Plain-air Assembly in Naslavcea in Moldova
Artistic plein-air assemblies have a long tradition in both Poland and Moldova. Their main goal was the search for creative inspiration in nature. Since the 1970s, a critical reflection on people and their (destructive) actions towards the natural environment has also increasingly resonated. This has developed in parallel with other important themes such as the questions about identity or the condition of social relations, without which discussions on ecology would be detached from the realities of life. In the 21st century, in times of climate and environmental catastrophe, hybrid war and multiple overlapping crises, the critical potential has become more powerful. It is an optic that takes into account the consequences of human actions on the lives of future generations, but also here and now, on the lives of other communities, beings and ecosystems. It is an important context not only for artistic plein-air assemblies, but also for the individual practices of contemporary artists.
We meet in the mountain village of Naslavcea, the furthest spot of northern Moldova, located by the river Dniester marking the country's border with neighbouring Ukraine. It is a unique natural and cultural site, with a distinctive heart-shaped island and a blue lake after a former argillite quarry. The site has hosted the artistic community before, with plein-air workshops held here on several occasions. The village is currently a home for a group of artists.
The plein-air gathering in Naslavcea will create a platform for conversations, meetings and sharing of the artistic and activist practices, as well as learning about each other and getting to know the local community. Surrounded by the blooming nature, but also by the transforming landscape of the Moldovan countryside and in the proximity of war, we will, above all, talk. We want to see the gathering as a kind of critical action, but also as a practice of active hope in the spirit of humanistic ecology.
The gathering is an accompanying event of the exhibition Lushness, featuring the work of 16 Polish female artists, which takes place at the National Art Museum in Chisinau. Exhibition is curated by Dorota Monkiewicz.
The Ujazdowski Castle Centre for Contemporary Art is a partner of this event. Artistic plein-air assembly in Naslavcea is part of the international cultural programme of the Polish Presidency of the Council of the European Union 2025.
