Visual Arts

Starting with October 21st, 2020, the I.L. Caragiale National Theatre hosts, for the 3rd consecutive year, the National Photography Salon "Photogeographica".  In the special context determined by the restrictions imposed by the coronavirus pandemic, the works shortlisted from a number of over 1,500 photos entered in the contest by the over 200 participants from all over the country, can be viewed only from outside the NTB building, these being displayed in the windows of the Media Foyer towards Tudor Arghezi Street and towards Intercontinental. Photogeographica is the most important event at national level in the field of photography competitions for young people, with the aim of promoting the values ​​of nature, culture and Romanian traditions, winner of the Youth Gala in Romania. The project is coordinated by Paul Bordaș, with the special support of the “I.L. Caragiale” National Theatre of Bucharest. On Tuesday, October 20th, 2020, starting at 6:30 p.m., the Photogeographica 2020 award ceremony will take place online and streamed live on the Facebook page of Photogeographica. On this occasion, the Photogeographica 2020 catalogue will be launched, which will contain, in addition to the awarded photos within the three sections: cultural heritage, natural landscape and wildlife, also the most successful works from the photo gallery of the contest (online exhibition www.fotogeografica.ro 2020). "Photogeographica has become an institution that discovers young and passionate photographers, many of whom are already becoming top photographers. Their talent rendered it possible to publish articles about wild nature, remarkable species, surprising landscapes, the still almost untouched charm of the mountain village world. Such photographers have become known internationally as ambassadors of a charming Romania”. Cristian Lascu, senior editor of National Geographic Romania, president of the Photogeographica jury Traditional partners: National Geographic Romania, Zitec, University of Bucharest-Faculty of Geography, DJST Hunedoara, Student Club of Photographic Art, Radio Bucharest Fm, UNESCO ProNatura, Wild Romania, Artographic, Orizont Sibiu Photoclub, Hunedoara Association of Photographic Artists, Sphinx Speleological Association, GO4FUN, Photo Course, Association for the Conservation of Biological Diversity, Life Wolf, Focul Viu Speleological Association, Orizont Photoclub, Foto4ever, Exclus Prod, Centre for Environmental Research and Impact Studies, Scouts of Romania - St. Nicholas Local Centre Details on the Photogeographica 2020 programme on www.fotogeografica.ro, https://www.facebook.com    Translated by Simona Nichiteanu 

  It is a disturbing tribute-exhibition, organized by the National Council for the Study of Securitate Archives (CNSAS) in partnership with the Konrad Adenauer Foundation (KAS), dedicated to those Romanians whose gestures of conscience and civic courage prefaced and facilitated the Revolution of December 1989. With very few exceptions, the documents selected from the files of the former Securitate speak about cases unknown to the general audience - authors of manifestos and letters of protest, founders of clandestine unions or people who, following anti-totalitarian actions, ended up in psychiatric asylums. 80 cases are exposed, accompanied by bilingual explanations (Romanian and English). The exhibition retrospectively describes the last decade of Nicolae Ceaușescu's dictatorship, by unveiling the civic mobilization and actions that anticipated the fall of the communist regime in December 1989. (Curator: Cristina Mohan. Concept: Carmen Iovițu) Admission is free, but wearing a mask remains mandatory throughout the visit of the exhibition. The cultural events presented in the White Night of the Galleries will take place, for the first time, for three days, with the provision of measures to prevent contamination with COVID-19.   Translated by Simona Nichiteanu 

