The Urban Art Caravan's 4th edition journeyed through Moldova from August 11-17, 2023, painting emotions, joy, art, culture, innovation, community, and intercultural connections across the landscape. This vibrant project, co-funded by the Romanian Cultural Institute, aimed to sprinkle some magic onto the school in Slobozia-Chișcăreni and the Youth Center in Basarabeasca city, through the transformative power of art.
Crafted by a mix of talent from Iași, Romania (the dynamic duo Harcea Pacea and Frag.menta), and the Republic of Moldova (the creative quartet Vitalii Ungureanu, Sefon, iZZYiZVNE, Grek), the artworks breathed life into the legacy of cultural giants Dimitrie Cantemir and Ciprian Porumbescu, very relevant figures for the year 2023.
Harcea Pacea's masterpiece imprinted a vivid social message onto the Basarabeasca Youth Center to which the artist declared: "It's a portrait of Dimitrie Cantemir, created with the aim of familiarising the youth who frequently visit the youth centre with this complex personality. The artwork highlights our shared history and the cultural similarities between the two banks of the Prut River, in an area affected by disinformation and interethnic tensions."
The mural at the “Nicolae Casso” High School in Slobozia-Chișcăreni was a collaborative effort by Vitalii Ungureanu, Sefon, iZZYiZVNE, Grek.
"For us, first and foremost, it's a great opportunity to collaborate with our colleagues from Romania. Likewise, it's a pleasure to connect our art at a cultural level and to present it to the next generation. The walls chosen were the ones in the school and youth centre, where we have also conducted graffiti workshops for local teenagers, where we were happy to return with a high-quality example of street art and inspire them in their own journeys. Moreover, we are thrilled to work with children who are 'hungry' for something new and who do not have as many opportunities in their villages, compared to children from larger cities."
Frag.Menta's "The Veil of the Sky" gave a dream-like appearance to one of the the Basarabeasca Youth Center’s walls. "It is a visual interpretation of Ciprian Porumbescu's Ballad. In it, I aim to capture the essence of violin arias, grace, and harmony intertwined with the feeling of the infinite moment that too often escapes us, like a bird soaring towards an unknown yet familiar horizon."
Implementation Period
1 of June - 15 of October 2023
Partners
”Urban Spirit” Hip Hop Sports Club Association, Chișcăreni ”Nicolae Casso” Teoretical Hightschool and Chișcăreni City Hall, Phoenix Youth Resources Regional Centre and Basarabeasca City Hall.
External links:
https://www.facebook.com/urbanartcaravan
https://www.instagram.com/urbanartcaravan
Urban Art Caravan extends across borders
The adventure across the Prut also included the unveiling of the paintings, with the artists present to explain the concepts behind their works to the young attendees. Moreover, dozens of youths participated in the workshop on August 16, 2023, led by two mural artists from Romania, who introduced them to the world of graffiti, street art, and mural art, teaching them theoretical concepts of these three artistic interventions and allowing them to experiment with graffiti techniques. The following day, in Chișcăreni, the four Moldovan artists held their own interactive graffiti workshop, which was followed by a fire juggling performance by the members of the FOCus POCus group.
Beyond the large-scale paintings made for the first time in the Republic of Moldova and the workshops that inspired young people to embrace urban art, the project laid the foundations for cultural collaborations with Moldovan artists and opened the door to beneficial partnerships on both sides of the Prut.
Aftermovie:
Photo Galery
The project was co-financed by the Romanian Cultural Institute through the Cantemir Programme – a funding programme for cultural projects aimed at international audiences. The Romanian Cultural Institute is not responsible for the content of the project or the manner in which its results may be used. These are entirely the responsibility of the funding recipient.