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clujean – aøa cum avea sæ se dovedeascæ în mod constant (începînd chiar cu prezenfla<br />
sa masivæ la deschiderea oficialæ din octombrie 2009) – pentru arta contemporanæ<br />
în genere, incluzînd aici øi anumite genuri experimentale ale spectacolului<br />
øi dansului contemporan, s-a suprapus lipsei inifliale a spafliilor dedicate acestui gen<br />
de evenimente.<br />
Odatæ cu ieftinirea chiriilor datoratæ crizei economice, mulfli artiøti, printre care øi<br />
pictorul Radu Comøa øi galeristul Daria Pervain (Galeria Sabot), cæutînd spaflii de<br />
atelier, respectiv de expunere, au descoperit oferta de închiriere a unor spaflii dezafectate<br />
în clædirea fostei Fabrici de Pensule, actualmente în proprietate privatæ. Pentru<br />
a se putea închiria un spafliu mai mare la un prefl mai mic, s-a încercat asocierea<br />
cu alfli artiøti aflafli în aceeaøi situaflie, iar rumoarea s-a amplificat în aøa mæsuræ, încît<br />
li s-au alæturat øi alte organizaflii care activau în oraø. Aøa s-a ajuns la crearea unei entitæfli<br />
capabile în primul rînd sæ negocieze în numele membrilor ei cu proprietarii<br />
imobilului. Desigur, asta a deschis øi oportunitatea pentru una sau alta dintre asociafliile<br />
culturale rezidente sæ iniflieze proiecte artistice de animaflie culturalæ, atrægînd<br />
astfel øi finanflæri, acestea fiind cu precædere destinate publicafliilor (afiøe, pliante, un<br />
catalog etc.) øi cheltuielilor administrative. Spun asta pentru a reaminti caracterul<br />
exclusiv neplanificat, neprogramat al înfiripærii a ceea ce a ajuns sæ fie prezentat uneori<br />
sub titulatura instituflionalæ de Centru de Artæ Contemporanæ. Deøi, informal,<br />
se poate spune cæ „Fabrica“ a ajuns sæ fie øi aøa ceva, nu a fost la mijloc vreun proiect<br />
de dezvoltare urbanæ (ca în unele cartiere din Londra, de pildæ, unde, artificial, prin<br />
proiecte bine studiate, s-au „implementat“ niøte centre culturale, ateliere etc. în foste<br />
clædiri ale unor Gasworks sau alte industrii uøoare), ci o stare de lucruri închegatæ<br />
spontan. Nu a fost ceva fæcut dupæ o refletæ øi poate tocmai de aceea e interesant<br />
de væzut cum va continua tot acest experiment comunitar.<br />
Spafliul a fost închiriat aøa cum a fost læsat de muncitori în 2005, ceea ce a necesitat<br />
unele investiflii din partea proprietarului, precum încælzirea centralæ, etanøarea<br />
geamurilor etc., dar împærflirea spafliului a fost fæcutæ prin voluntariat de cætre noii<br />
chiriaøi. Fiecare, dupæ posibilitæfli, øi-a amenajat partea sa, aøa încît peste vara lui 2009<br />
ne aflam la muncæ patrioticæ într-o atmosferæ de emulaflie, cu tot tacîmul: atît tensiuni,<br />
cît øi party-uri spontane, întrezærindu-se posibilitatea unei comunitæfli.<br />
Oricît de bine ar suna, pæstrarea numelui dupæ o fabricæ specializatæ în confecflionarea<br />
pensulelor (øi, ulterior, chiar conceperea unui logo „de marcæ“) dupæ ce spafliul ei<br />
a fost „invadat“ de cætre artiøti (majoritatea pictori) nu e cazul sæ alimenteze supramotiværi<br />
simbolice, în felul unei predestinæri retrospective care sæ se ia prea în<br />
serios.Totuøi, gæsirea acestui loc este doar o fericitæ (øi o nu mai puflin fortuitæ) coincidenflæ,<br />
de care ne putem folosi eventual în candidaturile la solicitarea de fonduri europene.<br />
În schimb, riscul de a fetiøiza ficfliunea ludicæ prin care sublimæm istoria locului<br />
este unul real. Se poate ajunge astfel, de exemplu, la împodobirea lui cu obiecte<br />
nostalgice, devenind colecflionari de afiøe cu protecflia muncii, fascinafli pur øi simplu<br />
de layoutul simplu geometric øi duoton. În acest sens, expoziflia de fotografii Protecflia<br />
muncii, utilaje øi vestiare din holul etajului 3, din cadrul evenimentului Omagiu<br />
muncii – expoziflii, prezentæri, dezbatere, organizat de Fundatia AltArt, e interesantæ<br />
øi bine-venitæ, prin încercarea de a „documenta“ (fals autoreferenflial) acest peisaj<br />
tarkovskian presærat cu ræmæøifle læsate în urmæ de muncitori, cu poze „cu gagici“<br />
øi cu fotbaliøti în vestiare, din nou nelipsitele afiøe vechi cu protecflia muncii. Totuøi,<br />
exotismul – la urma urmei destul de vulgar – construit prin aceastæ punere în scenæ<br />
frivolæ (øi, inevitabil, obscenæ pe undeva) a acestui fel de imagini, cu aluziile lor condescendente<br />
(sub hlizealæ) la o anumitæ organizare socialæ a muncii, împinge lucrurile<br />
în derizoriu. Poate fi amuzant (bineînfleles, nu e nimic ræu în asta), însæ tocmai deøænflathat,<br />
probably, wouldn’t have bond together in other circumstances.<br />
