stage designers and actors, this is the oldest theatre festival in Romania, having been held for the first time in 1969. This year, the festival was again hosted by the Youth Theatres landmark building, which has been undergoing extensive restoration works for the last few years.

The Youth Theatre is known as a launch pad for some of the greatest names in Romanian theatre, such as actors Florin Piersic and Leopoldina Balanuta and many other outstanding actors and directors. The productions staged this year in Piatra Neamt were intended as an X-ray of contemporary theatre, while also providing a panoramic view of the trends generated by young Romanian theatre professionals.

Given that independent theatre has become extremely active and visible in recent years, the festival featured many independent productions. “Make the First Step, based on the work of the French playwright Jean-Claude Carriere, was first staged by Andrei Munteanu at Bucharests Arts Theatre, an independent company founded in 2010. The female protagonist is played by Raluca Aprodu, who is known for her roles in independent and state theatre productions, as well as films. She spoke about the relationship between choosing a work and staging that work by an independent company.

Raluca Aprodu: It shouldnt be influenced by anything. It should be a wish of the actor to encounter a character, a directors wish to have a meeting with the text, and thats pretty much it, I guess. Indeed, we are very particular about the venue where were acting it. There are places where the most important thing is for people to come and watch it. And then you start making compromises, little by little. Sadly, it matters a great deal that people should read the word comedy on the poster. Nobody wants to watch a serious performance any longer, after a days work. And if they make a choice, they opt for the state theatre. And then, if you want to attract them, you must be a bit ‘cunning. At Godots we run a performance entitled ‘Happy End. Its initial title was ‘Lisolette in May. It was not attractive. We changed it into ‘Happy End. It mattered a lot. Although it is the same show, we managed to bring the public to the theatre and offer exactly what we wanted to. There are many independent theater shows, and people have begun to attend such shows, all the more so as well-established actors have veered towards independent theater. And that is very important.

In order to encourage youngsters, the Theatre Festival in Piatra Neamt has a Competition section, in which 16 performances were singled out this year out of the 80 shows registered. The winner of the Best actress category was Nicoleta Lefter, for the part of Nadia in Saviana Stanescus “Aliens with Extraordinary Skills, directed by Alexandru Mihail at the Odeon Theater in Bucharest. “Aliens with Extraordinary Skills was produced at the “Julia Miles Theater in New York in 2008, and enjoyed enthusiastic reviews in New York Times and other US publications. The facts the story was based upon are real: a Romanian and a Ukrainian brought to the US more than 800 illegal migrants, using counterfeit visas that identified them as circus performers. 33-year old Nicoleta Lefter is one of the best actresses of her generation. She takes part in a great number of festivals and shares the opinion that such events are needed for the young people.

Nicoleta Lefter: “I believe the biggest step forward would be to try and persuade young people to get away from computers and television, to come see living people on the stage, to feel things they cannot experience in front of a screen. Things that may change you and make you like socializing. I notice that we are more and more attracted by solitude and isolation. People no longer socialize, are no longer open, they dont enjoy meeting, talking, finding out what someone else is doing. I believe that this is the most important thing. And secondly, if these shows also have something educative, that stimulates the imagination of young people, that is wonderful.

Vlad Cristache is one of the young directors invited to the festival. He put on the show “The History Boys. Stories with High School Flavor, by Alan Bennett, at Excelsior Theater in Bucharest. This production received two nominations, one for Best Show and one for Best Director. Lets wrap up with Vlad Cristaches opinion on the need to have festivals dedicated to young creators:

Vlad Cristache: “On the one hand, it seems great to me that this happens, because you link two generations of artists, people who have debuted in the last 10 years, you gather together their productions, and find out in what direction they see theater going. That is great. On the other hand, I dont believe in this division between young and old people, and I believe that there can be older and much more experienced people who can be fresher in their artistic solutions and the way in which their shows look. I dont believe that artistic youth lies in biology, I think it lies in oneself.

(Translation by: Cristina Mateescu, Calin Cotoiu, Eugen Nasta)

21 November 2015
The 25th edition of the National Theatre Festival

Organized by UNITER — the Theatre Union of Romania, the National Theatre Festival this year has reached its 25th edition. For this reason, the programme proposed by the artistic director Marina Constantinescu was very special. Over the course of ten days, 41 plays from Romania and three plays from abroad were staged, in addition to over 50 other related events, bringing theatre aficionados in large numbers to theatres in Bucharest.

One of the three theatre companies on the guest list this year was the Royal Drama Theatre of Stockholm, who came with ‘The Tiger’, a stage adaptation of Gianina Carbunariu’s play ‘The Siberian Tiger’.

Whereas one of the highlights of last year’s edition was the production of the musical ‘West Side Story’, this year the National Theatre Festival’ in agreement with the International Theatre Festival in Sibiu’ created the platform “Manifesto for dialog”, drawing on Bogdan Georgescu’s play ‘Anti-social’, premiered in June at the International Theatre Festival in Sibiu.

Stage director Bogdan Georgescu told us about his work with drama students: ”We started off in November last year with a workshop. I was mainly interested in the way human beings relate to one another, against the background of the media social phenomenon and its constant invasion. Two weeks ahead of the start of rehearsals for the performance, the episode in Cluj occurred, a scandal in a respectable high-school in Cluj, triggered by the fact that some of the schools’ pupils poured scorn on their teachers, in a secret group on Facebook. Teachers found out about that, hence the discussion revolving around 200 pupils having to be expelled from school. Starting from that story, we played for a month, we improvised and tried out all sorts of negotiation, debate and analysis techniques, and that’s how ‘Antisocial’ was born. I believe that, especially in the case of such projects, the stake is not necessarily to have somebody stand out, but rather, it is important that they learn how to work together and function together as a team, also after graduating from school”.

Starting November 3rd, for one month running, “Antisocial” is on tour of 21 towns and cities across the country. Here is Bogdan Georgescu again: “We want to visit people at home, in their communities, and create a debate space for them. We provide neither answers, nor solutions. Through the show, through the meeting at and after the performance, we seek to facilitate a discussion about the education system, what it means today and how it can be re-designed, so that we can bring it in line with the realities of the year 2015.”

