First edition: Post-Modern Roots
RGB Balkan Arts Festival invites artists, photographers, film directors and designers to submit their proposals in order to participate in the “Balkan Portraits: Post Modern Roots” exhibition that will be held in Greece and Romania, at the Art Museum, Palace of Culture, IaÈ™i (27-29/6) and at the Folk Life & Ethnological Museum of Macedonia & Thrace, Thessaloniki (1-15/9).
RGB Balkan Arts Festival is a new institution discovering and promoting Contemporary Art “in present time” produced in the Balkan's region. This year’s theme focuses on the discourse between Crafts and Contemporary Art.
Crafts are the bonds between concept and technique in the Arts, the link between hand and mind in everyday life, but also the connection among culture and identity between people and countries. In the Balkan region, within countries societies similar arts & crafts techniques have been developed. The materials used, have been connected to tangible cultural heritage, representing the regions identity and are appearing often in local rituals carrying out symbolic meanings. In the age of mass-production, traditional handmade crafts have limited production, while as professions and techniques are disappearing often without any documentation left behind.
On the other hand, demand for hand-made products in urban markets has begun to rise. More and more industries and designers seek to get inspired and discover old techniques and become interested to incorporate them in their production. At the same time crafts have moved beyond the territory of their function. They claim a space in contemporary art where we may meet objects made with traditional techniques, created to be viewed rather than to be used.
Arts & Crafts are the spine of folk art and a way of life in extinction, but in the context of Contemporary Art and critical theory they are raising questions in the field of gender, capital, ownership and post-modern theory.
Artists, Photographers, Film directors and Designers are invited to submit their works following one of the two curatorial perspectives stated. The first is about documentation and historical perspective of Arts & Crafts in the Balkan countries and the other is concerned about artworks and design works that reclaim Arts & Crafts in Contemporary art.
Up to 5 proposals artworks can be eligible by each participant, wherein different mediums of expression are employed. Proposals get submitted at the e-mail address: rgbdigitalartfestival@gmail.com deadline the 1st of June 2019.
Senior Fine Art students are welcome to submit their proposals too.
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Exhibition Curators: Andreea Foanene (Ro) Georgia Kourkounaki (Gr) and Yorgos Taxiarchopoulos (Gr).
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Apply online by sending us on rgbdigitalartfestival@gmail.com the folowing :
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a short CV
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images or videos of the artworks accompanied by a technical description
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a breef text regarding the concept of the project
Deadline: 1st June 2019
The result of the selection will be communicated until 5th of June 2019.
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This project is supported by the Goethe-Institut and the Project Fund of the Cultural Management Academy in Sofia, Bucharest, Thessaloniki and Serajevo.
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