My journey as a managing editor for Revista ARTA began with my passion for contemporary art and a desire to share my experiences visiting exhibitions around the world, which manifested itself in multiple articles. Over time, however, I realized the importance of focusing on the local art scene right here in Romania.

One aspect that particularly caught my attention was the phenomenon of artist-run spaces. These hubs of creativity are often overlooked but play a crucial role in nurturing emerging talent and fostering experimentation. However, I also noticed that many of these spaces struggle to survive in the long term, which led me to explore their transient nature.

To delve deeper into this topic, I coordinated a dossier for ARTA magazine in 2022, inviting authors from across the globe to contribute. We highlighted ten Romanian artist-run spaces and documented various initiatives that had taken place throughout the years. It was a labor of love aimed at preserving the history of these spaces and celebrating their contributions to the art world.

My involvement in researching the history of artist-run spaces in Timișoara was a particularly enriching experience that followed a scholarship that I receive in 2023. It allowed me to map out the local art scene and recognize the tireless efforts of artists and collectives in shaping it over the past 35 years. Conducting interviews and delving into the archives provided valuable insights into the evolution of artistic practices and community dynamics in the city.

As a result of the Energie! Burse de Creație 2023, a scholarship from the local budget of the Municipality of Timișoara was offered to support artistic creation and cultural journalism.

My research consisted of a series of investigations and interviews with local artists and professionals about the history of artist-run initiatives that started to appear after the revolutions in the 1990s in Timișoara and how artists began to improvise spaces to exhibit in their homes or rent in the city. The research was published in two Romanian art magazines: Propagarta and Revista ARTA.

Timișoara and the Artists who have Changed the City Through their Initiatives

The Indecis Space

Misc. A Space Ahead of its Time

De vorbă cu coordonatorii spațiului nava c2 din Timișoara

De vorbă cu artiștii Mihai Toth și Paul Baraka Marat despre spațiul Baraka din Timișoara

De vorbă cu echipa spațiului Balamuc: „Ne definim ca o platformă fără program, pentru că ideea balamucului este că se poate orice”

Alex Boca: „Problema în cultura noastră este că vrem să ne zică ce e bine doar cine considerăm că are autoritate, așa că nu ne mai supunem testului popular”

Embarking on my research journey for a PhD proposal in art history in Bucharest, I soon realized the glaring gap in documentation and understanding of artist-run spaces in Romania post-1990. Despite their pivotal role in nurturing artistic innovation, there was a notable lack of scholarly attention towards these spaces, especially in the context of their recent proliferation and subsequent closures.

Driven by this realization, I decided to curate a theoretical Dossier for Revista ARTA, focusing specifically on artist-run spaces in Romania since 1990. It was a necessary endeavor to delve into the present landscape of these spaces, considering that much of their formation occurred before the widespread use of the internet. Many of these historical insights were only accessible through oral accounts, highlighting the urgency of studying the contemporary scene.

My interest extended beyond mere documentation; I was keen to explore the underlying hardships and reasons behind the closures of these spaces. Understanding the transformative journey of these artists and their ideas, amidst various challenges, was crucial in unraveling the complex narrative of the Romanian art scene.

My inquiry wasn’t as exhaustive as I hoped, given the limited space available in the magazine. For the main Dossier, I reached out to authors from around the world, as well as Romanian contributors, to reflect on the theme of artist-run spaces. It was an attempt to initiate a dialogue and shed light on a topic that hadn’t received much attention.

Following this, the dossier featured 13 portfolio presentations showcasing pivotal artist-run spaces in Romania. Some of these spaces had closed their doors, while others were still active, providing a snapshot of the diverse landscape of these initiatives.

Additionally, I collaborated with students to gather information about various artist-run spaces. However, due to the tight printing schedule of the magazine, the data collected was insufficient. We managed to compile an index with brief descriptions, dates of operation, and name of founders of these spaces. While it was a small step towards historicizing the (near) present, it was clear that more extensive research would be necessary in the future to fully understand the evolution and impact of artist-run spaces in Romania.

This endeavor underscored the importance of ongoing dialogue, documentation, and research in preserving the cultural heritage of contemporary art movements.

In 2023, I also published a shorter version of my research for Contemporary Lynx.