The project wants to create a platform for trans-disciplinary discussions and debates exploring how public art encourages a critical engagement with the structures of power which are dominant in society. It opens with an international conference which brings together theorists, representatives of institutions, as well as key figures of the cultural and public life of Bucharest.
Conference
Curated by Marius Babias and
Sabine Hentzsch
Spatiul Public Bucuresti | Public Art Bucharest 2007 is a pilot project which
creates a platform for trans-disciplinary discussions and debates exploring how
public art encourages a critical engagement with the structures of power which are
dominant in society.. The non-existence of a public sphere in Romania during
Communism created the conditions for the unfettered capitalism of the post-Communist
period to acquire a monopoly on the public space. Bucharest is one of the fastest
developing cities in Europe, however one where post-Communism and globalization have
created specific tensions and eccentric juxtapositions in the architecture, urban
environment and social life. The ways in which people in the city perceive,
experience and respond to these tensions define an active public space, which needs
to be acknowledged by the cultural discourse and analysed in open debates.
The project Spatiul Public Bucuresti | Public Art Bucharest 2007 has three objectives:
--to support Bucharest’s synchronization with the evolution of contemporary art and
to create awareness about the importance of the public space;
--in the medium term, to create a self-sustained initiative for public art;
--in the long term this self-sustained initiative allows continuous and consistent
realization of public art projects.
For the pilot stage of the project, taking place throughout 2007, the following
Romanian artists with international profile were invited to participate: Mircea
Cantor, Anetta Mona Chisa in collaboration with Lucia Tkovove,
Nicoleta Esinencu, H.arta, Daniel Knorr, Dan Perjovschi, and Lia Perjovschi. The
artists’ projects confront the public with a series of contemporary themes relevant
both from an international perspective and for a context in which the exercise of
democracy has not yet been fully incorporated. The streets, squares and markets of
the city, public and private institutions, public transportation, and mass media
channels constitute settings for the artists’ interventions. Within the artists’
projects a central role is held by a multifunctional project space, which opens in
September for one month, with a daily program of activities. Professionals from
different fields will present and discuss contemporary issues. The project space
will attract not
only an audience with a cultural background, but also young people, a casual street
audience or people frequenting bars. Along with the discussions and workshops, a
variety of activities will be staged, such as lectures, film projections, musical
performances and club events.
The artists’ books series is published by IDEA Publishing House Cluj and Walther
Koenig Cologne, 2007.
Spatiul Public Bucuresti | Public Art Bucharest 2007 opens on 20th of April 2007
with an international conference which brings together theorists, representatives of
institutions which are supporting public art initiatives, as well as key figures of
the cultural and public life of Bucharest. The conference participants are: Marius
Babias, Marlis Drevermann, Sabine Hentzsch, Olaf Metzel, Timotei Nadasan,
Horia-Roman Patapievici, Serban Sturdza, Michael M. Thoss, and Adriean Videanu.
Initiated by the partner institutions Goethe-Institut Bukarest, Institutul Cultural
Roman (ICR), and Allianz Kulturstiftung. Financially supported by the Cultural
Programme of the German EU Presidency in 2007 provided by the German Foreign Office,
and Erste Foundation. Media partners: IDEA, Verlag der Buchhandlung Walther
Koenig, Cologne, Suplimentul de Cultura, E-cart.ro.
april 20, 2007 h.16
Biblioteca Centrala Universitara Carol I
str. C.A.Rosetti - Bucharest