中川太郎平作品展 The Meeting between East and West

The Meeting between East and West

ルーマニア芸術院より招待を受け実現した展覧会は、美しい文化の街クルージュ•ナポカが揺れんばかりの反響でした。いつもながらに人々の藝術への関心の高さを感じた。国の藝術への支援、育成には文化を大切にする国民性を感じ、芸術家であり政治家でもあるヨアン氏の力は絶大。

The Art Museum Cluj
19th – 31st of October 2009
Tarohei Nakagawa – Ioan Sbârciu: Syo / Atelier (Calligraphy / Workshop)

photos Andrei Budescu
(The University of Art and Design Cluj-Napoca)

They say that the family is given by God and friendship/friends is/are to be discovered by each of us, the existence among the circle of friends being similar to that in the middle of a second family. The artistic friendships take this special feeling even further to a unity of thinking and vision, of ideas and creation. If at the beginning of the years 2000 the painter Ioan Sbârciu had the privilege to meet the renowned German painter Markus Lüpertz, a meeting transformed into an artistic, totally special friendship, also presented in two exhibitions

The Mistery of the Friendship” (2005) at the Art Museum Cluj and „Landscape. Man and Work. The Art that Sets the Rules” (2007) at the Contemporary Art Gallery of the Brukenthal Museum in Sibiu, the fall of the year 2009 brought the painter a new meeting and a new friendship with the Japanese artist Tarohei Nakagawa. Beyond words, Tarohei Nakagawa and Ioan Sbârciu met on the magical field of creation through an exhibition that marked also the opening of the 8th edition if the Autumn Academy Europa Artium, an annually event organized by the University of Art and Design Cluj-Napoca

Having a simple, but suggestive title „Syo / Atelier”, the exhibition gives the visitors the opportunity of a direct contact with the works of the artists, two particular worlds, East and West, united at the Art Museum Cluj in a dialogue of the vertical and the horizontal, of black and white. The exhibition, which represents the Japanese artist’s 1st exhibition in Romania and even in Europe, is simple and beautiful in the way the Japanese Master presents his works accompanying the ones of the painter Ioan Sbârciu. „Syo / Atelier” talks exclusively using the artistic language brought back to his essences and having as main topic the abstract of the Japanese calligraphy and of Ioan Sbârciu’s works. Another common ground for the two artists is given by their quality of heads of art schools (Tarohei Nakagawa – the director of the Art School Ginza and Ioan Sbârciu – the president of UAD Cluj-Napoca), and also their talent and sustained work in making the exposed creations.

The word Syo translates the Japanese calligraphy. Starting with this and using the Zen word rūpa (a Buddhist concept reffering to the material form), Tarohei Nakagawa builds his world of symbols where words such as rūpa-khandha (material form), rūpa-āyatana (visible form) and nāma-rūpa (name and form or body and mind) are elements of the symbol rūpa.

Inviting us in his Workshop (Atelier), Ioan Sbârciu presents us a few works belonging to the series „Transylvanian Landscapes”, demonstrations of an impressive mixture of power and finesse in using the visual language. In his works Ioan Sbârciu presents a wide range of feelings from melancholy to the passion of exploring.

by ART ACT MAGAZINE October, 28th, 2009 The Meeting between East and West

The Meeting between East and West
The Art Museum Cluj
19th – 31st of October 2009
Tarohei Nakagawa – Ioan Sbârciu: Syo / Atelier (Calligraphy / Workshop)
Bánffy Palace
Piața Unirii 30, Cluj-Napoca, Romania