We opened Contemporar in Cluj, a pilot space for research, dialog, knowledge and exhibition, dedicated to Romania’s contemporary art scene. The inauguration took place on January 22, 2025 with the vernissages of two exhibitions, “Ziua crește” and “Perspective din punctul zero”, coordinated by Aluvial and Plastic. Admission to all events and exhibitions is free.
Initiated by the Cluj Cultural Centre and the Babeș-Bolyai University of Cluj-Napoca, the space is a testing ground for the flagship project European Center for Contemporary Art (ECCA), one of the most ambitious legacy projects of the city’s bid for the title of Capital of Culture European Capital of Culture and a long-term commitment of the Cluj Cultural Centre.
Contemporar will operate in the premises of the Academic College of UBB Cluj/Auditorium Maximum, on 5 Mihail Kogălniceanu Street, ground floor, Cluj-Napoca.
Exploration space for the local art scene
“Cluj dreams of a European Center of Contemporary Art, and Contemporar takes us one step closer to realizing this goal: here the local art scene will be able to explore and imagine, in different formats, how such an institution could function in the future. Shortly, Contemporar benefits the local art scene and its public by simply the community a new exhibition space for contemporary art,” says the executive director of the Cluj Cultural Centre, Ștefan Teișanu.
Contemporar is conceived as a platform for the contemporary art scene; it will bring together its actors and reflect on its dynamics and functions as a flexible program that will experiment with different formats: exhibitions, debates, workshops, events, accompanied by a mediation component.
The first debate takes place on Thursday, January 23, from 17:00, and brings together The debate discusses the relationship between education and contemporary art.
“Contemporar is for UBB a key element in an ecosystem through which University facilitates the articulation between fields of knowledge, between research, science and artistic creation in an inclusive horizon of critical thinking and democratic values”, says Horea Poenar, UBB Vice Rector responsible for the socio-cultural component.
This program is coordinated, in rotation, by a curator invited by the Cluj Cultural Centre, who will work with local artists, involve key actors of the scene and activate themes and formats that gradually build both a discourse and a practice of future construction institutional. The first part of the program is realized with the curatorial contribution of Young Actions and Abstractions, and the space and program are curated with the support of Mihai Pop, member of the Board of Directors of the Clujean Cultural Center and founder of Plan B Gallery.
The objectives are:
- develop and present a contemporary art program comprising 3 exhibitions and 3 public talks, between November 2024 and February 2025.
- stimulating bilateral collaboration and co-production by involving an artist from Romania and one from Norway in a one-week artistic residency.
- strengthening international cooperation through the participation of two cultural professionals from Romania and one from Norway through an exchange visit to Norway.
The total amount of funding is 621.946,21 lei, equivalent to 124.979,14 euro.The total amount of grant support from EEA and Norwegian grants is 100%.
The project runs from October 28, 2024 to February 28, 2025.
About EEA and Norway Grants
EEA and Norway Grants are Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway’s contribution to a green, competitive and inclusive Europe.
There are two overall objectives: reducing disparities economic and social disparities in Europe and strengthening bilateral relations between the donor countries and 15 EU countries in Central and Southern Europe and the Baltics.
The three donor countries cooperate closely with the EU through the European Economic Area (EEA) Agreement. Between 1994 and 2014, donors provided €3.3 billion through consecutive grant schemes. For the period 2014-2021, EEA and Norwegian grants amount to €2.8 billion.
The RO-CULTURA Program
The RO-CULTURA Program is implemented by the Ministry of Culture through the Management Unit Project and has the general objective of strengthening economic and social development through cultural cooperation, cultural entrepreneurship and cultural heritage management. The Program budget is approximately 34 million euro.
More details are available on www.ro-cultura.ro.
