Exhibition centres

EVENTS DEDICATED TO THE DAY OF PHOTOGRAPHIC ART IN ROMANIA

The FIAP Exhibition Center Oradea – Romania, together with the “Euro Foto Art” and “MateiStegerean” Galleries, within the Princely Palace of the Medieval Fortress of Oradea, hosted on Saturday, January 11, 2025, starting at 10:00 a.m., a series of events dedicated to the Day of Photographic Art in Romania. This special day for photographic artists in our country has been officially celebrated since the Government of Romania issued, on May 5, 2010, Decision no. 458, by which January 11 was established as the official date, coinciding with the birthday of the first photographer in Romania: Carol Pop de Szathmári – Szathmári Pap Károly. The audience present at the event, both on-site and online via the Facebook platform, was greeted by photographer Ștefan Tóth István AFIAP, ESFIAP, president of the International Association “Euro Foto Art” (AIEFA), curator of the events, who presented the context in which he was the initiator of the official recognition of this day, during the period when he served as president of the Association of Photographic Artists of Romania. The events organized by AIEFA and Sumit Agro Romania began with a two-hour International Colloquium entitled “Where is Photographic Art Heading?” In his address, the AIEFA president emphasized that, unfortunately, in the last 35 years no such important event had been organized for the “painters with light.” The International Colloquium opened with the screening of the documentary “A Painter at the Dawn of Photography” (Egy festőművész a fényképészet hajnalán), produced by the Hungarian-language program of Romanian Television.This was followed by several presentations: Prof. Univ. Dr. Eugen Moritz from Cluj-Napoca (RO), “Fame or Success in Photography: Exploring the Boundaries Between Photography and Other Forms of Visual Art, Collaborations Between Photographers and Artists from Other Fields”; Szűcs László, president of the Union of Hungarian Journalists in Romania and editor-in-chief of the cultural magazine Újvárad (Oradea, RO), “Photography Changes, the Image Remains Eternal.” Invited to the event was also photographer Ovi D. Pop EFIAPp, president of the “Varadinum” Photoclub in Oradea (RO), with his paper “Ikarus Nude....” The colloquium concluded with the lecture “Artificial Intelligence in Photography: From Tool to Creative Partner?” presented by the emeritus professor of the “Marie et Louis Pasteur” University in Besançon (FR). After a short break, Mr. Eng. Dorin Popa, representative of Dr. Eng. Patricia Știrbu, president of Sumit Agro Romania, took the floor, congratulating the organizers of these outstanding events as well as the photographic artists of Romania, and wishing them further success. The program continued with the Ceremony of Lifetime Merit Awards (consisting of special gold medals) presented to two photographers, one from Romania and one from Germany, who throughout their professional careers contributed to raising the prestige of universal photographic art. The laudatio for photographer Bálint Zsigmond AFIAP from Târgu Mureșwas read by Ms. Halász Eszter, creative member of AIEFA, after which the photographer, present at the event, thanked for the high distinction received and recalled the moments he experienced in Oradea over the years. The laudatio for photographer Ștefan Weiss István from Frankfurt (DE) was then read, and the AIEFA president handed the award to the laureate’s representative, Szegedi Éva, who thanked in his name for the honor bestowed. Following this emotional ceremony, the opening and awards ceremony of the International Competition of Photographic Artists from Romania and Hungarians Worldwide, entitled “Romanian and Hungarian Folk Traditions”, took place. The exhibition, installed on the walls of the FIAP Exhibition Center Oradea – Romania, “Euro Foto Art” Gallery, consisted of accepted and awarded works and was organized as part of the 13th edition of the Carol Pop de Szathmári – Szathmári Pap Károly International Photography Festival, within the framework of the National Culture Week and the Hungarian Culture Week. All images can be admired on the website: https://eurofotoart.ro/concurs-international-de-ar... After the awards ceremony, the last event dedicated to the Day of Photographic Art in Romania took place: the opening of the solo exhibition by photographer Timár Zsolt from Târgu Mureș, entitled “Islands.” The opening included a short documentary film about the islands where the author photographed, followed by his personal reflections and the context in which he came to capture these picturesque places. At the close, the AIEFA president presented photographer Timár Zsolt with the AIEFA Patronage Certificate. All exhibited images can be viewed at: https://eurofotoart.ro/expo-foto-art-timar-zsolt-t... The musical moments of the openings were offered by violist ThurzóSándor József, representative of the “Sola Fide” Community and Cultural Association (SFKKE), who performed the following pieces: “Ballad” by Ciprian Porumbescu, “Piece” by Bartók Béla, “Under a Willow ....” by Vasile Timaru, “German Dance” by K. Dittersdorf, “Song....” by Ludovic Feldman, and “From the Shepherd’s Pipe” by Hilda Jerea. The exhibitions will remain open until February 27, 2025, and can be visited Tuesday to Sunday between 09:00–17:00, and on Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday between 10:00–14:00. All exhibited images will also be displayed on the screens of Oradea’s public transport vehicles, thanks to the protocol concluded between AIEFA and OTL SA.

Photo by: EFA