The hidden art museum of Cluj
If you walk the streets of Cluj you will find all kinds of things that you could connect to the term of art. For example, architecture for different periods, that you can find all over the city, seen in churches, town walls and defences, statues, palaces or theatres. But also traditional art comes to light, when you visit the Art Museum in the Unirii Square for example with various expositions, including paintings or installations. All over the city, there are quite a few places with this character of the more traditional art that you can visit. Nevertheless, there are places you can pass by every day, that some might not even consider art — at least not in the traditional way.
In the broadest sense, this kind of art is referred to as street art or urban art. If you trust the definition, given by the Institute for Graffiti Research — yes, such an institute is really existent and based in Vienna — you will find a reference to all kinds of art, that take place in public spaces: Theatre, Music, Paintings. As you read further, two key words should be important to be mentioned: Non-commercial and Non-established spaces. So you can easily reach the conclusion, that street art or urban art is something that you don’t pay for and that you (usually) do not find in a museum or gallery.
Starting from this definition, such spaces could be everywhere, especially in urban centers, where the whole city seems like a canvas for individual expression, either for simple messages, rival football supporters, stickers on traffic lights and flag posts or thoroughly designed and installed creations, such as graffiti, stencils or entire murals. Also Cluj is full of them, if one really pays attention to them. But if you take a walk, not through the city center or the central park, but through Marasti neighborhood for example, you will notice something that surely seems like an open air museum, based under the bridge, leading from Piata Marasti towards the airport.
The bridge pillars are all full of different images by a variety of different artists, not only from Cluj but also other places. Every pillar exhibits two images on both of its sides, so that around ten to fifteen different creations can be found under this traffic bridge.
This place came to life during a festival, dedicated to music and other arts, called Transilvania International Music and Art Festival, in the autumn of 2014. According to the festival itself, it combines “fine arts, architecture, street arts, dance, theater, literature, advertising, decorative arts and design, gastronomy, music”. During a live session, open for visitors, this space came to life as an open air street art museum a couple of years ago. In this case, a place provides a legal opportunity for street artists to exhibit their works, without being confronted with breaking the law, by violating public of private property, as it is the case many times.
It is a kind of art, that is socio-political. People express something through it and we, as perceivers or spectators, are up to make something out of it for ourselves. It could only be a simple writing that says “wake up” or “open your eyes” but still, it captures our attention and we will think about what we see, read or experience.
On the one hand, the creation is a message or a protest itself, because it is mostly illegal and seen as the violation of someone else’s property. But to take it to the public spaces and make it accessible, is a riot or protest of artists themselves — of course, the intention differs but some might see it as some kind of protest against established forms of art and the galleries that only promote the expensive kind of arts, only for a certain kind of people. On the other hand, the content, the direct message, is another kind of permanent riot. Taking slogans to the streets and leave them there, until they are removed. No need, for daily demonstrations, speeches or forms of expression.
Not to forget the illegal act against the authorities (in this case maybe the police). One might be reminded to his or her childhood days, seeing the relationship between the artist and the authorities as the fairytale of “Momo and the grey gentlemen” by Michael Ende. The artist, coloring the walls, in this case Momo, and the grey men, in this case the authorities, who want to keep the grey color of the concrete, working for the beliefs of corporations.
In an urban center, full of audible and visual noises from traffic and advertising, such a place surely provides a counter statement and also a safe space for the kind of art that can be seen as a protest.
by Rémi Almodt
