After the Romanian and Hungarian Culture Week initiated by the curator of the International Association “Euro Foto Art” (AIEFA), which offered the opportunity to open several exhibitions of Romanian and Hungarian photographers from all over the world, in the galleries of the EFA Exhibition Center on Sunday, January 21, 2024 at 11:00 a.m. the last exhibition dedicated to the Hungarian Culture Day was opened in the presence of the author. This time the works of the photographer Bontovics Ilona from Bichișciaba (HU) were installed on the screens of the Ștefan Vilidár István Gallery, grouped in three cycles: portraits, landscapes from minimalist photography. The exhibition is part of the 12th edition of the International Photography Festival “Carol Pop de Szathmári – Szathmári Pap Károly”, organized by AIEFA in partnership with Summit Agro Romania (SAROM), the Association for the Promotion of Tourism in Oradea and Region (APTOR) and the “Nufărul” Photography Club of Oradea (CFNO). The audience present at the event, including a group of photographers from Bichișciaba (Ardó László, Mazán Erzsébet, Kenéz Éva and Kovács András), was welcomed by the photographer Ștefan Tóth István AFIAP, ESFIAP, president of AIEFA, who presented the context of the exhibition of the photographer Bontovics Ilona, dedicated to the Day of Hungarian Culture, and thanked the photographers from the neighbouring county who had personally travelled to participate in this exhibition event, after which he presented her with the AIEFA Certificate of Patronage. The editor-in-chief of the culture magazine “Újvárad” Szűcs László then pointed out in his speech that “At first glance, when I looked at the pictures on the computer screen, I was struck by two cycles: portraits and waterfront landscapes. Portrait photography is a special event, a great challenge for photographers, because it is an intimate encounter with a known or unknown face! It’s worth delving into these looks, characters, features and discovering all that is the human secret, its beauty and uniqueness. The second interesting cycle is related to the connection between city and water, that is the harmonious coexistence of natural and architectural environments.” In conclusion, the exhibiting photographer spoke about the stages of his creation and how close he was able to get to making portraits. In conclusion, he thanked for the way the exhibition was organized in this special exhibition space in the medieval fortress of Oradea. The musical moments of the opening were offered by the representative of the Cultural Group “Duo Sola Fide” from Oradea, the violin artist Thurzó Sándor József, who played pieces from the Hungarian repertoire: “Evening at the Szekler” by Béla Bartók, “Elegy” by Sándor Bihari, “Arioso” by Ferenc Farkas and “Unforgettable Memories” by Dávid Popper. The international exhibition will remain open to the public at the EFA Exhibition Centre, “Ștefan Vilidár István Gallery” in the Medieval Fortress of Oradea (Building E, ground floor) until 14 February 2023, daily from 08:00 to 20:00, admission is free. The exhibited works will also be projected on the screens of Oradea’s means of transport, thanks to the protocol concluded between AIEFA and OTL SA.
Photographs exhibited