“This show is about my mother, (…) about my mother who suffers from Alzheimer’s – about my mother whom I have not lost — about my mother, who, nonetheless, has lost me, even if she is still beside me. How can you capture such a heart-breaking situation?” says stage director Mihai Maniutiu in the argument of ‘Vertigo’, the guest performance at this year’s edition of the National Theater Festival. A deeply touching show, choreographed by Vava Stefanescu and Andrea Gavriliu, who are also the protagonists of the production staged by the “Aureliu Manea” Theater in Turda.

With details on that, here is choreographer Vava Stefanescu: “ ‘Vertigo’ is a choreographic show, not a theatre performance. It is a visual show. It is Mihai Maniutiu’s poem recited by actor Marcel Iures, but there are also the texts which bodies write during the show. As far as the theme is concerned, when we started the rehearsals, we felt like crying all the time. But then I found that sorrow and sadness and suffering were so sublimated that they no longer affected us as actors, that we were attuned to the theme. And, as Mihai Maniutiu says, it is not the actor who cries, but the audience. I don’t think the show is about disease, it is about the loss of identity, the impossibility of recognizing your own identity or the other people”.

To conclude, here is the opinion of theatre critic and professor George Banu, settled in Paris, a guest of the 25th National Theatre Festival, where the productions were selected by theatre critic Marina Constantinescu: “I think that Marina Constantinescu’s option is an interesting option. She made a wider selection, doubled the number of performances and thus succeeded in bringing together all generations that have polemic relationships. The festival seems to me to be a place of reconciliation. This panoramic option is linked to a jubilee, an anniversary and I think it is welcome.”

14 November 2015
Writer and Translator Nora Iuga

Writer and translator Nora Iuga has been awarded the “Knight Commanders Cross by the Federal Republic of Germany, in token of appreciation for her literary merits. It is not the first time that Nora Iuga receives a distinction from Germany. In 2007, she was awarded the Friedrich Gundolf Prize by the Deutsche Akademie fur Sprache und Dichtung, a reward that goes to personalities who contribute to the promotion of German culture around the world. The acceptance speech Nora Iuga gave on the occasion of being granted the Federal Republic of Germanys “Knight Commanders Cross was not a typical one. “My entire family was made up of stage artists, Nora Iuga said. “I never liked the idea of being one voice in a choir. I always wanted to be different. Being like that may pose a risk. Usually, nobody loves such people. As a rule, at the awarding ceremonies I have attended, the acceptance speech sounded completely impersonal, like a mandatory dress code, totally unimaginative, very much like a desert with no vegetation. Nora Iuga:

“Again and again, I feel tempted to touch upon such a statement, so that people can understand why I am the way I am. I am well aware that this trait annoys everybody, people appreciate those who comply with a certain style, with a certain mindset, with a certain mentality. The moment you do not come into line, people view that as an exception to the general rule. And, by and large, it looks like common people, the grassroots, and by saying that I dont mean to offend anyone, set the general trend. But it seems to me that we stagnate if we do nothing, apart from sticking to that generally accepted trend. That is why I think we should break off from that string of uniformities. Uniformity fossilizes.

In the “laudatio “ he gave at the awarding ceremony, ambassador Werner Hans Lauk provided an overview of the writers prestigious record, underlining that Nora Iugas ties with Germany had an early beginning. Thanks to her parents, both of whom were dancers, Nora Iuga began her education in a nursery school in Germany, and continued her studies in a German language school in Sibiu. She taught German in Sibiu for one year, then she was sacked, for political reasons. In 1968, Nora Iuga got her debut volume of poetry published. Having worked as a bibliographer with the Central State Library, she then got employment with the “Neuer Weg newspaper, actually the predecessor of “Allgemeine Deutsche Zeitung. Nora Iugas second volume was published in 1970, but the communist regime in Romania banned her from publishing.

In 1977, Nora Iuga had to renounce the editor position she held with Encyclopedic Publishers. However, she remained faithful to the German language through her contributions published by the “Volk and Kultur magazine. In the late 1970s, once she got her first translated work from German into Romanian published, Nora Iuga began her career as a literary translator and promoter of German literature. “Nora Iugas translations from E.T.A.Hoffman, Oskar Pastior, Gunter Grass, Elfriede Jelinek and Herta Muller had an essential contribution to the dissemination and reception of German literature and culture in Romania, enabling Romanian-language readers to gain access to those texts. Nora Iuga has always focused on intercultural transposition, something she achieved perfectly, the Federal Republic of Germanys Ambassador to Romania, Werner Hans Lauk, was very keen on mentioning. Little wonder then that Nora Iuga is one of the intellectuals who advocate the idea of “resistance through culture as being valid in the grim communist years as well.

“Yes, it is true. Resistance though culture is viewed rather badly by everyone today. The first time I noticed that kind of reluctance, a nearly brutal one, was with Nobel-prize winner Herta Muller, who vowed there is no resistance through culture, we can only speak of resistance if youre willing to take the most serious risks possible, if you risk your life telling the tyrant all you have to say, in other words. I believe every human fights in his or her own way, not all of us are born heroes, I keep wondering how many in our country were real heroes. Paul Goma took huge risks, Gheorghe Ursu suffered enormously, he was a victim, and so was Doina Cornea, and then I cannot help wondering why there are still voices which keep saying we were coward and we just brag about putting up resistance through culture. Yes, I believe in the resistance through culture, as right now, when I happen to reread all the poetry volumes I got published in those grim and fated years, when censorship worked, I realize that, nonetheless, rather much could be said. And I believe artists were able to find formulae by means of which they conveyed their messages, with no compromise whatsoever. It is terrible how much Romanian writers said in those times of censorship. And the public read poetry as in poetry they found not only an attitude of vocal dissent, but even of resistance, a stance it was impossible to take in the media, in the newspapers or on television.

We also spoke with Nora Iuga about the time when, under the communist regime, her books were banned for nearly a decade. With details on that, here is Nora Iuga herself.

