Summer Academy

International Summer Academy of Visual Arts in Cisnadioara 2022

From August 15 through August 25, 2022, the first Summer Academy of Fine Arts takes place at Kunsthaus 7B, Cisnădioara, Romania.

“The big advantage of this academy is the mix of participants, from different artistic backgrounds, women and men, from Austria, Germany and Romania between 19 and 65 years old” reports sculptor and Professor at the Free Art Academy VA[A]DS, Tbilissi, Georgia, Gabriela von Habsburg, who gave as well the patronage for the summer academy. Gabriela von Habsburg is one of the lecturers giving art-classes in Cisnădioara.

Participants of the summer academy in the old garden of priest's house in Cisnădioara

Photo credit: Kunsthaus 7B

Prof.Amb. Gabriela von Habsburg, contributing her experience as an artist at the Summer Academy, at Kunsthaus 7B

Photo credit: Ovidiu Matiu

“We are very happy that we could create a team of lecturers from Romania as well as international well established artists and curators like Gabriela von Habsburg,” describes Thomas Emmerling, the Director of Kunsthaus 7B and initiator of the Summer-Academy.

“It is a proof that Cisnădioara is on a certain level in the international art-world”.

With the participation of Waltraut Kompein-Chimani, Emmerling could welcome as well a delegate participant of the Free Academy of Visual Arts Kärnten in Klagenfurt. “For us in Klagenfurt it is very important to strengthen the international network,” the Austrian artist stated.

Therefore, Emmerling could welcome as well, Irina Popiashvili, who is living partially in New York, and  is the Co-Founder and Director of VA[A]DS in Tbilissi, Georgia. Irina Popiashvili had been the curator of the Georgian Pavillon at Venice Biennale and guest curator at MoMA, New York in 2009 and 2013. The workshop “How to build an exhibition and how to compose a painting” on August 15 and August 16 had been booked out. For the participants it had been a great chance to learn from Popiashvili’s international experience.

Discussions at the International Summer Academy: Gabriela von Habsburg, Thomas Emmerling in front of artworks by Boglarka Nagy in Kunsthaus 7B.

Photo credit: Ovidiu Matiu

Oana Ionel from Bucharest (painting) and Daniel Munteanu from Cisnădioara (photography, video and other realities) contributed as lecturers.

Lecturers in front of Kunsthaus 7B, Cisnădioara (from left to right): Daniel Munteanu, Oana Ionel, Gabriela von Habsburg, Irena Popiashvili, Thomas Emmerling

Photo credit: Ovidiu Matiu

Part of the program had been a tour through ateliers and galleries in Cluj-Napoca, as well as a trip to Bucharest and a visit to the Oana Ionel's studio in the capital.

As a summary, Thomas Emmerling, states “The First International Summer Academy in Cisnădioara had been an experiment. The experience and results of this year gives us the energy to continue; soon we will start to prepare next year's edition. We will continue with the concept of small groups of participants and high-level lecturers. The Summer Academy in Cisnădioara should be established in the schedule of Visual Arts in Central Europe in order to develop the artistic movement in our region.”

International Summer Academy of Visual Arts Cisnădioara

 22 participants

International Summer Academy of Visual Arts Cisnădioara

c/o Kunsthaus 7B, Piata Gozelinus nr. 49, RO-555301 Cisnădioara

welcome@kunsthaus7B.art