The Romanian Caravan focused on two of the most important cities of Transylvania – Cluj and Târgu Mureș, known for their important contribution to the cultural life of the region and of the country. If Târgu Mureș is mostly known for its vibrant independent theaters, Cluj has become famous for its vitality in all sectors of contemporary arts and creativity, producing famous events and initiatives in contemporary visual arts, performing arts and cinema.

Cluj is the second Romanian city in terms of cultural vitality, with a multicultural scene that generated the most significant independent cultural space, several independent performing arts initiatives and festivals, two major state theaters and a film festival. The contemporary art scene in Cluj has recently been in focus at an important exhibition at the Budapest Kunsthalle, the choice being described as follows: Cluj’s contemporary art has for years been the subject of special international attention...The success story of Cluj is no overnight “miracle” however, as it is a continuously growing, multi-layered phenomenon. Its development and evolution have not only required exceptional artistic talent, inspiration and perhaps a bit of luck, but in the background, are also the result of mostly private initiatives, as well as an immense amount of work, an open attitude, persistence and conscious self-positioning on the part of independent art institutions.

Târgu Mureș, located just 100 km away from Cluj, although smaller in size, has produced some of the most active independent theater initiatives, being an important scene of cultural activity, especially in performing arts, for both Romanian and Hungarian communities.

The Caravan meeting allowed participants to get in touch with the local performing arts scene from both cities, during a 3 days-programme including meetings with local producers, performances from both independent producers and state theaters, visits to both cities and discussions and presentations of relevant initiatives from Romania. The programme also gave the participants the occasion to explore the cities and their spaces, get to know professionals from diverse sectors and use the context of the network to establish new projects and collaborations.  

This caravan was organised in partnership with Altart Foundation, Fabrica de Pensule,Colectiv A, GroundFloor Group and Theodor-Christian Popescu.

Image in banner: © Adrian Farcas