“As for my being banned from publication, I can say I dont really like to be vocal about that. However, I must admit I was so proud when at that time I heard I was on the list of those who were undesirable for the regime. As a first reaction, I was so very vainglorious; I thought that I was indeed a strong and important personality if they feared me. However, in time, doubt literally tore me apart, since I said to myself that in a country like Romania, where personalities and values did not necessarily come in great numbers, they can dispose of me in the long run. As I was banned from publication for eight years and the ban was enforced o me when I was 40. The moment they placed the ban on my work I had only got two volumes published, so for me, the ban was something suicidal. I might have been disheartened for good.

Many of Nora Iugas volumes of poetry and prose have been published abroad: the novels “The Sixty-year old woman and the Young Man, (Germany, Spain, Italy, France, Slovenia, Bulgaria) “Leopold Blooms Soap (Bulgaria), “Lets Steal Watermelons (Bulgaria) and poetry “ Dangerous Whims (an anthology, published in Germany and Slovenia), “The Bus with the Hunchback (Germany), “October Poem (Germany), “The Heart as a Boxers Punch (France), “A Heart Coming on Stilts (Switzerland). Nora Iuga is the happy recipient of the most substantial DAAD (The German Academic Exchange Service) scholarship, offered by the German state to a foreign writer. In 2014, a documentary film was launched, “Nora Iuga Here, directed by Vlad Rotaru and produced by Cristian Cosma, who also wrote the screenplay.

7 November 2015
The “Eurothalia” European Theatre Festival

The German State Theatre based in the western city of Timisoara organised the 5th edition of the “Eurothalia” European Theatre Festival.

The event brought to Timsioara, for the first time under this form, plays by prominent European directors like Oskaras Korsunovas, Silviu Purcarete, Jan Lauwers and Wim Vandekeybus and shows which are the result of new theatre aesthetic ideas, such as those staged at the “Anton Pann” Theatre in Râmnicu-Vâlcea, The “Spalatorie” Theatre in Chishinau (the Republic of Moldova) or the “Csiky Gergely” Hungarian State Theatre in Timisoara.

Andreea Andrei has made the selection of the shows presented in the 2015 edition of the festival: ” The festival has changed a lot from one edition to another. If, in the past years, we invited more shows from Romania, this year we’ve tried to bring more shows from Europe, staged by prominent theatre directors. This year, just like in the past, the shows have been very diverse in terms of genre and the approached themes. We invite theatre performances as well as contemporary dance shows, or shows which can’t be subscribed to a specific genre. ‘Eurothalia’ is the only festival in Timisoara which focuses exclusively on European theatre. We try to build a sort of platform for the new trends currently followed by the European theatre.”

The “Eurothalia” European Theatre Festival opened with a performance staged at the “Electra” German Theatre, based on texts by Euripides and Aeschylus, and directed by Bocsárdi László. The staging preserves the original writing style, but there is a contemporary approach to the text, with a very young and modern Electra concealed under a very delicate appearance. Isa Berger is the actress who gives life to the character of passionate Electra, whose only raison d’etre is revenge.

Isa Berger: “It is not a light show. We need tranquillity and peace of mind before the show. I need to spend some time alone, to try to identify Electra’s problems and somehow to re-live that inner turmoil. I try to mirror that soul, for the public to see it. Just like Mr. Bocsardi said, human soul has no bounds. This is precisely what we want to do, to unveil our souls in front of the public. If I were to bring Electra to our modern times, I would say I don’t necessarily understand her wish to take revenge, to kill her mother, but I fully understand her love for his father, because I myself am a daughter who loves her father very much and I believe I would do anything for my dad. Somehow, I identify myself with her, from this point of view.”

“Electra” was followed by two performances of “The Seagull” by Chekhov, directed by Oskaras Koršunovas, a production by OKT / Vilnius City Theatre, Lithuania. The staging won over the public in the first minutes, due to the incredible natural acting. “Actors can’t hide themselves behind the characters. The spectators should see, step by step, how the actor starts living the character’s life,” this is what Koršunovas teaches his actors.

Belgian director Jan Lauwers and Needcompany came to “Eurothalia”, with “The Blind Poet”, a show on multiculturalism, based on the story of each of the leading actors, who are requested to expose much of their lives to the public at large.

31 October 2015
The “Nicolae Tonitza” High School, a Landmark of Romania’s Fine Arts Education

The
Brussels-based European Economic and Social Committee played host for a new
event in spring: the opening of a painting exhibition by senior students and
graduates of the Nicolae Tonitza Fine Arts High School in Bucharest. Under a
suggestive title ‘So long ago in the future dreams for future Odysseys’
the exhibition displayed 50 pictures by Tonitza students highly appreciated by
European officials. The exhibition was included among the events of the
conference organized by the Space & Society group with support from Fildas
Art Cultural Foundation.

Here is now with details about the event, Ioana Lavinia Streinu, a teacher with the Nicolae Tonitza
Fine Arts High School: The
theme was a generous one for us, as the organizers wanted us to come up with
works revealing our vision about future. My mission as a teacher was a simpler
one because I had the students with me and as they represent the future, I
could say I had the future with me. The students were a little bit afraid at
first – you know, a theme can be a test for any artist – but eventually they
got over it and realized the only thing they must do was to express their
thoughts on canvas. They had a slow start but then everything started working
and there came picture after picture. The visitors were wonderful, extremely
surprised by what we did. All of a sudden they found themselves in front of a
real art exhibition, which they appreciated very much, because they were all
art connoisseurs. They encouraged us, and were very pleasantly surprised by the
paintings of our children. We even talked about future exhibitions and they
liked us very much.

Ioana Lavinia
Streinu also told us how the students had felt after the opening of the
exhibition at the European Economic and Social Committee: To be
honest, they felt like stars. They were aware of how important they and their
works were and eventually they had the opportunity to find out what it meant to
become a professional artist. The children were also very happy there. The
audience that attended the event was obviously made up of employees of the
European Economic and Social Committee. There were also some MEPs attending, from Romania as well, but also from other countries.