On March 4th, 2020, the I.L. Caragiale National Theatre of Bucharest opened the photography exhibition dedicated to the great actor George Motoi, entitled Under the Actor’s Mask. Exactly five years have elapsed since he had left the theatre and life stage for good. Unfortunately, a few days later, the theatre would close its doors to the audience, constrained by measures taken by the authorities to limit the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic. Thus, all those who wanted to visit this exhibition were prevented, not having access to the building. We would wear masks, some medical ones, just as we would be isolated, away from the shows that have delighted tens and hundreds of thousands of people in recent years. And yet, in its effort to be as close as possible to the loyal audience, lovers of performing arts and actors, the National Theatre of Bucharest decided, in addition to the performances adapted to the outdoor space at the NTB Amphitheatre, to move the exhibition dedicated to George Motoi from the Arghezi Foyer to be accessible to the audience further. Thus, since the beginning of August, all those who pass by the National Theatre - on the side with the Intercontinental Hotel - will have the opportunity to see the 20 photos exhibited in such a way that the distance and protection measures imposed by the authorities are observed. On this occasion, the National Theatre keeps its promise to stay with the spectators in difficult times, while honoring the memory of its great actors, now gone. George Motoi was born in the winter of 1936, in Caliacra. Shortly afterwards, the Quadrilateral was ceded to Bulgaria, and his father, a gendarme, was transferred with his family to a commune in Bărăgan, remarkably close to Brăila. The father would have wanted a military career for his son. In 1954, he started studying at the Institute of Theatre and Cinematography in Bucharest, in the class of Prof. Irina Răchițeanu. He was then assigned to Piatra-Neamț where, in 1959, he founded what we call today, the Youth Theatre. He was the director of the "Maria Filotti" Theatreof Brăila, between 1991-1995. He played at the theatre in Bacău, at the National Theatreof Cluj (where he stands out in the role of Caligula, in the eponymous play by Albert Camus, under the direction of Vlad Mugur). Radu Beligan, director of the “I.L. Caragiale” National Theatre in Bucharest, brings him to the capital and, from 1972 to 2007, he could be seen on stage in shows such as “Danton” (1974), “Richard III” ( 1976), „Vlaicu Vodă” (1982), „One Flew over theCuckoo's Nest” (1983), „The Dance of the Fairies” (1986), „The Name of the Rose” (1998), „My Sweet Lady, My Beloved Emin” - adaptation and self-directed (2002), "The Passions of St. Thomas Aquinas" (2005) or "Saturday, Sunday, Monday" (2006). His film career includes at least 45 lead roles. He has appeared in dozens of television shows and directed numerous plays. He wrote “Under the Actor’s Mask”, Orion Publishing House, 2006 and “New Stage Versions of Old Plays”, Coresi Publishing House, 2010, published in 2 volumes. In 2015, he received the Journalism Award from the Film Critics Association. George Motoi, a special personality of the Romanian theatrical and cinematographic culture, was awarded by the authorities with the Labour Medal, the “Cultural Merit” Medal and the “Third Class Cultural Merit” Order. He was also named Honorary Citizen of the city of Brăila. The exhibition "Under the Actor’s Mask" can be visited at any time, access is free. However, we recommend that you wear a health mask in accordance with the regulations in force regarding access to cultural events.   Translated by Simona Nichiteanu 

The Mixed Media Mood exhibition signed by Daniela Voicila Dragulescu, painter, set designer, costume designer - inaugurates a new exhibition season at the "I.L. Caragiale" National Theatre.Daniela Vocila Dragulescu studied from 1983 - 1988 at the Academy of Fine Arts Nicolae Grigorescu, Bucharest, the painting and scenography department. Member of UAP, UCIN, IWS Romania.Since 1982, she has been participating in collective painting and scenography exhibitions, signing numerous sets (some awarded with prizes) in theatre - especially for puppet and marionette theaters, film and television, and was present with solo exhibitions in Romania and France. About the exhibition at the National Theatre, the artist confesses:“Every exhibition means a story.A story always begins with: once upon a time ... In my case, once upon a time ... in the beginning, the aquatint, the quick technique I fell in love with before entering the Faculty of Arts and to which I remained faithful as to first love. Then followed the oil, a sumptuous and vast technique such as the endless colours of the rainbow. Finally, I recently leaned on mixed media art, a newer technique (new to me, because otherwise what's new in fine art today ?!), an interfering technique in which I think I can carry and extend my stories on new lands, not yet explored by me.Three love stories, three hypostases, a curve over time and, why not, a new reverent wonder at the privilege of telling with the brush old or more recent stories, lived or dreamed.” The exhibition will be hosted by the Media Foyer (Intercontinental wing) and can be visited from February 6th to 28th, 2020. The opening is scheduled for Sunday, February 9th, 2020, at 5.30 pm  Translated by Simona Nichiteanu 

