This project strand offers short residency opportunities in partner cities for 30 emerging artists. Each UEO city partner will send two artists on a residency to another partner’s city of a different art form, thereby seeking to enrich their professional practice through inter-disciplinary residencies. Artists are chosen on the basis of having demonstrated an interest in the hosting city’s Arts & Society contemporary European theme. They must also practice a different art form from that of the hosting city’s public event. The project offers the emerging artists the opportunity to travel without the pressure to produce work and ideally to experience UEO’s public events.
Mihai Gligan (Theatre & Film) will travel to Oulu
Cluj’s other artist, Hunor-József Varga, will travel to Copenhagen
Artist’s Statement
As a young theater and film director, I am haunted by many questions about my art. I wonder how can you maintain your truth in an art piece in a world where success and money seem to be the only things that drives us. I am always searching for the balance between aesthetics and simplicity. I struggle to understand what makes theater survive in our times: the stories it tells, the emotions it makes us feel, the illusions and magic that it presents us with, the people, maybe? The only thing I know for sure is that theater is made by people, with people and for the people.
Being from an eastern country that just now is very timidly, slowly and cautiously opening up, culturally speaking, I believe that my only salvation as a young artist is to get out of the comfort zone that my motherland has created for me in order to open up my way of thinking. That is why I trust that this programme is a great opportunity for me to learn and explore a different cultural environment.
There is no right way of doing theatre. There is not just one method and the “recipe for success” that we all want does not exist. That is why exploring different ways of making theatrical productions or different work processes is now my main focus. I believe you first have to explore “the outside” in order to understand what is inside yourself.
Artist’s Biography
Mihai Gligan was born in a small city from Romania. From a very young age he showed interest in the artistic worl. He graduated with a degree in theater directing and is currently a masters student. He directed a short movie and many theatrical productions in state and independent theaters, working mostly with young teams of actors. His interests lie at the intersection of performing arts with visual arts with the hope to redefine how the human body and soul is perceived in the 21 century. He participated in many cultural residencies in Berlin, Paris, Lyon, Pecs, in order to broaden his understanding of theater and film.
More info
Blog interview with Mihai Gligan
