Page 14 - World of Art magazine (2000)
P. 14

BÉLa cZitroM   finLand

         born in 1951,in transylvania, artist sculptor; lives in turku   dante alighieri, ravenna italy; 1991 romanian sculptors prize   turku Finland; 1991 hungarian culture center helsinki Finland;
         Finland. education ”ion andreescu” Fine arts academy,   at biennial dante alighieri, ravenna italy; 1979 1990 museum   1991 tamperetalo, tampere Finland; 1991 Joella Gallery, turku;
         cluj romania; MeMbership romanian union of artists;   of art collections bucharest romania; 1992 10th biennial   1991 raisio library, Finland; 1991 ullakko Gallery tuupovaara
         artist’s society of turku Finland; Jööti, turku Finland; Finnish   dante alighieri, ravenna italy; 1993 memoire  des corps   Finland; 1993 Galleria 1, turku; 1993 vanha raatihuone,
         sculptors union; selected exhibitions 1980 youth artists   unEsco paris France; 1994 11th biennial dante alighieri,   cultural center turku; 1994 Galleria 1, turku; 1994 arture
         Exhibition, miercurea ciuc romania; 1980 summer Exhibition,   ravenna italy; 1994 salon d’automne, Espace Franklin, Elbeuf   Gallery, la roche Guyone France; 1994 tuffier Gallery, les
         covasna romania; 1980 itinerant Exhibition, odorheiu secuiesc   France; 1996 12th biennial dante alighieri, ravenna italy;   andelys France; 1994 rollin Gallery, rouen France; 1994 le
         romania; 1981 6th biennial dante alighieri, ravenna italy;   1996 6th Finish artists, Fmk Gallery budapest hungary; 1997   Fleuron Gallery honfleur France; 1995  Joella  Gallery turku;
         1983 inter-district Exhibition, tirgu mures romania; 1984   Eu-man, kämpä Gallery turku Finland; 1998 the artist’s   1995 artman Gallery turku; 1995  vasareli  museum budapest
         painting and sculpture, miercurea ciuc romania; 1984 annual   society of turku town annual Exhibition Finland; 1998 the   hungary; 1997 vehmaa library, Finland;1997 Just Gallery turku;
         sculpture Exhibition, orizont Gallery bucharest romania;   autumn annual in venice art addiction, palazzo correr italy;   2000 Joella Gallery, turku Finland. works in collections
         1984 painting and sculpture, bucharest romania; 1985 7th   1999 naantali museum, Jöötti ry 10th years Jubilee, Finland;   Wäinö aaltonen museum Finland; turku town culture cnter
         biennial dante alighieri, ravenna italy; 1986 comparaison,   1999 the artist’s society of turku town annual Exhibition,   Finland; Jouko arojoki collection Finland. awards 1988 Gold
         l’art actuelle, Grand palais, paris France; 1986 painting and   Finland. selected personal exhibition 1979 museum   medal, the 8th biennial dante alighieri, ravenna italy; 1997
         sculpture biennial, dalles Gallery, bucharest romania; 1987   of miercurea ciuc romania; 1982 art Gallery, miercurea ciuc;   turku university prise, turku Finland; 1998 certificate of merit,
         drawings of sculptors, orizont Gallery, bucharest romania;   1982 art Gallery, tusnad bai, romania; 1983 petöfi sandor   the autumn annual in venice italy. stipendiuMs 1996 turun
         1988 painting and sculpture, art museum, bucharest romania;   house, bucharest; 1984 small theatre bucharest; 1984 orizont   kaupunkin  kulttuurilaukunta Finland; 1997 top säätiö Finland;
         1988 8th biennial dante alighieri, ravenna italy; 1990 annual   Gallery bucharest; 1988 Galateea Gallery bucharest romania;   1997 taiteen keskustoimikunta Finland; 1998 turun kaupunkin
         sculpture Exhibition bucharest romania; 1990 9th biennial   1990 runosmäki library turku Finland; 1990 kituuri hotel   kulttuurilautakunta Finland.
          artist talk

