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