Painting and sculpture exhibition, opening on January 28th, 2020We have the great pleasure to announce that on Tuesday, January 28th, 2020, from 7:00 p.m., the Rotunda Hall of the "IL Caragiale" National Theatre of Bucharest will varnish the painting and sculpture exhibition Dramatic Hypostases. The exhibition "Dramatic Hypostases", organized within the Contemporaries Cultural Project, reunites a collection of 50 works of painting, sculpture and metal signed by the artists Eugen Ilina, Bogdan Hojbotă, Laurențiu Midvichi and Vasile Soponariu.Impressive through the sculptural shapes it proposes, teeming with colour and drama, narrative, descriptive, abstract, incendiary, explosive, invigorating, violent, the exhibition enchants and overwhelms, presenting to the spectator worlds from the artist's imagination, captured from the sublime to the grotesque. The works proposed by the four artists are achieved in several stages of creative consumption of their lives and are sprung from an attempt to achieve a synthesis of the immediate, of the everyday. Thus, the exhibition "Dramatic Hypostases" can be considered a preamble to the atmosphere of the plays on the stage of the NTB Small Hall, or maybe the plays being performed are a preamble to understand the works exhibited in the Rotunda Hall?In the opening of the exhibition, Adriana Popescu, director of communication and international relations of NTB, and Maria Pasc, from the Contemporaries Cultural Project will take the floor.The exhibition "Dramatic Hypostases" will be open to the public for one month, from January 28th to February 28th, 2020, and may be visited daily between 2 pm and 7 pm, except on Mondays. Public access to the exhibition Rotunda is possible from the entrance to the NTB Small Hall, from the Carol boulevard. Entrance is free.You are most welcome! The Contemporaries Cultural Project, initiated and carried out by the Făuritori Association, aims at enhancing the current Romanian culture, by promoting the act of creation, approached in a unitary perspective with the creator. The project aims at organising and supporting artistic and social-cultural activities, at educating the audience’s aesthetic sensibility.  Translated by Simona Nichiteanu 

The project 1178? - Gesture for Heroes gathers artists in a symbolic process of remembrance, restoration and acknowledgement. Officially, 1178 people died at the Revolution, but the number is not yet final, many files are waiting for a verdict even now. Our gesture against oblivion, simple and discreet, reminds us of those who passed away in December 1989 and perhaps disappeared from the collective memory. The artistic gestures will be reunited in electronic format and presented in the form of projections held simultaneously between December 17th and 22nd, 2019 in five major cultural centres in Bucharest, at the headquarters of the host partners: ARCUB - Cultural Centre of Bucharest Municipality, Cotroceni National Museum, Museum National of Romanian Literature, “IL Caragiale” National Theatre of Bucharest and Galateca Gallery. The opening will take place on December 17th, 2019, from 6:30 pm, at the ARCUB headquarters in 84-90 Lipscani st. The project is a cultural and civic attitude, without political involvement. Partners: 21st December Association, ARCUB, Cotroceni National Museum, National Museum of Romanian Literature, the "I.L. Caragiale" National Theater of Bucharest, Galateca Gallery. Project launched by the Union of Visual Artists - Graphic Arts Branch and carried out with the support of the Capital City Hall through ARCUB and all partner institutions, with the pro bono involvement of the artists and the project team consisting of Anca Boeriu, Stefana Marmureanu and Alexandru Simion-Boeriu.   Translated by Simona Nichiteanu 

The ArhivaDeArta Gallery in collaboration with KinetoBebe Association and Mrs. Elena Luminița Radu have the honour to invite you to the opening of the Charitable Exhibition Soulful Paintings from December 3rd, 2019, at 5.30 pm, hosted by the I.L. Caragiale National Theatre. The charity exhibition Soulful Paintings brings together over 40 artists who have enthusiastically expressed their willingness to support the cause of children with disabilities, so we would be honored and delighted by the support given to this project through your direct participation, donations or sponsorships. With this project we bring together a joy for children who have to spend their months, or maybe even their childhood years in therapy centres. There they play, read, learn, laugh and cry, take their first steps, say their first words and enjoy every moment with therapists and parents. The event Soulful Paintings will be curated, alongside artists, by art critic Pavel Susara, who assures us that it is not easy to paint either a landscape, a portrait or a still life, but it is quite an adventure, the calligraphic transparency of the Roman aquarellas, the Nabis avalanches of colour and all that indescribable development so specific, along with the artist's graphic art, carry an indisputable personal imprint, whether they recall pre-existing formulas or they are almost objective chromatic works, beyond any model and author. This event will be attended by about 200 guests from the non-governmental organizations in the field, media partners, personalities from the artistic and business environment who support the projects of the collaborating organizations, representatives of the different institutions, parliamentarians, members of the diplomatic corps as well as of the Romanian Presidency, Home Ministry, Doctors of the Romanian Academy. Special guests Anca Pandrea Irina Margareta Nistor Ana Raluca Chisu Founder of KinetoBebe Association   ArhivaDeArtaGallery We are an independent art gallery in Romania, founded in 2019 by Ingrid Stegaru. ArhivaDeArta Gallery is a contemporary art gallery dedicated to promoting national and international artists seeking exposure on the global art market. ArhivaDeArtă links artists both in the online environment, through the platform managed by us and offline, through the artistic events we manage every month of the year. All this in one place creates a growing family dedicated to the world of fine arts. KinetoBebe Association For 10 years, in the Pediatric Recovery Centres KinetoBebe, we have helped over 8000 children, often diagnosed with neurological, orthopedic, severe prematurity or various genetic diagnoses (West, Down, Reth, etc.). The activities of the KinetoBebe Association include thousands of free motor assessments in schools and social clinics, advising future parents on the neuromotor development of children, awareness events and informing parents and teachers about the importance of children's development in the first years of life; all to prevent and trigger alarms before the little ones develop spinal disorders or other neuromotor problems. For those who cannot afford their therapy financially, the KinetoBebe Association has launched the "Therapy Scholarships" programme and, thus, dozens of children diagnosed with serious illnesses, benefit from free integrated neuromotor recovery programs (kinetotherapy, speech therapy, psychology) from the earliest days of life. We experience the greatest joy when we manage to complete the many therapy sessions and see in the eyes of the little ones the happiness of their success!   Translated by Simona Nichiteanu 

