In the summer of 2024, around twenty artists from different practices and nationalities gathered in Săcel, in the Maramureș region, in a residency hosted by gallery owner Anca Poterașu.
Artists: Yasmina Assbane, Aurora Kiraly, Yana Bachynska, Megan Dominescu, Anetta Mona Chișa, Kamruzzaman Shadhin, Tanja Boukal, Željko Beljan, Bogdan Rata, Dan Visovan, Delia Popa, Mihaela Moldovan, Loredana Ilie, Ilie Mihali, Donald Simionoiu
Curator: Marie Maertens
22 October- 5 December 2024
26 Popa Soare Street, Bucharest
Anca Poterașu Gallery presents an exhibition that brings to the forefront artists who have had the opportunity to learn traditional weaving, sewing and textile dyeing techniques from local artisans, applying these skills in contemporary creations. The exhibition not only preserves and protects intangible cultural heritage, but also promotes more sustainable and environmentally friendly practices. Works on display include textiles, ceramics, wood and recyclable materials, reflecting a unique blend of tradition and contemporary innovation.
After days of observing and discovering the area, workshops were quickly organized, allowing participants to learn ceramics or weaving techniques. Focused on environmental respect and sustainability, the residency project required the artists to work with local materials. Alongside this respect for the land was the discovery of each artist’s customs, a sort of geographical initiation and personal exploration.
A kiln, built on-site, allowed for the firing of ceramics made from regional stoneware, while the wool for the weavings came from village sheep, along with the pigments used to color them. Alongside this respect for the land was the discovery of each artist’s customs, a sort of geographical initiation and personal exploration. The project was then set to travel to Vienna, Zagreb, and simultaneously to Bucharest, continuing the tradition of revisiting ancient customs with reflections on territorial and gender assignments.
Artists for Artists Residency Network (AFAR) is an EU cofunded project, also supported by the Administration of the National Cultural Fund. The residency program aims to improve the mobility of contemporary visual artists and curators in Romania, Germany, Croatia, and Austria. The project is led by the Romanian Association for Contemporary Art (ARAC), in partnership with Goethe Institute Network, the Croatian Association of Fine Artists, and Künstlerhaus Vienna.
The AFAR Network project is co-funded by the European Union. “The views and opinions expressed, however, are solely those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the European Union. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held
responsible for them.”
The project is also supported by the financial contribution of the MaramureÈ™ County Council.
Partners: Goethe Institute Network, Croatian Association of Fine Artists, Künstlerhaus
Vienna, Austrian Cultural Forum, French Institute Bucharest.
