The 'Wesselenyi Contemporary Art Space' was inaugurated on Wednesday in Jibou as part of the opening of the exhibition marking the 15th edition of the 'Art in the Garden' International Visual Arts Symposium, bringing together works created by artists participating in the anniversary edition.

The new exhibition space was set up in the former stables of Wesselenyi Castle, within Jibou Botanical Garden, and adapted to host contemporary art exhibitions by installing display panels and a dedicated lighting system, while preserving the historic character of the building.


'I am pleased that we can meet in this space which, we might say, is almost new in terms of the purpose we have given it, namely a contemporary art space which we called, as might easily be expected, Wesselenyi,' Radu Serban, president of the Continuum Cultural Association and initiator and coordinator of the symposium, said at the exhibition opening.


He said the space had previously served as stables and a canteen, and that transforming it into a space dedicated to contemporary art was specifically intended to mark the 15th edition of the symposium.

The exhibition, opened at Jibou Botanical Garden, presented works created during the 'Imago Floralis - Plant Metamorphoses' creative camp, the theme of this year's edition, dedicated to contemporary explorations of floral imagery and the plant imagination through painting, photography and mixed media.


The works created by the artists will be donated to and added to the contemporary art collections of the Salaj County Centre for Culture and Art, the Jibou Biological Research Centre and Jibou Town Hall.


During the opening, certificates of participation were presented to the artists and pupils who took part in the symposium's educational activities. The winner of the Romanian Fine Artists' Union 'Art in the Garden' Prize, 15th edition, was also announced. The distinction is awarded to an artist selected from among participants in previous editions of the project.

The prize went to Cluj-born painter Kancsura Istvan, who was born in Budapest and graduated in painting from the 'Ioan Andreescu' Institute of Fine Arts in Cluj-Napoca.


The exhibition opening also marked the culmination of the anniversary edition of the 'Art in the Garden' International Visual Arts Symposium, organised by the Continuum Cultural Association from 10 to 20 August with the support of the Salaj County Centre for Culture and Art, the Jibou Biological Research Centre and Jibou Town Hall.

Under the slogan 'Nature, art, communion,' the 15th edition continued a project which, over its 15 editions, has brought together more than 100 professional artists from Romania and abroad in Jibou and contributed to the creation of contemporary art collections.

'If I count up to 15, it's not quite that simple. The first edition was a kind of pilot edition and we didn't know what would happen. We then tried to establish a format for the symposium which includes the creative camp, which is the most important activity,' Radu Serban said.


The anniversary edition's programme also included meetings devoted to contemporary artistic practice, portfolio and project presentations by Steven Santander, Alexandru Borcuti and Radu Serban, a research visit to heritage sites in Salaj County and creative workshops for children.


The catalogue of the symposium's 14th edition, held in 2025 under the theme 'Nature's Breath,' was also launched as part of the project.


Artists participating in this year's edition included Tomasz Awdziejczyk (Poland), Alexandru Borcuti, Hermina Csata, Mira Marincas, Ramona Raus, Steven Santander (USA), Raluca Spataru Iancu and Radu Serban.


The 'Art in the Garden' International Visual Arts Symposium is organised by the Continuum Cultural Association with the support of the Salaj County Centre for Culture and Art, the Jibou Biological Research Centre and Jibou Town Hall. AGERPRES (RO - writing by: Sebastian Olaru; EN - writing by: Adina Panaitescu)

Display count: 233