WDP sponsors the biggest mural art festival in Romania
The very first edition of Artown Festival, the biggest street art festival in Romania, gathered artists from all over the world, who beautified an area of 1800 sqm of the city of Ploiești – 27 walls from 18 locations, between August 5 – 14. WDP proudly sponsored the event, whose theme was “Urban Synaesthesia”, organized with the objective of inspiring people to stop for a few seconds, look around and notice the current worldwide context and its problems communicated via representations of art.
Artists from all over the world
27 artists from Romania, Italia, the Republic of Moldova, Finland, Ukraine, Peru and Germany beautified the city of Ploiești. The location of the event was not chosen by chance. Ploiești is a city whose history was shaped by the oil industry. Oil is the one that, at the beggining of the 20th century, contributed to the city’s prosperity, but it’s also the one that led to its degradation. The city, however, represents more than its industrial background. Among the personalities who shaped its history are names such as: Ion Luca Caragiale, Toma Caragiu or Nichita Stănescu, reference names of the Romanian dramaturgy, theather and poetry.
Sustainability in the spotlight
77 artists from 23 countries responded to organizers’ call, 27 being selected to be part of the first edition of Artown Festival. Besides “Urban Synaesthesia”, the festival also focused on the sustainability theme, the concepts chosen to be implemented being in accordance with the approach of a better and more sustainable future for all – by focusing on the 17 interlinked Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that were set up in 2015 by the UN as global goals to be achieved by 2030.
In addition to the murals, the event included various other activities – poetry evenings, outdoor theatrr, alternative rock and classical music concerts, live modular performances, ballet and contemporary dance shows, action painting, as well as art workshops for children and young people.