NOCA: Contemporary art center to open in Romania's Oradea

NOCA (New Oradea Contemporary Art), a hub for to contemporary visual art, is set to open next month in Oradea, in northwestern Romania.

It is meant as a "cultural lab dedicated to meetings between modern and contemporary art, multidisciplinary practices and events, and established and emerging artists."

The center was founded by Oradea City Hall through the Foundation for the Preservation of Historical Monuments in Bihor County – Oradea Heritage, which manages the center.

The project is being launched alongside partners such as the Museum of Recent Art (MARe) and Suprainfinit Gallery in Bucharest.

NOCA is to host two major exhibitions every year, at least one show dedicated to the students of the Oradea Art University and in the North-West region, and to emerging artists, as well as public talks, performances, and educational events.

The first exhibition it will host, curated by Suzana and Cristina Vasilescu, will gather works by Apparatus 22 Vioara Bara, Ștefan Bertalan, Alex Bodea, Ana Botezatu, Michele Bressan, Rudolf Bone, Christian Jankowski, Marta Jakobovits, Ciprian Mureșan, Miron Schmückle, Ion Țuculescu, and Ecaterina Vrana.

"NOCA is not just an exhibition venue, it is a cultural laboratory that will stimulate the dialogue between artists, the community and visitors. In addition to its heritage restoration mission, Oradea Heritage aims to create living contexts, and NOCA is the perfect example of a bridge between the past and the present. The space is also designed to complement the visiting experience of the other five tourist attractions managed by Oradea Heritage (Darvas-La Roche House, Sion Neolog Synagogue, Jewish History Museum, Oradea City Hall Tower and the Freemasonry Museum) but also a new landmark for Oradea students and emerging artists, a point of dialogue with established artists," Alexandru Chira, the executive director of Oradea Heritage, explained.

"We want NOCA to be an open place – a space where artists can experiment, and the public can discover new forms of sensitivity and thinking. Oradea has a distinct energy – a city with a strong identity, which deserves a contemporary center. More than that, we would like the local scene to have a platform that gives local artists visibility," according to NOCA curators Suzana and Cristina Vasilescu.

The center will open to the public on October 17.

(Photo: Oradea Heritage)