Photo exhibition May B - presented at the National Theatre Festival 2019 The exhibition opening will take place on Wednesday, October 23rd, 2019, 8 pm, in the Studio Hall Foyer of the NTB In the red brick foyer of the Studio Hall of the National Theatre of Bucharest - an exhibition that can be viewed either as a prologue or as an epilogue to the famous show "May B", signed by the great choreographer Maguy Marin. As a prelude, as a preamble, or as an extension of the impression left by the show, the 22 photographs speak about the atmosphere, the universe, the aura surrounding the show. The final result of the actors’ transformation, through a long and complicated make-up process, is immortalized by photographer Jean-Louis Fernandez in 12 photos of size 70 x 100cm, portraits of the actors of the Maguy Marin Company, of a particular expressionist force. Laurence Danière, present in the exhibition, with 10 photographs 50 × 70 cm, followed the band led by Maguy Marin during the filming of the film "Maguy Marin - L'urgence d'Agir" - which will be presented to the Romanian audiencewithin NTF 2019 - and immortalized many of the characters created by filmmaker David Mambouch. Photographer artists: Jean-Louis Fernandez and Laurence Danière Producer: National Theatre Festival Visiting schedule: October 18 - 27, 2019, Monday through Sunday: 11am - 6pm   Translated by Simona Nichiteanu 

The Exhibition Paul Bortnovski: architect. scenographer. professor - presented at the National Theatre Festival 2019 The opening will take place on Saturday, October 19th, 2019, from 11:00 am, in the Rotunda of the NTB Small Hall. The Romanian public has the opportunity to encounter - for the first time in an exhibition space - the work of scenographer and architect Paul Bortnovski. This gesture of appreciation for a great artist is part of the constant concerns of the National Theatre Festival to resort to the memory of Romanian values. Thus, naturally, a cycle dedicated to the work of the great Romanian scenographers - started in 2005 with the exhibition dedicated to Vittorio Holtier and continued with exhibition highlights that had Helmut Stürmer, Doina Levintza, Dragoș Buhagiar, Lia Manţoc as protagonists. Curators: Vlad Bortnovski and Irina Tapalaga The exhibition Paul Bortnovski: architect. scenographer. professor. will be open for the entire duration of the National Theatre Festival - October 18 - 27, 2019 from Monday to Sunday: 11am - 6pm Producer: National Theatre Festival   Translated by Simona Nichiteanu 

Exhibition Doina Levintza - Theatrical experiment - presented at the National Theatre Festival 2019 The opening of the exhibition will take place on Friday, October 18th, 2019, from 9.30 pm, in the Marble Foyer (ground floor, Grand Hall). Doina Levintza - as a brand, or simply, as an artist name - no longer requires any kind of introduction. The simple saying or reading of this (already!) Patronymic creates, from the beginning, a certain kind of expectation, of a totally different aesthetic. The well-known creator returns to the National Theatre Festival, for the fourth time, with a refined exhibition of costumes held in the central halls ("Marble" and "Tapestries") of the NTB Grand Hall. The exhibition, which commemorates the official opening of NTF 29, bears - by no means a coincidence - the name: Doina Levintza - a Theatrical Experiment. “The theatre costume, like theatre itself, can be an experiment; and the experiment itself is a show. That is why, starting with some representative pieces from my artistic creation, I came to some unexpected silhouettes, an explosion of colours, shapes and impressive volumes. The costume is part of the mechanism of the show and can generate totally unexpected directions. You have to give the viewer and the wearer the freedom to add nuances and sensations to the dress story. The theatre costume is not always a trivial garment, it has to leave room for experimentation, to generate creative energy, to seduce and impress. There are no rules… there are millions of ideas and cloth that, put together, create the Show. ” Doina Levintza Producers: National Theatre Festival and Doina Levintza Foundation Visiting hours: 18 - 27 October 2019, Monday to Sunday: 11.00 - 18.00   Translated by Simona Nichiteanu