Eugen Raportoru, a renowned and esteemed Roma artist from Romania, has invited 20 teenagers and children to explore and convey their emotions and perspectives about the world through art. The painter conducted three workshops with Ukrainian kids aged 9 to 15. These creative sessions were organized by the National Museum of Contemporary Art in Bucharest, Romania, in collaboration with the Roma Education Fund.
Raportoru initiated his classes on Wednesday, November 22nd, with inspiration drawn from his own museum exhibition. After immersing the young artists in this personal showcase, he encouraged them to harness the expressive potential of colours, shaping their vision based on what they observed. The ongoing Heritage exhibition, which runs until March 31st, delves into the history of Bucharest’s former Uranus neighbourhood—a place obliterated by the dictator Ceausescu to make way for the monumental House of the People, one of the largest buildings globally.
“We must consider the emotional challenges faced by both the children and their parents. In these workshops, my goal is to encourage them to express themselves freely and engage with what resonates most with them. After the initial workshop, I observed that they worked with immense joy. Perhaps, among these 20 children participating, I hope to nurture at least two budding artists because all of them have great potential. Congrats for the idea to both the organizing parties: Roma Education Fund and the National Museum of Contemporary Art” – Eugen Raportoru.
All the paintings will be part of a collective exhibition which will be open to the public on the fourth floor of the museum, in the MNAC Kids Capsule.
“We are thrilled by the collaboration with Eugen Raportoru and with the Roma Education Fund, who together made this outreach project possible. It is one of the core missions of MNAC to address different communities in the frame of its cultural mediation programs, and Eugen’s exhibition alongside his generosity in conducting the series of workshops with the Roma refugees from Ukraine are of great significance for these conjoint efforts. It is both our hope and aim to strengthen a sense of community around the museum in these difficult times, through the shared spaces, values, and visions for common futures that contemporary art is able to provide.” – Sandra Demetrescu, MNAC Director of Exhibitions and Programs.
The painting products used by the teens during the workshops have been donated to the museum by the ProfiArt national chain of shops.
This is an activity part of the One-Stop-Shop Centre project dedicated to support Roma refugees from Ukraine and is financed through grants from the Council of Europe Development Bank (CEB)’s Migrant and Refugee Fund. Project implemented in partnership with Aresel Civic Platform.
