Romanian painting, cinema and music extolled in the Global Post

International news agency Global Post offers an encouraging review of the recent Romanian art through an article published on February 16. Special attention is paid to “a darling of the international art”, surrealist painter Adrian Ghenie, Cannes-winning Romanian directors, Romanian artists ranking high in international charts as Inna and Edward Maya, as well as local designers gaining global notoriety.

As the article continues, Ghenie is not the only Romanian artist “hitting the global marquee. Since the mid-1990s, compatriots including Victor Man, Ioana Nemes and Ciprian Muresan have burst onto the art scene.” As Ghenie is quoted by Global Post, “talent exists everywhere but you also have to meet the right people who will tell you the right things and give you the right support.”

To this, adds the local blooming film industry: “Since “The Death of Mr. Lazarescu” won the “Un Certain Regard” prize at the Cannes Film Festival in 2005, Romanian films have been scooping awards at international festivals. “If I Want to Whistle, I Whistle” won the Grand Jury Prize at the Berlin Film Festival last year while films like “Police, Adjective,” and “Tuesday, After Christmas” have received international critical praise. A roadshow of six new Romanian films by Cannes-winning directors including Cristian Mungiu and Marian Crisan kicked off in Belfast, Northern Ireland last month and continues on to several European capitals.”

Moreover, “The appeal of Romanian cinema goes beyond its minimalist style, whose influence can be seen in films like Sofia Coppola’s “Somewhere.” The themes of Romanian films tend to be universal in their appeal.”

Edward Maya and Inna are not the only flagship names in contemporary Romanian music making it “big” abroad: “Romanian DJs like Cosmin TRG and RPR have been spinning tunes from Moscow to Melbourne. On the indie music scene, the band Grimus will be popular far beyond the borders of Romania, a formerly Communist country that is a recent member of the European Union. Grimus’ new album is scheduled for release early this year and features mixes by Amy Winehouse producer Adam Whittaker.”

On what concerns local design with international potential, “Andra Dumitrascu (she was named by Wallpaper as one to watch in 2011) and Rozalb de Mura” are brought into the limelight.

Romanian literature, however, yet has much to prove, in spite of writer of Romanian origins Herta Muller’s global acclaim: “Writers looking for global success have had a harder time, especially since the publishing world has been in a tailspin with the rise of e-reader technology. But thanks to the ICR, which has made book translations a priority, some of the country’s top writers are being given more of a global platform.”