Ungheni sculpture camp honours Eminescu
Ungheni's renowned sculpture camp is back after a seven-year absence.
This year's theme, "To the Star: A Tribute to Mihai Eminescu," honours the revered Romanian poet. Eleven sculptors from the Republic of Moldova, Romania, Austria, and Ireland are working with great inspiration near the Palace of Culture in Ungheni. The camp is an initiative of the "Viitorul începe Azi" ("The Future Begins Today") Association.
Eugen Barzu, a sculptor from Timișoara, Romania, is a first-time participant. He explained to visitors his deep affection for the Cosăuți stone he used for his work, "To the Star of the Romanian Soul."
"This material, this Cosăuți stone, is a bridge of communication with our ancestors, given the very character of this stone," Barzu said.
Dumitru Verdianu and Ion Zderciuc have participated in all eight editions.
"I called this piece 'To the Star'—Eminescu reaching for the 'Evening Star' (Luceafărul). It will be a stylized Eminescu, an Eminescu charged with energy that strives for the celestial heights," Zderciuc shared.
"After these camps, what remains, of course, are our works—the sculptures we create—and we are now approaching one hundred [sculptures] in Ungheni," said Verdianu.
The sculptors were working on creations with profound philosophical connotations.
"This hand, which will be raised and will finalize the composition, this semi-portrait, which, in its broad strokes, will altogether depict a crucifixion," explained Mihai Damian.
"I tried to encompass a bit more than just Eminescu as an idea. I tried to encompass the 'Romanianship' within us, and this fracture is somehow the division between one thing and another, between two parts through which the Prut River flows. I tried through Eminescu to demonstrate that we are Romanians, and that's that!" emphasized Ioan Grecu.
The phrase "Eminescu, we love you" is written three times on Valentin Vârtosu's work from the "Great Romanians" series.
"It is the sublime message that we, as Romanians, can bring to the great poet, the great Romanian, the absolute Romanian," Vârtosu stated.
The only female sculptor, Parascovia Popa-Dănoi, returns every summer from Ireland to participate in this "communion of spirits." Her work is titled "Revelation of the Spirit."
"Through these circles and this void, I represented the human condition: the unrest, the ascents, the falls, until reaching the most important—divinity, the peace and enlightenment of the soul," said Popa-Dănoi.
The first edition of the camp took place in 2000.
"At that time, I realized how grim we are in terms of urban design—buildings projected in the Soviet style, few cultural objects, but with a great desire to get closer to culture and have values," said Vitalie Vrabie, the mayor of Ungheni.
The camp will culminate on August 20 with a festive event to inaugurate the sculptures, which will be placed near the buildings and parks in Ungheni.
Translation by Iurie Tataru
