Collaboration of a Quarter of a Century Between Photographers from Romania and Japan
The international association “Euro Foto Art” (AIEFA), the only Regional Member in the world of the International Federation of Photographic Art (FIAP), recognized by UNESCO: https://www.fiap.net/en/members/irfiap currently has 64 affiliated partner organizations from Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Middle East. A special relationship began a quarter of a century ago with the opening, on June 3, 1999, of the personal exhibition of the artist photographer Takeshi Tokumasu EFIAP from Kyoto, President of the Japan International Photographic Federation (JIPF) at that time, at the “Euro Foto Art” Gallery in Oradea. Continuing the bilateral collaboration, on August 11, 2005, Oradea photographer Ștefan Tóth István AFIAP, ESFIAP participated and gave a lecture while presenting his personal exhibition at the International Symposium organized by JIPF at the Kyoto Museum of Fine Arts, on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the Japan Photography Federation. Over the years, Japanese photographers participated in a series of events organized in Oradea: Keiko Sato AFIAP from Yokohama in 2004 (5th edition of the European Photography Festival), and in 2006, photographer Takashige Kumamoto from Hiroshima participated in the opening of his personal exhibition on August 14, 2006, during the 6th edition of the European Photography Festival. In the autumn of that year, a group of photographers from Yokohama visited Oradea. In 2007, photographer Ștefan Tóth István AFIAP, ESFIAP, together with the Deputy Mayor of Oradea, Bíró Rozália, participated in the opening of the joint exhibition of photographers from Oradea and Hiroshima at the Regional Museum of Oradea, with an exchange of experience at the two City Halls, as well as a meeting of photographers from Matsuyama. The “Euro Foto Art” Gallery in Oradea hosted on September 22, 2014, and May 31, 2019, the openings of exhibitions by the members of the “Japanese Danube” Photo Club, held in the History Department of the Oradea City Museum, in the presence of a group of Japanese photographers. In 2019, on July 2, the exhibition of the Japan Photographic Society (PSJ) from Tokyo was also opened in this Gallery, and on September 3, 2019, the exhibition of artist photographer Keiko Sato AFIAP from Yokohama was also opened in this gallery in the presence of the author. From October 1 to 14, 2018, photographer Ștefan Tóth István AFIAP, ESFIAP participated in a series of creative trips and experience exchanges with PSJ, photography art symposia, and held a workshop for the members of the “Japanese Danube” Photo Club in Tokyo. The collaboration with the Yokohama Photo Club continued during the pandemic, online via the Zoom platform. Another unprecedented cultural event was held at the Oradea Citadel on December 10, 2021, in partnership with Summit Agro Romania, dedicated to the 100th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Romania and Japan, marking the development of economic and cultural ties between the two countries. The event was attended by the former Japanese Ambassador to Romania, H.E. Mr. Hiroshi Ueda. On the occasion of the centenary, the exhibition was opened, and the album titled “People and Landscapes from Romania and Japan” was launched. A year later, the exhibition was also held at the Hiltopia Art Square Gallery in Tokyo, in the presence of the Romanian Ambassador to Japan, H.E. Ovidiu Dranga, representatives of Summit Agro Romania, and a group of photographers from Romania. On December 15, 2023, the Parliament Palace in Bucharest hosted the opening of three exhibitions dedicated to the 25th anniversary of Summit Agro Romania: “People and Landscapes from Romania and Japan,” “Picturesque Romania,” and the anniversary exhibition of photographer Ștefan Tóth István AFIAP, ESFIAP titled “Captured Moments,” which were honored by the presence of Japan’s Ambassador H.E. Hiroshi Ueda. Another exceptional exhibition was opened at the “Euro Foto Art” Gallery in the Oradea City Museum on January 25, 2023, in the presence of the author Kosei Miya from Tokyo, titled “Maramureș – The Center of the World.” The exhibition of Japanese photographer Kosei Miya, a cultural ambassador of Romania and Maramureș abroad for the past 60 years, was opened on July 12, 2024, at the Maramureș County Museum in Sighetu Marmației, in the presence of Mr. Tatsuo KITAGAWA, Counselor at the Japanese Embassy, and Mrs. Kazue KITAGAWA, and includes over 200 paradisiacal routes from the Carpathian-Danubian-Pontic region, especially Maramureș, presented through a Japanese vision… Maramureș and Romania captured in photography as the Center of the World. On this occasion, the album “Maramureș – The Center of the World,” created with the support of Summit Agro Romania, was launched. It is noteworthy that all the albums were published by the “Euro Foto Art” Publishing House. It is also worth mentioning that the new Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador of Japan to Romania, H.E. Mr. KATAE Takashi, visited the FIAP and EFA Exhibition Centers at the Prince’s Palace in the Oradea Citadel (Building E, ground floor) on October 21, 2024, during his official visit to Oradea and participated in the opening of the exhibition “Bridge Over Time – Cultural and Diplomatic Relations Between Romania and Japan.” On this occasion, photographer Ștefan Tóth István AFIAP, ESFIAP, presented the Japanese Ambassador with a jubilee trophy edited for the 25th anniversary of bilateral collaboration between Romanian and Japanese photographers. It is appreciated that all musical moments of the openings were provided by the renowned Oradea viola artist Thurzó Sándor József, a representative of the Sola Fide Community and Cultural Association (SFKKE), who performed several pieces from the Japanese repertoire. After his visit to Oradea, Japan’s Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador to Romania, H.E. Mr. KATAE Takashi, sent a heartfelt message to AIEFA expressing his gratitude for the warm reception and exceptional hospitality he received during his visit to Oradea. “It was a real pleasure to meet you and Mrs. Patricia Știrbu, President of Summit Agro Romania. The program organized for me on this occasion was highly appreciated, and I want to thank you for all the efforts and time spent on this occasion. I had the pleasure of attending the opening of the photography exhibition ‘Bridge Over Time – Bilateral Romanian-Japanese Cultural Relations’ at the Oradea Citadel. Thank you also for giving me the opportunity to meet photography enthusiasts and for showing me the art gallery. I also appreciated the warm invitation to lunch together that day, despite your very busy schedule. The discussions we had were extremely useful and instructive, and I also enjoyed the delicious food and the pleasant atmosphere. I look forward to staying in touch and learning about your future successes.” It is worth appreciating the principal role and contribution of photographer Ștefan Tóth István AFIAP, ESFIAP, over a quarter of a century in making these projects possible, demonstrating that the Oradea photographer has become a cultural ambassador of Romania in Japan.
