The Romanian Academy in Rome between Tradition and Vanguard

(by Andrea Solea) Between 27th of May and 11th of June, the Romanian Academy in Rome presented the 7th edition of Spazi Aperti re:making worlds. As the title suggests, the event brought together different stylistic elements: video, installation, performance, painting, sculpture, architecture, photography, music, dance, which wavered between the realm of reality and fantasy, between time past and time present, bearer in this way of the philosophical concepts of Eliot.
The first edition took place in 2004, as an initiative of the Romanian artists scholars “Vasile Pârvan” from the Romanian Academy in Rome, under the direct guidance and support of the art critic Dan Eugen Pineta, director of the institution, in the period 2001-2008. Within the years, the event gained experience, achieving a certain level of popularity and acknowledgement in the Roman world: in 2005 it was created the today concept, a complex event, having in the centre the visual arts manifestations, in 2006 were invited for the first time the young artists from Offset 2005 (Romania), in 2007 the participation of the foreign artists extended, having, at the same time, the patronage of MACRO and Comune di Roma and, in 2008 it was organised in partnership with the German Academy in Rome - Villa Massimo.
This year’s edition proposed a collaboration between the artists in residence at foreign academies and institutes in Rome: the American Academy, the Belgian Academy, the Danish Academy, Académie de France à Rome – Villa Medici, the German Academy Rome Villa Massimo, the Hungarian Academy, the British School at Rome, the Scandinavian Circle, the Swedish Institute, the Swiss Institute, the Royal Spanish, Academy and Temple University, and had as special guest the National Academy of Fine Arts in Bucharest, that exhibited the works of young Romanian talents: Michele Bressan, Valeriu Cătălineanu, George Enache, Anca Ştirbacu, Dragoş Stroe. The Romanian Academy was represented at a very high level by its scholars: Marius Purice (sculptor), Monica Timofei and Paul Timofei (painters).
Participants include: David Humphrey, Marie Lorenz, Jeff Williams (American Academy), Térèse Dehin (Belgian Academy), Fie Tanderup (Danish Academy), Emmanuel Giraud (Académie de France à Rome – Villa Medici), Henriette Grahnert, Jochen Lempert, Charlotte Seither, Daniel Widrig (German Academy Rome Villa Massimo), János Kórodi, Erik Mátrai, Annamaria Őry, Nóra Bujdosó (Hungarian Academy), Chris Cook, Katie Cuddon, Celia Hempton, Eddie Peake (The British School at Rome), Daniel Hoflund (Scandinavian Circle), Amanda Werger (Swedish Institute), Luzia Hürzeler, Una Szeemann e Bohdan Stehlik (Swiss Institute), Ingrid Buchwald, Iñaki Carnicero, Iñaki Estrada Torio, Héctor Fernández-Elorza, Fernando Maquieira, Jaumesimo Sabatergarau, Manuel Saiz, Toni Tena (Royal Spanish Academy), Christopher Hartshorne, Louis-Pierre Lachapelle, Sheryl Oppenheim (Temple University).
Special guests include: Paolo Assenza (Italia), Georgiana Branea e Doru Popescu (Romania), John Cascone (Italia), Adina Drinceanu e Matteo Peretti (Italia), Alessandra Giacinti (Italia), Mark Kostabi (Italia/USA), Myriam Laplante (Italia/ Canada), Gianni Piacentini (Italia) e Chocolate Starfish.
An important event was the theatre performance by Telluris Associati on a text by Mircea Eliade “La colonna infinita”, a mixture of philosophy, music, colours represented in an unconventional space of the Academy.
A special part of the manifestation was represented by the musical performances: Alexander Bălănescu of the Bălănescu Quartet in London with the Romanian cult vocalist Ada Milea presented in the opening, the project The Island, a great combination between music and theatre that had a very good impact on the public and also good critics. In the following evenings, the Academy proposed a concert of electronic music of the Conservatory “Santa Cecilia” in Rome, with the participation of great Italian musicians (professors and students): Delia Surrat, Giorgio Nottoli, Giovanni Costantini, Domenico De Simone, Enzo Filippetti, Luca Sanzò, Luca Margoni, Stefano Busiello, Paolo Rotili, Simone Pappalardo, Dario Salamone.
The last evening brought to the limelight two different types of performances: the first of them, named Florilegium! Che fare? curated by CA.BRO, seemed to confirm the Shakespearean “so much noise for nothing”; the second event, a concert of Argentinean Tango performed by Marco Lo Russo Ensemble ( Marco Lo Russo – accordion, Sandra Gigli – voice, Guido Felizzi – violin and Massimo Zagonari - saxophone and flute) delighted the audience with their Latin passion, expressiveness and virtuosic technique due to their musical professionalism.
We are waiting anxiously for the eighth edition of Spazi Aperti, having the certitude that there is much to be done in the field of cultural relations and exchanges between Romania and Italy!

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