On 2-3rd September 2017 my friend Lucia Codreanu and I, with the help of the non-profit art organisation Zpatiu, hosted a free DIY portrait art exhibition in an old abandoned museum in Chisinau, Moldova to which we invited other local artists to take part. We managed to collect about 100 portraits from 20 artists.
The main aim was encouragement of young local artists by featuring their work for free in a public space. My hope was this would also inspire other creatives to organize more DIY shows and promote their work as I found the art scene in Chisinau and Moldova in general at the time a bit quiet and lacking the sense of community.
We accepted works on any medium: Digital, Traditional and even video performance which proved particularly popular with the visitors :)
We also left some paper, pencils, watercolours and other art supplies by the big window for the visitors to paint portraits of eachother on the spot, and they did! This slowly evolved into a little master-class.
We had visitors of all ages, waiting for us early in the morning by the door for us to let them in. Grannies with their grandchildren, moms with their kids, teenagers coming after school. The atmosphere was warm and welcoming all throughout the two days during which the exhibition took place.