          i was born in transylvania; my family   constructed my own sculpture from the   did, but to learn to understand why they
         was very multinational - as a heritage of the   beginning to the end in my head. I was also   used to do everything like they did; of
         Austrian-Hungarian Empire -, my father   working in the foundry of the academy as   course their solutions also can be used if
         being of a half Hungarian, half Jewish origin   assistant of the instructor, learning the   they are suitable for one’s own reasons. For
         and my mother of Tatarian-Austrian roots.   techniques of casting in bronze. Finally, the   me, my own view always was the most
         Myself, I’ve always been proud of my roots,   eighth time of trying I managed to get in the   important, I and no one else was the center
         although in Romania during the communist   academy.                    of my own universe. I wanted to remain my
         regime a multinational background like   When I wanted to study at the art   personality untouched, letting no one to
         mine was a reason for marginalization. But   academy, it wasn’t only because of the   change me.
         through the difficult experiences I’ve had   certificate of graduation I would get there. I   When I graduated from the art academy, I
         because of my familial background I have   felt it was a great opportunity to get in the   I landed in an outlying area North from
         became stronger and more able to follow the   magical world of art; also it meant I would   Moldavia, where I got a job as ceramic
         way I have felt my own.            get models and materials free of cost for   designer.  Then, after having worked a short
          My mother told me that the father of my   years. As an artist, my ideal was and is to   period of time in my hometown (Miercurea
         grandfather had been a fresco painter; he’s   reach the top, but as I see, this top isn’t a   Ciuc), I finally managed to get a transfer to
         the only artist I know there has been in the   stabile level, but it merely could be seen as   Bucharest. This was what I had been hoping
         family before.                     stairs leading always higher and higher   for. I felt that only through competition one
          As a teenager I was interested in drawing   Graduating from the art academy was only   can evaluate oneself and make progress, and
         and molding in addition to sports and   one stage on the way up, and my wish was to   here I found these circumstances I felt I
         mountain hiking. I still was quite an   become once a pattern for others.   necessarily needed. In Bucharest I got to
         innocent young boy when trying the first   The art academy of Cluj-Napoca was   know Ion Frunzetti, one of the greatest art
         time to get in to the art academy. A part of   considered by the students over-ratio-  critics of that time. He made it possible to
         the entrance examination was making a   nalistic; we were, for example, asked almost   send one of my sculptures to the Dante
         croquis-sketch of a nude female model. As   perfect knowledge of the human anatomy.   Alighieri biennale in Ravenna Italy. This
         the woman came in and started to take her   However, as I can say now, following from   was the very first time someone really
         clothes off, I was so embarrassed I didn’t   this we become able to concentrate only on   appreciated my work; Frunzetti also wrote a
         know where to begin drawing.       the idea we have while working, the pieces   review on my work.
          I didn’t pass the examination that time. To   of art made getting closer to the original. I   In 1988 I had my last exhibition in
         be accepted was difficult also because of the   didn’t regard these instructors in any way as   Romania, in the Gallery Galatea.
         cultural policy that was pursued; the   my patterns; if one has to have some, they   In the beginning of the ninety, leaving
         students were chosen in national categories,   have to be something greater, something to   Romania, I’ve come through hard experi-
         the greatest per cent of them being ethnic   try to reach. For example, I regarded the art   ences (in which I’ve found something in
         Romanians, when only a little amount of the   of Ethrusques and the Greek. As I see, the   common with, for example, the life of
         places was reserved for those belonging to   idea of having these kind of patterns is not   Caravaggio who, through these similarities,
         ethnic minorities. I tried entering again and   trying to do everything in the same way they   has become somehow close to me). Although
         again, year after year, every time getting a                           I feel that these difficult times have taken a
         little closer to the entry.                                            period of time off my life, I feel contented I
          Some professors of the art academy used                               have got to know the world myself like this,
         to give lessons in drawing for youngsters                              not only by listening to other people’s
         wanting to get in the academy, but I didn’t                            experiences. In the free world, as I came to
         have money enough for that. Me and a                                   see it, everything was the opposite of what I
         group of others in the same situation, used                            had got used to seeing in Romania; however.
         to go to a little room in the basement of an                           The same feeling of strangeness that I always
         old house, posing one at a time for the                                have had still remains. When I had my first
         others and drawing each other’s time after                             exhibitions in Finland, I often was told that
         time. When I saw an announce of the art                                my style is not “suitable” for this corner of
         academy looking for a model I answered at                          photoGr aph  by bebe dr aia 1998©  the world, and for this reason my art isn’t
         once and got the place. Posing for the                                 understood by people here. I was even made
         students fifty minutes at time, five times a                           an offer by a doctor: he could try to
         day, in my mind I always did the same work                             hypnotize me so that I would learn to
         as them: I used to choose one of them as my                            understand the Finnish soul and change my
         model, and to listening to the teaching I                              style to better correspond to it. Of course, I


         12      world of art     spEcial issuE 2000
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