Targu Jiu will become the setting for an international dialogue on Constantin Brancusi from 22 to 26 October, when the international conference 'The Philosophy of Form,' held under the patronage of UNESCO, and the exhibition 'Brancusi. Photography: The Invisible Studio,' featuring original photographs by Brancusi from the David Grob Collection in London, will take place.
According to a press release issued by the Constantin Brancusi Research, Documentation and Promotion Centre in Targu Jiu, researchers, art historians, artists, curators, heritage specialists, diplomats and representatives of international cultural institutions will gather for the international conference 'The Philosophy of Form,' dedicated to the 150th anniversary of Constantin Brancusi's birth.
Photo: (c) ALEX MICSIK / AGERPRES FOTO
Held under the patronage of UNESCO, the event will offer a broad, interdisciplinary perspective on Constantin Brancusi's work and legacy, bringing together academic research, heritage, cultural diplomacy, visual arts and new approaches to interpreting the work of the great Romanian sculptor.
A key event during the conference will be the opening of the exhibition 'Brancusi. Photography: The Invisible Studio,' which will take place on Thursday, 22 October, at 14:00 at the Art 360 Pavilion in Targu Jiu.
The same source shows that the exhibition features 33 original photographs taken by Constantin Brancusi, including the first photographs of the Endless Column, the Gate of the Kiss and the Table of Silence. The photographs come from the David Grob Collection in London, giving the public access to one of the essential yet still insufficiently explored dimensions of Brancusi's artistic practice: the relationship between sculpture, photography, space and the artist's own perspective on his work.
The opening of the international conference 'The Philosophy of Form' will take place on 22 October at 10:00 in the amphitheatre of the Constantin Brancusi University in Targu Jiu.
Photo: (c) ALEX MICSIK / AGERPRES FOTO
On the first day of the conference, a debate on cultural diplomacy will take place alongside the panel dedicated to the Targu Jiu Monumental Ensemble.
Researchers from Romania and abroad will examine Brancusi's sculpture from philosophical, historical, anthropological and aesthetic perspectives, in a dialogue aimed at exploring how Brancusi transformed form into a universal language.
The programme will also include sessions dedicated to his Paris studio and avant-garde networks, Brancusi's relationships with the artists and intellectuals of his time, and the role of photography and drawing in shaping his artistic work.
Photo: (c) ALEX MICSIK / AGERPRES FOTO
A special section of the conference will focus on Brancusi's international reception, with contributions exploring the artist's relationship with Japan and South Korea, characterised by a deep aesthetic and philosophical affinity, as well as with the United States, the country that established his reputation as he revolutionised the history of modern art.
'International UNESCO patronage has been secured for this event, namely the ‘Philosophy of Form' conference, which will bring together more than 40 international experts as speakers across various panels in Targu Jiu. It is a good opportunity to prepare a volume of conference papers for publication in the coming period, exploring how Constantin Brancusi is viewed and interpreted 150 years after his birth. Alongside this, we will organise a series of other events during the same period. I can tell you that we will bring together UNESCO schools from Romania in Targu Jiu, with pupils participating in dedicated sessions where they will deliver their own presentations. There will also be a series of exhibitions featuring contemporary artists. In addition, we will be able to display Constantin Brancusi's original birth certificate, as well as the ‘birth certificate' of the Endless Column, by which I mean the photograph in which Constantin Brancusi drew the Endless Column,' Targu Jiu Deputy Mayor Adrian Tudor told AGERPRES on Friday.
Photo: (c) ALEX MICSIK / AGERPRES FOTO
A visit to Hobita, the sculptor's birthplace, and a tour of the Targu Jiu Monumental Ensemble will complement the academic discussions with first-hand experience of the heritage.
Participants will also have the opportunity to discover the cultural heritage of Oltenia through a trip to Craiova, including visits to museums and exhibitions dedicated to Constantin Brancusi. AGERPRES (RO - writing by: Oana Popescu; EN - writing by: Adina Panaitescu)
