Art Safari

Art Safari is an annual event devoted to Romanian and regional art, with a focus on contemporary trends and evolutions.

Corina Cristea, 13.05.2015, 13:54

Over 3,000 paintings, sculptures and other works of
contemporary and heritage art can be admired in Bucharest, at the Art Safari
International Fair. The 2nd Art Safari enjoys the participation of over 50 museums and galleries from
Romania and abroad. There are galleries from Italy, Denmark, Austria, Hungary
and Germany, and an overall number of 60 stands, says the director of the
fair, Silvia Rogozea, who has announced that the modern and contemporary art
works on display can also be purchased.
Romania is represented at the fair by art museums from Galati, Arad,
Constanţa, Pitesti, Ramnicu Sarat and Targu Mures and by works bearing the
signature of Octav Bancila, Camil Ressu, Nicolae Tonitza, Iosif Iser and Ana
Stefania Andronic, respectively.

The fair is also the venue for workshops,
debates and talks on such issues as the art market, visual arts before 1989,
local and national museums. The fair, which comes to a close on Sunday, has
come up with a first this year, namely a new stand for artists under 25 years
of age. Why is Romania hosting a contemporary art fair? The organisers say the
event is one of the necessary steps that should be taken forward, in an effort
to contribute actively to enriching contemporary visual arts, as art reaches
the consumer who visits art galleries, national and international museums or
who sees exhibitions. This is the best opportunity to meet curators, gallery
owners and exhibitors, collectors, art aficionados and particularly artists.
The venue was not chosen by chance, as the Ciclop building in downtown
Bucharest, the first multi-storey parking lot in Romania’s capital city, built
in the 20th century, in the mid 1930s, still impresses people,
through its architectural value, its history and endurance.

Displaying works of
art in this building is described by the organisers as a creative intervention
on a non-conventional space. Art Safari 2015 supports budding
artists, but also promotes heritage art. We were happy to see that so many
people expressed their wish to take part in Art Safari, we’ve seen a real
coagulation of the artistic world around the event. There should be a
consistent support for commercial contemporary art galleries, by means of a
coherent program, so that we can become part of a naturally developed art
market, says Ioana Ciocan, the organiser of Art Safari. The event is meant to
place Bucharest on the map of big European contemporary art fairs, contributing
actively to the artistic community’s efforts to promote contemporary Romanian
art and Bucharest’s urban culture.