Timisoara to be the Romanian capital of contemporary art for a month

Timisoara, a city located in western Romania, will turn into a gallery of contemporary art between October 3 and October 31, during the first edition of Art Encounters. The event, which is called Appearance and Essence, is curated by Rainald Schumacher and Nathalie Hoyos from Berlin. Over 100 artists will exhibit their works in 17 different locations in the city, such as the Museum of Art, the Revolution Memorial, Cetate Synagogue, Timco Halls, and Cazarma U. The event is conceived as a “dialogue between the Romanian contemporary art and the current international context, a dialogue facilitated by several Romanian artists whose works are recognized in Romania and abroad (Horea Bernea, Stefan Bertalan, Adrian Ghenie, Ana Lupaș, Alex Mirutziu, Paul Neagu), but also foreign artists who refer to the Romanian space in their works (Saâdane Afif, A Kassen, Rosa Barba, Sophia Hultén),” reads a statement of Art Encounters Foundation. The multimedia installation Multivision 1 (1972-1978) of the Sigma group will be reconstructed for the first time in 37 years, during this event. Also, Darwin's Room by Adrian Ghenie, an installation which gives the impression of walking into the reality of an old master’s studio, will be exhibited at this event (Romania’s Adrian Ghenie, among most acclaimed at Venice Art Biennale) The event's program also includes drawings by Geta Bratescu, titled K (1976–1978), which might bear a reference to Franz Kafka’s novel The Castle and the oppressive communist regime, never shown to the public before. There will also be concerts, workshops, and talks The budget for the whole event is about EUR 200,000, most of which comes from private sources. The Art Encounters Foundation was established in 2015 by Romanian entrepreneur Ovidiu Sandor. Sandor, a well-known real estate investor, is also an active contemporary art collector. He is a member of the East European and Russian Art Acquisitions Committee at the Tate Modern Museum in London. Find out more about the event here. Irina Popescu, irina.popescu@romania-insider.com (photo source: ArtEncounters on Facebook)