„(In)Visible Traces. Artistic memories of the Cold War'' study visit held in Bucharest, Romania

Documenta and its partners in the project "(In)Visible Traces: Artistic Memories of the Cold War" organized a study visit in Bucharest, Romania, from September 18th to September 22nd, 2024. The purpose of the visit was to contribute to the preservation and promotion of European cultural heritage from the Cold War, focusing on at-risk heritage. The study visit aimed to connect artists from across Europe with researchers and others.

After the partners opened the call for artists in June 2024 and selected 8 artists from various European union countries and Ukraine, the study visit took place in Bucharest, Arges, and Prahova Counties in Romania in September 2024 and lasted for 4 days. The 8 chosen artists participated to gain knowledge and inspiration on the topic of cultural heritage from the Cold War, with the goal of creating artistic interventions in public spaces in their home countries during 2025, and to establish a professional network and benefit from project mobility opportunities.

In Romania, there are numerous neglected and unprotected Cold War sites, as well as examples of locations connected with the culture of remembrance. The 8 selected artists visited several relevant sites in Romania, including the Pitești Prison Memorial in Arges County, demolished or relocated churches and monasteries in Bucharest, Nucșoara (the home place of anti-communist resistance fighter Elizabeta Rizea) in Arges County, and Mislea Prison in Prahova County.

During their stay, guided by Professor Andreea Lazea from the West University in Timisoara, the artists gained new knowledge about Romanian history and the political, social, and cultural aspects of the Cold War period in the country. The study visit focused on specific locations, both positive and negative examples in terms of memorialization, that could serve as inspiration for the artist's future work.

For example, the Pitești Prison is known for the Pitești Experiment that took place between 1949-1951, involving the largest and most intensive brainwashing program through torture in Romania and possibly the entire Communist Bloc. While older Romanians are familiar with the history of this site, younger people are not. Therefore, the proposed activities were an important opportunity to raise awareness of the traumatic memory associated with the Pitești Prison and other proposed locations among various target groups.

During the study visit, participants explored Bucharest with Anca Mihuleț, a Romanian art historian and independent curator. They visited Atelierele Malmaison (Malmaison Studios), which is a Bucharest-based artistic community. This shared space houses artists, studios, project spaces, and art galleries, and is located in the building of the former prison.

The visit was organized by The Romanian Association for Contemporary Art, Anca Poterasu Gallery (Romania, Bucharest), and Documenta - Centre for Dealing with the Past (Croatia). They collaborated with Blockfrei (Austria) and The Bautzner Straße Dresden Memorial (Germany) as part of the consortium for the project "(In)Visible Traces: Artistic Memories of the Cold War".