Art history is often told through a limited set of well-known centres, often constructed retrospectively and leaving many complementary stories in the background. This lecture broadens this lens by tracing the reciprocal exchange of ideas between Western Europe, North America, and the cultures of Central and Eastern Europe. Rather than treating influence as a one-way flow, we wish to challenge the dominant narrative and look at the many directions in which techniques, materials, and aesthetic concepts have travelled, showing how artists from across the region have shaped—and been shaped by—wider artistic conversations.  

Through case studies, visual juxtapositions, and a brief historiographical survey, the next discussion of the Transylvania Lectures series proposes a richer, more interconnected map of creativity, one that recognises every contribution as part of a shared, evolving narrative around the world's artistic heritage. 

Our guest speaker, Peter Harrap, is a British-Romanian artist and curator. He is co-curator of The Constable 250 Exhibition (2026), which will bring over 100 works by John Constable back to his birthplace for the artist’s 250th anniversary. Peter’s recent project with the Romanian Cultural Institute and the University of Iași explores the collaboration between poet Paul Celan and artist Gisèle Lestrange, resulting in a touring exhibition of 80 British and Romanian artists. His past exhibitions include No New Thing under the Sun (Royal Academy, 2010/11), Constable and Brighton, Something out of Nothing (Brighton Museum, 2017), and John Constable: Seeking Truth (Art Safari & V&A, Bucharest, 2022). Peter is pursuing a PhD at the George Enescu National University of the Arts (Iași) in partnership with UCL London and serves as a Trustee of Ratiu LSE Ideas Romania. His grandfather was exiled from Romania in 1939. 

His partner in conversation at the event will be Dr Mara-Victoria Raţiu. She holds the position of Associate Professor in the Theory Department at the University of Art and Design in Cluj-Napoca. Additionally, she serves on the Representative Board of ELIA (European League of Institutes of the Arts) and is a member of the Scientific Board of MNAC (National Museum of Contemporary Art in Bucharest). Her main research interests are in aesthetics, contemporary artistic practices and institutions and their socio-political implications. 

Moderator: Hanna Ugron, youth participation development professional and cultural manager, focusing on regional cooperation, cultural initiatives, youth empowerment, and civic engagement. She played a key role in Kolozsvár/Cluj-Napoca’s European Youth Capital 2015 initiative and the city's bid for the European Capital of Culture title, promoting youth participation. She is currently a project manager on the Academic Affairs team at Mathias Corvinus Collegium in Kolozsvár/Cluj. 

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