The Nicolae
Tonitza Fine Arts High School in Bucharest was founded in 1949, under the name
of the Arts Technical Secondary School. It brought performing and visual arts
together: choreography, music and drawing. In time, it changed its premises, it
also changed its name, yet the school remained, a school where fine arts are
being studied and where beauty is everywhere. Along the years, the students’
value and creativity have been rewarded by national and international prizes,
as well as by nominations to notable exhibitions abroad.

A teacher of
sculpture and a member of the Fine Artists’ Union, Adrian Curcan is deputy head
master of the Nicolae Tonitza High
School. He told us more about the institution’s present educational
offer: The
12 specializations or specialist workshops with the Nicolae Tonitza High
School are the following: graphic arts, mural arts, textile arts, ceramics,
cartoon design, ambient design, industrial design, fashion design, easel
painting, restoration and religious art, set design and sculpture. My
impression is that both parents and students take into account what is going on
the labor market. Since in our times the computer is the key tool in society, I
should say computer graphics comes on top of the preferences of those who want
to take up fine arts.

At present, over
900 students are enrolled in the Nicolae Tonitza Secondary and High School.

24 October 2015
The 2015-2016 season at the Hungarian State Theatre in Cluj Napoca

For the new season,
it has prepared seven new productions. Here is the theatre’s artistic director,
Andras Visky.

Andras Visky: The
Hungarian State Theatre serves a community open to a relatively wide variety of
genres, from contemporary projects to classic pieces, not to mention that every
new season we also try to have at least one production for children.

The first of the
theatre’s new productions opened on the 9th of October and is a
staging of Shakespeare’s ‘Julius Caesar’ by the celebrated Romanian theatre
director Silviu Purcarete. Andras Visky, who also wrote the script, told us
more:

Andras Visky: Unfortunately, Julius Caesar is a very
topical play. It is a political play and this political dimension
characterises, from a universal perspective, these times of transition in which
we live. I’m not referring only to Romania, but to the European Union in
particular. We discern, in the way in which Silviu Purcarete approaches this
Shakespearean play, both his usual style and the Shakespearean pessimism that
acquires a special significance today. Shakespeare’s historical plays always
have an apocalyptic ending, everybody basically disappears from the scene to
leave room for a new generation who often does not promise a profound
reconciliation with the past. However, unless we have a self-reflexive and
cathartic relationship with the past, the past will stay with us. I think the
central metaphor in this production is Caesar’s dead body, which remains,
however, the witness of the events taking place on the stage. The problem with
any staging of Shakespeare is always the text, the register chosen for each new
production. Silviu Purcarate asked me to come up with a poetic and at the same
time contemporary script.

The next performance
to be staged by the Hungarian State Theatre in Cluj Napoca is a show about
migration based on Franz Kakfa’s ‘Amerika’ staged by the director of the
National Theatre in Prague, Michal Docekal. Another new production is ‘The
Clumsy Wizard’ by Pal Bekes, a musical for children staged by Laszlo Beres. In February
2016, Felix Alexa returns to the Hungarian State Theatre with a staging of
August Strindberg’s ‘The Pelican’. According to the theatre’s artistic director
Andras Visky, this is a less known text and has never been staged in Hungarian
before.

One month later, in March 2016, a French
theatre director and winner of two Tony awards, Dominique Serrand, will stage
an experimental musical performance based on classical music requiems. May 2016
will see the first ever staging of ‘The Galoshes’, written by a playwright born
in Targu Mures, Gyorgy Dragoman, and staged by a well-known film director,
Janos Szasz. Finally, Mihaela Panaite will stage a performance based on a poem
entitled ‘The Old People’s Book’ by Domokos Szilagyi, who is considered by Andras
Visky as the most important Transylvanian poet of the 1960s and 70s. According
to the artistic director of the Hungarian State Theatre in Cluj Napoca, the
purpose of this institution is to serve its spectators and its community.

Andras Visky: As
someone involved in the theatre’s communications strategy, I have worked on
promoting an image of the theatre as a theatre of the city, slightly distancing
ourselves from the idea of a minority theatre, because in a global culture, we
are all a minority. I don’t think there is anything negative in this view,
because culture itself, the arts and literature, is a minority aspect of our
daily life. From this point of view, of the minority position, I consider
myself an agent of the essence of culture. So we are a city’s theatre. This
means that each of our productions is subtitled, so the number of our Romanian
language spectators is growing. They take part in many discussions and
different regional programmes and there is a palpable feeling that our theatre
has become a theatre of the entire city and the region and also has a presence
on the theatrical scene in Romania. We take part in important festivals. At the
same time, as members of the Union of the Theatres of Europe, we are naturally
part of the European theatrical movement. We take part in many festivals and
this is very important both for the directors who work with us and for our
company’s actors. It is important for us to be engaged in this European and
universal cultural dialogue.

17 October 2015
Tandarica Theater on its 70th anniversary

Set up in 1945 under the name of ‘Tandarica Puppet Theater’, the institution has been led in the past 15 years by Calin Mocanu who is also the president of the UNIMA Romania — International Puppetry Association and of ASSITEJ Romania — the International Association of Theater for Children and Young People. In 2008 the name of the institution was changed into ‘Tandarica Animation Theater’. Many well-known Romanian directors such as Radu Penciulescu, Silviu Purcarete, Catalina Buzoianu, Cristian Pepino, Victor Ioan Frunza and Ion Caramitru have staged plays for children in the country’s oldest puppet theater.

Calin Mocanu, the theater manager, will talk next about Tandarica Theater’s repertory:

“I am the manager of Tandarica Theater, a 70-year old theatre, but we are not talking about old age here. Although old, the theater is keeping pace with the times, it is contemporary with children, teenagers and adults alike. We have shows mainly for children, but they are suitable for teenagers and adults too. We have such shows as “Faust”, “Candid”, “Play Shakespeare” and “The Sveijk Galaxy” that target teenagers and adults. As for the rest of the repertory we have classical stories as well as contemporary stories — we perform plays by Visniec and other contemporary European playwrights. We are now in the process of parting with the old conception of theater for children and we are trying to persuade our public, of all ages, that we are part of the great family of visual theater. We continue to be devoted to animation theater, to visual theater, to puppet dance theater, to puppet-cabaret theater. We have puppet-actors created by a fine artist in a certain manner- each puppet is a work of art, it is manipulated by a great puppeteer, a great actor. A good puppeteer must be a good actor, a good singer, they need skills in artistic movement which is critical in suggesting a certain symbol”.

