Romania, guest of honor at EUROPALIA 2019

The EUROPALIA International Arts Festival has kicked off in Brussels, with Romania as guest of honor

Mihai Pelin, 01.10.2019, 13:55

An exhibition devoted to the great
Romanian-born sculptor Constantin Brancusi will mark the opening of the
EUROPALIA International Arts Festival in Brussels, in the presence of President
Klaus Iohannis and the members of the Royal House of Belgium. Brancusi – The
Transcendence of Form is the most important event devoted to Brancusi held in
the last few decades, and the first retrospective exhibition organized in
Belgium. The exhibition comprises nearly two hundred of his works, including
The Wisdom of the Earth, Prayer or the first work in The Kiss series.
According to organizers, the public has already expressed an interest in the
exhibits, and the bookings already exceed expectations. EUROPALIA Romania is
the most important cultural promotion project carried out by the Romanian
Cultural Institute. The director of the Brussels branch, Liliana Turoiu, who
coordinated the program, said the festival will also help promote the works of
other contemporary artists.

It is a living and vibrant
project. The messages of contemporary art resonate at European level. There
will be exchanges between young artists who have created new works, it will
be a starting point for many Romanian young artists. The festival will mark
their European debut, because from here, in Brussels, their voice will be heard
worldwide.

The EUROPALIA Romania program will
also bring about the biggest film review ever made in the 21st
century. Over 100 films will be screened as part of a program titled The
videos of a nation, aimed at introducing the Belgian audience to Romania’s
recent history via film. Apart from film screenings, many other cultural events
will he held. Here is the President of the Romanian Cultural Institute, Horia
Barna:

We like to believe EUROPALIA Romania
is the biggest cultural promotion project ever organized by the Romanian
Cultural Institute. Over the course of four eventful months, Romania will be
organizing some 250 important events, presenting some of its best cultural
projects right now.

The agenda of the festival will
include events in the fields of visual arts, performing arts, music, film,
literature and cultural education, to be held in Belgium, France, the
Netherlands, Germany, Luxembourg and Great Britain. EUROPALIA is one of the
biggest arts festivals in the world, this year reaching its 50th
edition. Its most successful edition gathered some 1.5 million visitors.
Romania also took part in the 2007 edition.

(translated by V. Palcu)