The works made within the Art(and Ecology) project at (Sea)Shore were exhibited on the seafront in Eforie Sud, where they will remain until the end of August. European artists Meri The Zu and Reinier Landwehr (RO|NL) have completed a monumental new mural on the exterior wall of the Cinemascope projection screen in the city.
“Contemporary art “rolls up” its sleeves and takes to the streets at Eforie Sud to evoke, directly from the cliff, problems that we all intuit but which we often like to put under the “cover of consciousness”. We run away from them especially when we are on vacation. But our canvases and walls continue to tell their stories even on vacation, exploring acute themes at a global level”, say the representatives of the creative hub Eforie Colorat, the initiators of a green culture project aimed at raising awareness of specific ecological issues tourist towns in coastal areas.
Inspired by the new directions of development promoted as a priority by the European Commission, the project Art(and Ecology) at the (Sea)Shore brings together the creative energies of five artists who use art to illustrate important ecological themes for the contemporary world. The story, imagined as a series of effects of the actions of consumerist societies on the natural environment, develops as a series of critical observations, following various themes, from meditations on irresponsible lifestyles or histories of the petro-industrial sublime to evocations from the plethora of culprits usually masked under the far too broad term of “human activity”.
The Art(and Ecology) initiative at the (Sea)Shore is inspired by ideas of the New European Bauhaus current, which proposes a transition towards ecology, with changes at all levels, in business models, technology changes, higher environmental standards, but also behavioral changes – both in production and consumption.
“Art (and ecology) at the Seaside”. Eforie Colorat is a cultural hub launched in 2021 in Eforie Sud for the benefit of tourists and members of the local community, for artistic communities and civic dialogue groups at the national level – which have at their disposal, annually, a series of creative residencies at the Black Sea.
Initiated by the Visual Arts Forum, in partnership with the Czech Center and the Eforie City Hall, the Eforie Colorat program aims to promote a set of best practices for the development of areas with limited access to culture, raising the level of education and awareness in environmental issues and revitalizing the spaces of the community meeting on the shores of the Black Sea.
Annually, Eforie Colorat wants to be an alternative space of inspiration for the artistic community, for decision-makers from local and central administrations, and a meeting point for specialists and civic groups in a joint effort to identify current solutions for urban regeneration, creative ecology, ethical and coherent exploitation of tourism potential, circular economy, civic spirit, sustainable development and growth opportunities through culture in marginalized areas. The project supports research and artistic production interested in themes related to the environment and community, stimulating meaningful cultural interventions that contribute to a deep understanding of the links between culture, art, and the environment.