Tandarica Theater in Bucharest is the oldest puppet theater in Romania. In what way is it different from the other puppet theaters in the country? Here is actor and manager Calin Mocanu with the answer:

“Besides being the oldest in the country, Tandarica Theater has been a model for many theaters of the kind in Romania such as those in Arad and Brasov. In Brasov a special section was created of puppeteers who operated the puppet by their hands placed inside the puppet. In the 1950’s they migrated towards animation, which is very interesting, just imagine actors in the army system or from other theaters, who decided to become puppeteers. What makes us different? Tandarica Theater is an experience of collective creation, thus it becomes a state of mind, it is like a living body. This is how we conceive puppetry, this is our credo that united us and helped us carry on in a very interesting way. Just imagine how many regimes Romania has had in 70 years, how many storms have swept across the country affecting us directly. Puppetry was that strong that at a certain moment it generated a European movement”.

Sometimes seen as the poor relative of classical theater for adults, puppet theater in general and Tandarica theater in particular imposed new ways of expression and created a space of freedom of expression, of artistic resistance against the Communist regime. Calin Mocanu.

“Between the 1950’s and 1970’s puppetry was created by all the Romanian artists, starting with ballet dancers to sculptors, choreographers, actors, puppeteers and playwrights. It was them who created modern puppetry, which was closely linked to the Romanian and European fine art movement. Everyone should understand these things. Cristian Pepino stated very clearly, at one time, that puppetry was moving fine art. And I agree. Puppetry approached daring texts, an extraordinary set design, the puppeteers were very good. Almost all the Romanian actors whom we call the “golden generation” gave their voice to many puppets of the Tandarica Theater. It is here that “The Nocturnes” were born in the 1970s. It was a movement that supported experiments against stick-in-the-mud theater”.

In 1990 director Silviu Purcarete staged here the show “Cinderella” about which we read on the institution’s site that “it is not a rendition of the classical story of Cinderella but a creation by director Silviu Purcarete in the sense of a sentimental and ironic commentary on the classical story”. Here is what Silviu Purcarete recollects about that period:

“It was not a very inspired idea, but at the time, for the sake of efficiency, the shows were recorded. They used tape with words and music recorded on it, like in radio broadcasting. They played the tape and the puppeteers would show up on stage with the puppets without doing any talking. That was the custom at Tandarica Theater, to make things easier. Otherwise it would have been very difficult. At the theater in Constanta the puppeteers also did the talking. But it was different with Tandarica, especially since they were going on tours very often. I remember that for one show I had to record a tape in Romanian, one in English, one in Spanish and another one in German. The show is still in the theater’s repertory. The puppeteers go, but the puppets remain. And the audience is always new. The action is set in a cupboard. It would be nice to go and see the show!”

10 October 2015
The 22nd George Enescu International Festival

The 22nd George Enescu International Festival that ended on September 20, 2015 in Bucharest was highly appreciated by both experts and the audience. The prestigious event, hosted by the capital city Bucharest between August 30 and September 20, 2015, was held under the high patronage of Romanias President and was produced by Romanias Government through the Culture Ministry, having Radio Romania and the public television as co-producers.

Its worth mentioning that ARTEXIM was the festivals organizer and ArCub, the Cultural Centre of Bucharest, was co-organizer. George Enescu was Romanias greatest musician and the festival that has been bearing his name since 1958 is the best way to make him even more famous throughout the world. The 2015 edition of the George Enescu International Festival was the last one coordinated by maestro Ioan Holender. The 23rd festival, to be held in 2017, will have the legendary Zubin Mehta as honorary president.

Among the prestigious guests of this years edition of the George Enescu International Festival were the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Sir Simon Rattle whose participation in the festival has been negotiated for 15 years – London Symphony Orchestra conducted by Ion Marin, the Saint Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Yuri Temirkanov, the “Tharice Virtuosi string ensemble, made up of exceptional musicians of various nationalities, including Romanian violinist Liviu Prunaru, Konzerthousorchester Berlin, conducted by Horia Andreescu, the Paris Chamber Orchestra under the baton of Sir Roger Norrington, the Romanian-born violinists Deborah and Sarah Nemtanu, English harpsichord and organist Laurence Cummings, alongside the “Age of Enlightenment Orchestra and Choir, the highly acclaimed “Belcea quartet founded by the Romanian violinist Corina Belcea in London, in 1994, together with the Polish violinist Krzysztof Chorzelski, “New European Strings Chamber Orchestra conducted by violinist Dmitri Sitkovetsky, the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Semion Bichkov, the National Radio Orchestra and the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra of Amsterdam conducted by Andris Nelsons.

A highlight of the festival was the presentation of the concert version of Alban Bergs “Wozzeck by the George Enescu Philharmonic Orchestra and Choir, under the baton of Leo Hussain and also of “Oedipe, by George Enescu, directed by Anda Tabacaru-Hogea, with Davide Damiani in the lead role. Special events such as the concerts in Festival Square and various exhibitions were also part of the Festival.

The Bulandra Theatre in Bucharest hosted the “Bach Files, directed by Alexandru Darie, music by Adrian Enescu, based on certain themes and fragments from Bachs works under the Zoli Toth Project, while at the Small Theatre in Bucharest choreographer Gigi Caciuleanu staged “A Minute of Dance or UF. “Enescus Childhood was presented at the Odeon Theatre as part of the project “Classic is Fantastic. Book lovers were offered a quality project, named PRESS PASS with interviews and notes from the festivals 2011 and 2013 editions, coordinated by the TV producer Marius Constantinescu.

Pianists Murray Perrahia, Christian Zacharias, Elisabeth Leonskaja and Fazil Say got standing ovations, while soprano Valentina Nafornita and pianist Alxandra Dariescu, both from the young generation of artists, gave equally impressive performances.

