Andrei Stefan Boitan is a sculptor from Cluj in charge of coordinating the artists-in-residence that come at Tasuleasa Social over the years. Together, they have created more than 1,000 milestones so far, and I know that Andrei’s contribution has been substantial in organizing the entire process. As I wrote before, I met Andrei in September 2021, when I visited Tasu’. I really appreciate his wit and his sense of humor, I liked watching him interact with everyone. Andrei is very modest, he does not like to talk about himself, but his passion for art and this project made him open up about it. A little bit.
DK: Andrei, how did you get involved in this project?
ASB: First time I got involved with the Via Transilvanica project by applying to participate in the sculpture camp. It was a great experience.
It all started with my desire to participate in a sculpture camp, having almost finished my first year of master's degree. I really wanted to participate in a camp and get out of the "comfort" zone, somehow. At the time, in 2018, I found out about the Via Transilvanica sculpting camp shortly after it was advertised, but the places were already taken. So I enlisted the help of our Dean from the Art & Design University in Cluj, Mr. Ilie Bostan, who was involved with the organization of the camp. I was keen to be part of the project, even if none of us were really sure what to expect and had a clear picture pf the possibilities.
After taking part in the first camp, we all started brainstorming on how to make the milestones more of an art piece, beyond the functionality. We wanted to get involved beyond what was required of us. A month after, I returned with my fellow artist Alexandru Burlacu to sculpt together the gate to the Teaching Forest (Padurea Pedagica), and so we spent another month in the VT camp.
This is how the whole project started, is more about the art than the milestones portrayed. That was the moment when I realized that I want to be more involved in all the sculpting projects of the organization. So I got more involved by coordinating the artists that have participated in the residences here ever since.
Upper row, from left to right: Narcis Tabarcea, Svetelina Angelova, Ivan Ivanov, Iulian Tugui, Timotei Ionus, Alexandru Burlacu, Mihai Savin;
Lover row, from left to right: Cristina Craciun, Andreea Grigoras, Emilia Avarvaroaei, Iuliana Gradinaru, Stefan Ichim.
The best part of the project is the people and the opportunity to exhibit your work in a unique, public space. It is like creating a dialogue between art, nature, and the hikers. It’s a lot of work but it's so nice to have everybody there and watch how they involuntarily mix their ideas with each other.
DK: What does Via Transilvanica mean for you?
ASB: I see it as an organ that gradually transforms into an organism. It’s alive and growing.
At Tasuleasa with Ivan Ivanov (Bulgaria), Tsvetelina Angelova (Bulgaria), Cris Ianculescu (SUA), Iuliana Gradinaru (Ro), Alexandru Burlacu (Ro), Andrei Boitan (Ro), Daniela Kammrath (SUA) in September 2021
About Via Transilvanica: The 1,400 km trail that unites over 400 communities from North-North-East to West-South-West of Romania is the most notable trail in Eastern Europe and, arguably, the longest art exhibit in the world. All of its milestones are hand-carved by sculptors on the premises in Bistrita. The work started in 2019 and by now over 1,100 of these pieces of art have been finished and installed on the trail. More about the project here.