On the terms whereby the emancipation of an art market has lead to<br />
the apparition of some commercial galleries, we were, on the one<br />
hand, in a momennt when the Artists Union had lost both the main<br />
exhibition space, lying in the centre of the city, and one of the buildings<br />
intended for the studios. On the other hand, “the longing” or at<br />
least the availability of the public from Cluj – as it was to be demonstrated<br />
constantly (starting exactly with its massive presence at the<br />
official opening from October 2009) – for contemporary art on the<br />
whole, including here some experimental genres of the contemporary<br />
performance and dance as well, has superposed over the initial<br />
lack of spaces devoted to this genre of events.<br />
Along with the cheapening of the rents due to the economical crisis,<br />
many artists, among who the painter Radu Comøa and gallerist Daria<br />
Pervain (Sabot Gallery) as well, seeking for studio, respectively exposure<br />
spaces, discovered the rental offers of some deallocated spaces<br />
in the building of the former Paintbrush Factory, in private property<br />
at present. In order to be able to rent a bigger space at a smaller<br />
price, they’ve tried to associate with other artists in the same situation,<br />
and the uproar amplified so much, that other organizations<br />
activating in the city have joined as well. This is how we’ve arrived at<br />
the creation of an entity capable in the first place of negotiating in<br />
the name of its members with the owners of the premises. No doubt,<br />
this also openened the opportunity for one or another of the resident<br />
cultural associations to start artistic projects of cultural animation,<br />
thus attracting financings as well, these being by choice intended for<br />
publications (posters, folders, a catalogue, etc.) and for administrative<br />
expenses. I say this in order to remind the unreflected, unscheduled<br />
exclusive character of the knocking off of what has come<br />
to be presented sometimes under the institutional name of Centre<br />
for Contemporary Art. Although, informally, we might say that<br />
“the Factory” has come to be something like that as well, there was<br />
no project of urban development at issue (as in one of London’s<br />
neighbourhoods, where some cultural centres, studios, etc. have<br />
been “implanted”, artificially, through well studied projects, in former<br />
buildings of some Gasworks or other light industries), but a spontaneously<br />
coagulated juncture. It was not something made according<br />
to a recipe, and it is perhaps precisely therefore interesting to see<br />
how will this entire communitary experiment develop.<br />
The space has been rented as it was left by the workers in 2005,<br />
which involved some investments on the part of the owner, such as<br />
the central heating, the sealing of the windows etc., but the distribution<br />
of the space has been made through volunteering by the new<br />
renters. Each, according to their possibilities, has arranged its part,<br />
so that over the summer of 2009 we were at public work in an atmosphere<br />
of emulation, with all the place setting: both tensions, but also<br />
spontaneous parties, glimpsing the possibility of a community.<br />
However well it might sound, the keeping of the name after a factory<br />
specialized in the manufacturing of paintbrushes (and, afterwards,<br />
even the creation of a “brand” logo) after its space was “invaded”<br />
by artists (most of who are painters) should not nourish symbolical<br />
supermotivations as a retrospective predestination which ought to<br />
be taken seriously. However, the finding of this place is just a happy<br />
(and an as fortuitous) coincidence, of which we can eventually make<br />
use in the candidacies to the solicitation of European funds, but<br />
there’s the risk of fetishing the ludic fiction whereby we sublime the<br />
history of the place. We thus come, for example, at its adornment<br />
with nostalgic objects, becoming collectors of posters with labour<br />
protection, literally fascinated by the simple geometrical and duotone<br />
layout. To that effect, the photography exhibition Labour Protection,<br />
Installations and Vestiaries from the hall of the 3rd floor, part<br />
of the event Tribute to Labour – Exhibitions, Presentations, Debate,<br />
organized by AltArt Foundation, is interesting and welcome by way<br />
of its attempt to “document” (falsely self-referentially) this Tarkovskian<br />
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