Just like at the previous editions, Radio Romania broadcast and recorded most concerts in the festival. Alexandra Dariescu, for the second time a guest at the festival, said:

“I am very grateful to the organisers and very happy to be here in the company of such great musicians as violinist Alexandru Tomescu and the Ad libitum quartet from Iasi, which is also my home town. The audience was fantastic, we got standing ovations. Elgars Quintet was performed for the first time in Bucharest, so Im glad that I could bring something along from London. Bucharest has always given me a very warm welcome, and I am happy for that because I feel at home here and it is always a joy to return to this place.

The only Romanian in the famous Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra of Amsterdam was its concert master, violinist Liviu Prunaru.

“We, the musicians of the Concertgebouw Orchestra, consider it a great honour to be invited; there is a responsibility and I feel that my colleagues are looking forward to coming back here; it doesnt matter if we are to perform in the beginning or the end of the festival, what really matters is that we are in Bucharest, my home, and my colleagues who perform in the festival are happy for me as I am the only Romanian in the orchestra. We are like a family and I have been performing with them for 9 years and every time Im amazed at how beautifully these people can perform, I simply cannot get used to it.

The person who knows what the 2017 edition of the George Enescu International Festival will be like is ARTEXIM director Mihai Constantinescu.

The 2017 edition carries on the tradition of the festival, even if some leading structures are to change, we are doing our jobs. We intend to bring over the worlds first ten pianists, the first ten violinists and cellists, that is pianists, Lang Lang, Martha Argerich, Boris Berezovski, Khatia Buniatishvilli, violinists Maxim Vengerov, Joshua Bell, Vadim Repin, Leonidas Kavakos, Renaud Capucon, cellists Gautier Capucon, Misha Maiski and other artists well announce later.

3 October 2015
The 2015 HOP Gala

Actress Maia Morgenstern, actor Tudor Chirila, film director Radu Jude, set designer Iuliana Vilsan and musician Luiza Zan were the jury members of the 2015 edition of the HOP Young Actors Gala held in the Black Sea resort of Costinesti. That was the 18th edition of that prestigious event, staged by the Theatre Union of Romania — UNITER and coordinated artistically by stage director Radu Afrim.

Set designer Iuliana Vilsan is for the first time a member of that jury: “I’m highly demanding and rigorous and I often assess things in a strict manner. I was kind of taken aback at first by my position as a jury member, but then I let myself carried away by the incredible energy and availability that only young actors have. So I tried to relax and see everything in a more empathetic manner. When evaluating individual performances, I counted a lot on the authentic feeling, on the contestants who managed to express best their feelings and convey the message they wanted. I congratulate the winner of the grand prize, Dana Marineci, for her very good number.”

Dana Marineci, the winner of the Stefan Iordache Prize, which is the Gala’s Grand Prize, graduated from the Bucharest Theatre and Film University in 2012. In spite of the fact that it is not easy, for young actors, to get to be known by stage directors and theatre managers, she trusted her talent and participated in all possible auditions and competitions.

As for the theme of Dadaism, which impressed the jury, she said: “It was a very difficult theme, as, in my opinion, it required a certain structure. Even if in Dadaism everything seems to be disorganized, we should always keep in mind that we are on a stage, before an audience. The audience is there to see us. So we must give them something to take with them when they leave, to transform them a little bit. I spent about two weeks reading about Dadaism and looking for Dadaist performances on YouTube. I particularly liked the performance of a German, Kurt Schwitters, entitled “Ursonate”, or “the sonata in primordial sounds”. It has 15 pages of sounds. I managed to learn it by heart but I realized that it was not enough. So I took a different approach to it, like” What’s essential? Love is essential. So I figured out it would be easy for me and for the audience to build a love story behind this moment.”

Known not only for his shows but also for being a supporter of young talents, stage director Radu Afrim was for the third year in a row the artistic director of the Young Actors Gala HOP. Emphasis was laid on the actor and not the script, the two themes seeming somehow imbalanced — ‘the Dada” and “Holiday on the Sea Coast”

Radu Afrim: “I found that in the first two years people were very impressed by scripts. If the script is strong, filled with emotion, or funny, the actor becomes secondary. Of course it is the actor who gives value to a script, but if some of them benefited from good scripts, they stood good chances of winning a prize. Then I said to myself: let’s now give them almost impossible scripts, dadaistic ones, to see who’s going to fight more and pour some value into their scripts. And those who managed the best performances on the given scripts were declared winners. Some actors fared very well under these conditions although this year they had to cope with some non-texts, even lyrics from various songs. Their main challenge was to make the most of these scripts and avoid turning them into parodies.”

The “Cornel Todea” Award for the best troupe of actors was not given this year because the jury decided it was a very big gap between the Group Section and the Individual Section. Nevertheless, Iuliana Vilsan, a member of the jury, was impressed by the young generation of actors and their performances in the HOP Gala.

Iulia Vilsan: “They have many vulnerabilities, a special sensitivity and a very promising way of conveying emotions, because it involves such an energy and a sense of ineffable, which could bring more authenticity to what is happening on our stages. I like it very much…I was very impressed by their availability.”

26 September 2015
Art Critic Victor Ieronim Stoichita

Victor Ieronim Stoichita reached Switzerland after a long journey, which took him to Paris and Munich, and even to Harvard University. Everywhere he went he was appreciated for his pertinent criticism of works of art, including cinematographic productions. Victor Ieronim Stoichita was an assistant lecturer with the Art History and Theory Department of the Fine Arts Academy in Bucharest (1973-1981) and with the Institute of Art History of Munich University (1984-1990). He was a visiting professor at various universities, such as Sorbonne (1987), Gottingen (1989-1990), Frankfurt (1990), Harvard (2005-2007) and College de France (2008).

Since 2012 he has been a member of the Italian National Academy and since 2014 a member of the European Academy. Last year he was the chairman of Louvre’s Annual Art Chair and was awarded the title of “Chevalier Des Arts et des Lettres” of the French Republic. Humanitas Publishers in Bucharest has issued an author series and has so far released several titles, including “The Sherlock Homes Effect”, “A Brief History of Shade”, and “The Pygmalion Effect: from Ovid to Hitchcock.” The most recent book is called “How to Savour a Painting and other Art History Studies,” also published by Humanitas. The volume is a collection of 12 studies published or read in various circumstances, and approaching various topics.

