We are pleased to announce the inauguration of “The Garden of Collective Futures”, a public art project initiated by ten members of the EUNIC New York, the association of EU`s cultural institutes, featuring artists from ten European countries and the U.S.:
Rob Anderson (Hungary)
Riivo Kruuk (Estonia)
David Leitner (Austria)
Julius Ludavičius (Lithuania)
Jan Deejoohcee Rosius (Belgium/Flanders)
Rosa Sarholz (Germany)
Asia Sztencel (Poland)
Misha Tyutyunik (Ukraine/US)
Věrka Vybíralová (Czech Republic)
Romania is represented by RADU PANDELE, one of the country`s most interesting young artists. Radu`s practice includes painting, muralism, sculpture, mixed media installations, and digital art. His murals can be seen in several cities in Romania & Europe, including Berlin, Germany; Monte Gordo, Portugal; Bialystok, Poland; Grenoble and Briançon, France.
In a time where the world feels increasingly divided, this artistic exchange between Europe and the US emphasizes the importance of international cultural cooperation.
“Garden of Collective Futures” is a public art project initiated by ten members of the EUNIC Cluster New York featuring artists from ten European countries and the U.S. EUNIC – European Union National Institutes for Culture – is the European network of organizations engaging in cultural relations in more than 100 countries worldwide with a network of 140 clusters. EUNIC Cluster New York is one of them.
In the first step, the artists created a collaborative mural design through a series of workshops under the creative lead of New York-based, Ukrainian-born painter, muralist, street artist and illustrator Misha Tyutyunik. In a second step, they painted it together on the wall outside of The Standard, East Village.
LOCATION
EUNIC Cluster New York is thrilled to partner with The Standard, East Village on this project. The mural’s location is on the wall outside of the hotel, along East 5th Street (between 2nd and 3rd Avenue), New York, NY 10003. The date for the unveiling is June 20th, 2024. The artwork is visible for the public from Friday, June 21st, 2024.
The Standard, East Village is located off Cooper Square in one of New York’s most vibrant, artistic neighborhoods. The hotel is cozy, charming, and eccentric in equal measure – very much in the spirit of its surroundings.
MURAL THEME
The mural design was created by the ten artists collaboratively in a series of workshops. First, the artists delved into the essence of the project, associating symbols with the title words "garden", "collective", and "future". Each sketched their chosen symbols in their own respective style, embellishing them with personal associations from their heritage countries that helped shape their identity. These symbols formed the foundation for the design.
Next, the artists dissected the meanings behind their chosen symbols through dialogue and individual reflection. Under Misha Tyutyunik's creative guidance, a cohesive framework emerged, balancing unity and individuality. Discussion flowed around ensuring coherence among sections, with mock-ups and cut-outs aiding the visualization of the final composition.
The garden serves as a potent metaphor for collective aspirations and cultural diversity. As each artist's contribution enriches the tapestry of the mural, it becomes a testament to both individual expression and shared visions for a prosperous and peaceful future for all.
Meet the Artists
Rob Anderson is a visual artist from Queens, NYC, with Hungarian roots. He is known for large-scale murals and international community painting events. Community work is at the core of Rob’s art path. He started with volunteering summer art classes and mural workshops, which led to artist residencies with public schools where he taught art and created several murals with students. His interactive paint-by-numbers project “Kittizens” has been featured internationally, welcoming thousands of participants.
Working in oils and spray paint, Riivo Kruuk’s work explores Estonian folklore and traditional clothing fused with contemporary motifs and pop culture. Working inside and outside on buildings, Riivo paints his figures decorated in embroidery-esque and graffiti tag-like adornments. He graduated from Florida Atlantic University with a Bachelor in Fine Arts with a focus on painting in 2020.
David Leitner is a visual artist from Austria whose works are inspired by cultural diversity as well as contemporary problems and react to their immediate surroundings. Based on found-footage photographs or AI prompts, and translated through painting, they conclude in a contemporary context. Through repetition, juxtaposition and elimination of the original composition, they tend to lean towards surrealism and seek to be unraveled by the observer. Errors and mistakes become the focal point. He has painted over 30 public buildings and exhibited his work on three continents.
Julius Ludavičius is a Lithuanian painter based in New York. A graduate of Vilnius Academy of Arts and Hunter College, his work melds semi-abstract and mural-sized paintings with a focus on non-traditional canvases featuring complex, irregular shapes. His pieces blend abstract structures with detailed representational elements, inviting multiple narratives and interpretations. His works are in private collections in New York, Los Angeles, and Lithuania.
Jan Deejoohcee Rosius is a visual artist from Belgium (Flanders) with deep roots in the graffiti and street art movement. With more than 25 years of experience, he blends elements of raw graffiti culture with different techniques from the spectrum of modern contemporary art.
Rosa Sarholz’ work examines how language operates in the public sphere, often in text and large-scale installation. She graduated from Kunstakademie Düsseldorf, Germany, as a Meisterschülerin of Rita McBride and holds an MFA from the California Institute of the Arts, Valencia, CA.
Asia Sztencel (b. Łódź, Poland) is a Brooklyn-based conceptual artist who pursues socially engaged practice based on research about the experience of immigrants in local communities in relationship to memory of a place. Activating landscape as the base narrative through painting, traditional craft, and multimedia, Sztencel’s interactive practice offers a personal exploration of exile and longing within the broader narratives of displacement and immigration.
Misha Tyutyunik is a Ukrainian-born artist based out of Brooklyn, New York. He is working in a variety of mediums, creates public art with communities locally and abroad and is regularly commissioned to paint and illustrate for collectors, brands and publications.
Věrka Vybíralová is a progressive Czech artist. She created and pioneered a new technique called “dynamic quick-sketching”. Her primary focus is figure-drawing, which she expresses mostly in form of comics. She also works as an illustrator for the Czech magazine “Reflex”.
EUROPEAN UNION NATIONAL INSTITUTES FOR CULTURE (EUNIC)
EUNIC – European Union National Institutes for Culture – is the European network of organizations engaging in cultural relations. Together with partners, it brings to life European cultural collaboration in more than 100 countries worldwide with a network of 140 clusters, drawing on the broad experience of its members from all EU member states and associate countries. EUNIC New York is one of these clusters.
EUNIC advocates for a prominent role of culture in international relations and is a strategic partner of the EU, actively involved in the development of European cultural policy. EUNIC is a platform for knowledge-sharing and capacity-building amongst its members and partners.
PARTNERS
“Garden of Collective Futures” is a project led by the Austrian Cultural Forum New York for EUNIC New York, in cooperation with the following partnering institutions: Hungarian Cultural Centre (Liszt Institute), Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Consulate-General of Estonia in New York), Lithuanian Cultural Institute (Lithuanian Consulate-General in New York), Romanian Cultural Institute in New York, Delegation of Flanders to the USA, Goethe-Institut New York, Polish Cultural Institute New York, Ukrainian Institute of America, and Czech Center New York.
With generous support from EUNIC Global – European Union National Institutes for Culture, Europe’s network of national cultural institutes and organizations, with 39 members from all EU Member States.
