Part of the ”Land of Fire” exhibition opening event, a series of panels featuring the curators, artists, and special guests will take place on Saturday, October 19, starting from 12:00 at Kunsthalle Bega. The proposed themes connect to those addressed in ”Land of Fire” and they depart from the participants' interests, practices, and artistic research.

12:00 - 13:00 | Guided Tour of “Land of Fire” with Cosmin Costinaș

13:15 - 14:15 | The rise and fall of national mythologies
Guests: Chitra Ganesh, Nicoleta Moise, Ștefan Sava, Ion Dumitrescu, Ivana Mladenović
Moderator: Cosmin Costinaș

Bringing together artists of different backgrounds, this panel will look at the rise and fall of national mythologies, at delusions of monolithic purity, and at how these have informed some of the darkest moments in Romanian history as well as at how these moments have been recorded and memorialised.

14:30 - 15:15 | Online discussion with Tony Chakar and Cosmin Costinaș

Unable to attend the exhibition opening in person due to the ongoing Israeli aggression in Lebanon, Tony Chakar will join virtually for a discussion about his practice, his engagement with the traditions of Orthodox icon writing and their connections to other art histories, as well as about the conditions of living and working under a state of siege that has been lasting for decades.

15:30 - 16:30 | Anti-colonial Healing Strategies. The Resistance of the Indigenous Culture of Tierra del Fuego
Cristina Zárraga in conversation with Paz Guevara

In this conversation, Cristina Zárraga, an author dedicated to activating and transmitting the Indigenous knowledge of Tierra del Fuego, will talk about her work to revitalise Yagán culture and some of the myths common to communities in that region, including the Selk’nam. Recognised for her book ‘Cristina Calderón. Memorias de mi abuela Yagán’ (Ediciones Pix, 2017), Zárraga will talk about the importance of confronting colonial narratives and, above all, of connecting with Indigenous ancestors and creating contemporary bridges for the healing of new generations.

16:45 - 17:45 | Artistic practices, history, nature, and control
Guests: Alex Bodea, Megan Dominescu, Loredana Ilie, Florin Bobu, Silvia Moldovan
Moderator: Florin Tudor

The artists will revisit their works and interests. They will be touching — at times with incisive irony and humour, at times with genuine dedication — on issues of history, with its moments of distortion and grace, as well as on the idea of nature and its own history of explorations and human manipulation.

18:00 - 19:00 | Marginalised art histories and their potential
Guests: Robel Temesgen, Sana Shahmuradova Tanska, Mona Vatămanu, Alexandra Gulea
Moderator: Cosmin Costinaș

Drawing from their own practices, as well as from the contexts they engage with and their associated worldviews, the participants will explore how often marginalised or pigeonholed artistic lineages, genealogies, and art histories hold potential in the current moment of epistemic multiplicity and conflicts.

“Land of Fire” is part of the national cultural program "Timisoara - European Capital of Culture in 2023" and is funded by the Legacy Timisoara 2023 creative program, developed by @Centrul de Proiecte Timisoara, with funds allocated from the state budget, through the budget of the @Ministerul Culturii. The cultural program does not necessarily represent the position of the Timisoara City Hall and the Timisoara Local Council. The content of the cultural program and how its results can be used are the sole responsibility of the authors and the beneficiary of the funding. Timisoara City Hall and Timișoara Local Council are not responsible for the content of the material and how it could be used.

Project co-financed by the @Administratia Fondului Cultural National. The project does not necessarily represent the position of the AFCN. AFCN is not responsible for the content of the project or how the project results can be used. These are entirely the responsibility of the beneficiary of the funding.

Institutional Partners: Muzeul Național de Artă a României, Muzeul Național Secuiesc, Muzeul Județean Mureș - Secția de Artă, Muzeul Judeţean de Artă «Centrul Artistic Baia Mare», Academia de Studii Economice, Ambasada României în Republica Federală Democratică Etiopia

Partners: Samdani Art Foundation, Facultatea de Arte și Design – Universitatea de Vest din Timișoara, Lutnița Gallery, Elba Benitez Gallery, Tang Contemporary Art, Vermelho Gallery, Kerber Verlag, Fundația Herczeg, PUNCH, Storm Sped

Media Partners: Radio România Cultural, Revista ARTA, Zeppelin, Observator cultural, Modernism.ro, Propagarta, Contemporary Art, Renașterea Bănățeană, Agenția de Carte.ro

Sponsori: BEGA, PINTeam, VendTeam, Egeria, ELECS Group, Agape