They cover an extensive timeframe, namely the period between the 14th and the 20th centuries. A first version of this collection has already been printed in Spanish, and it was translated into Romanian by Anca Oroveanu and Ruxandra Demetrescu, both professors with the Bucharest Art University.

Here is Anca Oroveanu: “There are two things that I would like to say about this collection. The first has to do with the nature of the texts included in this volume. While each article pays close attention to the analysis of specific works of art, they do not disregard a broader perspective on things. Then, there is that iconographic richness, the diversity of the imagery he resorts to in order to prove his point. All of these define a certain type of writing, known as academic writing. I would say, though, that at the same time the author makes sure that the standards of academic writing are not a barrier to those readers who are less specialized. His writings are reader-friendly and are intended to engage the public on a journey into a certain topic.”

The images analysed by Victor Ieronim Stoichita in the volume called “How to Savour a Painting” are works by great painters such as Titian and Caravaggio, but also by emblematic figures of pop culture such as Andy Warhol. All the comments are subordinated to one fundamental theme, that of pluri-sensoriality, Anca Oroveanu tells us:

“These are situations in which a painting triggers sensorial impressions from areas other than sight, but with its own means and without leaving its territory. How this happens is actually the strongpoint of the texts included in this volume. The first text discusses the senses of taste and smell. In others, the focus is on another sense, which competes with sight. It’s hearing, particularly important for the musical works of art. References to this sense are made in the study on Caravaggio. Topics like that are reflected in the entire volume”.

So who would be interested in this approach? Ruxandra Demetrescu is attempting an answer.

“We could ask who this book is addressed to. Obviously, the first answer would be the small world of Romanian art critics. On the other hand, it’s more than that. Victor Stoichita has the voice of an art critic who is by no means traditional. On the contrary, he is part of the vanguard of this field, one of those critics who go deeper into the meaning of an image, which doesn’t just illustrate a theme, but says something about the world we live in or about the world in which that image was created. Therefore, the author launches an invitation to reading and watching, to re-reading fundamental texts such as Emile Zola’s novels. But even more than that, it’s an invitation to look into details, through a magnifying glass. This enhancement of details is embraced by the author from the very preface to the book. In brief, I believe that each reader of good texts can find something interesting in this volume.”

Attending the launch of his volume “How to Savour a Painting”, Victor Ieronim Stoichita spoke about the book.

“It is certainly not a novelty to say that the journey of any creator has ups and downs, and is made up of both enthusiasm and disappointment. The ups and downs are inevitable even at an old age. I have reasons to believe that my journey has been worth taking, and this is beneficial. It is true that any book is not just the outcome of an author’s and a team’s efforts, but also of the readers’ effort, more precisely of the way in which the book has been read. In our case things are even more interesting, because both Ruxandra and Anca are collaborators to this book. They translated it, but they also had the opportunity to take a step back and judge it in an objective way. I was very much impressed with how they read the book, and how they actually brought life to it. I hope that the other readers too will be just as open towards the content of the book”.

“How to Savour a Painting” is the tenth title in the Victor Ieronim Stoichita author series, published by Humanitas.

19 September 2015
Fine Art in Sibiu and Brasov

Nicolae Daicu, president of the Fine Artists Union in Brasov, in central Romania, has presented his works at numerous exhibitions in Romania and abroad, in countries like France, Luxembourg, Denmark and Japan.After he graduated from the Arts High School in Brasov, in 1971, he decided to take up sculpture so he enrolled with the Institute of Fine and Decorative Arts in Cluj. He opened his first exhibition during his student years. Nicolae Daicu, who is also a teacher with the Fine Arts High School, believes in the educational value of art:

“Ive been working with this high school for 38 years and all this time I have never got bored, as spending so time around teenagers has helped me stay young as well. Unfortunately there are cases of young teachers who abandon their profession after only one year, as there are insufficient teaching positions for them. Although I teach sculpture, I can honestly say I often leave it aside in favor of some direct talks with my students, about issues they should in fact be approaching with their parents or other teachers. This is one of the reasons why two years ago they voted me teacher of the year. I was very happy about it and I realized they picked me because we talk a lot, I answer them to the most varied questions and together we take the liberty to have a free way of thinking which allows us to travel the world. I also have students who are unable to walk and come to school in a wheelchair. I find it extraordinary that they have pushed their limits and decided to take the best in life. I also have a student with the Down syndrome but his colleagues welcomed him in the warmest way possible, they accepted him and made him one of their own.”

Nicolae Daicu has been the head of the Fine Artists Union in Brasov for ten years. Set up in 1946 by a group of local artists, this has been the first such union in Romania.

“I dont know who adopted who, but we live in a symbiosis that is good for us. Five years ago I tried to set up a museum of contemporary art based on donations from artists. We have gathered over 340 works, but since I havent found a venue for them yet, although I have asked the local authorities for support, I plan on setting up a virtual museum. As for my work as an artist, you should not think that inspiration comes while the artist is having a coffee. Inspiration needs to be constantly challenged. And to challenge it means to work. I make bronze works and discovering old working techniques has always been a challenge.”

Nicolae Daicu has 18 monumental works in several Romanian localities. One of them is the statue of the late metropolitan bishop Andrei Saguna, displayed in front of the high school with the same name. Another important work is the 8-meter high Time Column, in the Prejmer locality, where a workshop was held in 1994, and also the monument of Avram Iancu, in front of the Metrom plant. April 25th, 2005, the day when Romania signed the EU accession treaty in Luxembourg, was a very special day for sculptor Nicolae Daicu, as he exhibited his most representative works in that vibrant city. One of the sculptures, a bust of Romanian poet Mihai Eminescu, was the gift the sculptor made to the exhibitions organizers.

“My whole life has been connected to glass making. My father was a glass-maker himself. Near my native village, which is close to the town of Satu Mare, there was the glass factory in Poiana Codrului, the first in Romania. As a child, I had the chance to see glass-makers at work and I loved it. To this day I strongly believe the glass-maker is not a simple worker, but an artist. I practically started from scratch,” says Ion Tamaian, the head of the Ion Art Glass atelier in Selimbar, Sibiu county, who is also the head of the Sibiu branch of the Fine Artists Union. Objects such as glasses, bowls, perfume bottles and vases are being made at the Ion Art Glass atelier. Ion Tamaian:

“We can manufacture here anything that we want and we are constantly trying to stick to the idea that we start from. Of course, when making glass objects we sometimes encounter technical difficulties, and we try to overcome them as we go. So I could not say there is something that we cant do. Of course the glass technology has its limits but if you are a talented glass-maker, a talented artist and technologist there are no limits to reaching your goal and solutions can be found to anything. Im sometimes approached by people who tell me they want a certain object and they even come up with sketches and with technical solutions. We talk, we exchange opinions and try to make an original glass object.”

The most expensive artwork ever made by Ion Art Glass atelier was entitled “Portal” and was sold to a private art collector in the US for 35,000 dollars. Some of the Christmas balls manufactured at the workshop in Selimbar even reached the White House and adorned the Christmas tree there. Ion Tamaian:

“Utility and utility-art objects are exhibited. Tourists from all over the world come to visit out the workshop, as this place is already famous abroad due to its participation in international exhibitions. For this reason, many of the tourists to Transylvania want to pay us a visit. We always show them the whole process of making glass objects and we even let them model the objects themselves, something that they are very happy to do. This is a workshop that has passed the test of time. We resisted on the market because we focused on exports. Its the exports that helped us succeed, as we had exhibitions in various parts of the world, such as the US, which has a very good market and also China, the Nordic countries and Brazil. The real challenge is to be able to keep the standards high and still manage to sell art in difficult economic contexts. By displaying our works at international fairs we manage to keep in touch with important art galleries worldwide.”

12 September 2015
Bucharest, between memory and exploration

Memory is an interactive project that launched Bucharest’s application for the title of European Cultural Capital in 2021. The project is carried out at the recently restored Gabroveni Inn and is in the form of a trilogy: Memory, Exploration and Imagining the City, in which the city functions as both a setting and a protagonist. Svetlana Carstean, the curator of the literary events held at Gabroveni Inn explains:

The first part of the project, Memory, has just started, and will end in mid May. One of the events held at Gabroveni Inn, many of which take place over the weekend, was dedicated to literature. We selected a few authors out of many good one and asked them to speak about the city. We wanted to put them face to face with each other, in order to create some interesting tension arising from their often-contradictory views. Some say they have unconditional love for Bucharest, others say they feel estranged in this city; others say they only feel at home when they return to Bucharest, others say they could leave the city at any time. The project dedicated to literature lasted three days. One debate featured Ioana Parvulescu and Razvan Petrescu and was hosted by critic Florina Parjol. This was followed by a debate between writers Adrian Schiop and Mihai Dutescu hosted by critic Paul Cernat. All writers included in the project have an important connection to Bucharest. Another debate featured writers Gabriela Adamesteanu and Simona Sora and was hosted by literary critic and historian Andreea Rasuceanu. My intention is to have Rasuceanu give a talk all by herself, because she is an extraordinary specialist in literary geography and is now working on a book about how Bucharest is reflected in literature, from the works of Mircea Cartarescu to those or Simona Sora.

The Memory project also included a poetry marathon with Adela Greceanu, Florin Iaru, Octavian Soviany, Miruna Vlada and Elena Vladareanu, an event hosted by Svetlana Carstean:

Each of these writers agreed to reveal their relationship with Bucharest. Something extraordinary was born out of these encounters and I would like to continue this series of events, because I would like to hear many more writers talk about Bucharest. This was just one of the projects. Gabroveni Inn is also home to an exhibition that is very different from what I have seen in Bucharest containing a small archive of old photographs from Bucharest. Visitors can choose a photograph, have it scanned and printed and then exhibit it at a different location, accompanied by their thoughts about the photograph in question and the memories it brings back. I have seen many people doing this and we also have many such recollections from writers.

The first part of the trilogy dedicated to Bucharest, the Memory of the City, aims at creating a cognitive and emotional map of Bucharest based on photographs and footage originating from private collections and archives. The inhabitants of the city are encouraged to contribute their own photographs and recollections capturing life in the metropolis. Curator Svetlana Carstean:

When I joined this project, thinking about what type of events to propose and how to bring together the most interesting people, I never thought of the consequences, of the fact that I would have to reconsider my own position. The process of ‘memory’ started out with a handful of people and I think it will continue with many more others. This is in fact one of the aims of the project and one of the criteria involved in the assessment of Bucharest’s application, namely the authentic and massive activation of the community. I would like that not only the people in the artistic community would speak about how they see Bucharest, which is in itself very interesting, given that we rarely see writers come together and speak about Bucharest. It is very interesting to hear writer Andrei Schiop say that if he makes some money, he plans to buy an apartment in Ferentari. Or hear someone else say they want to get as far as possible away from Bucharest. I was not born in Bucharest, but in Botosani, and I spent the first few years of my life in the countryside, with my grandparents, so I went through two traumatic moments in my life: first, when I was seven and had to adjust to living in a town, Botosani, small, but a town nevertheless, and a second time when I arrived in the big city, the metropolis. I have been living in Bucharest since 1988, for 27 years, so I could say I am at home here, and in a sense I am. However, I don’t really feel at home here, I have not really been adopted by this city. I have seen the city go through different stages, I have lived in many places, whether apartment blocks or houses so run-down they were almost collapsing, others in good condition, others that felt like living in a ghetto. I think this project will be a permanent source of surprise and it is clear to me that I have to reconsider my own position vis-à-vis this subject.

In 2021, there is a chance that Bucharest may join a long list of European cities that were awarded the title of European Capital of Culture. The national competition to select the city that would apply for the title on behalf of Romania was launched in December 2014. Apart from Bucharest, other Romanian cities vying to apply for the title are Cluj Napoca, Timisoara, Iasi, Craiova, Arad, Sfantu Gheorghe, Oradea, Alba Iulia, Braila and Brasov.

29 August 2015