PAW 2023 Reflections: Interview with Horatiu Lipot

EduArt Experience partnered up with the Prague Art Week team and for the occasion of its 2023 edition, invited a group of international art experts and curators to guide them through Prague’s vibrant art scene.

We are very proud of and grateful for this collaboration which only underscores the importance of uniting people from various cultural backgrounds also here in the Czech Republic.

Among the guests who joined us for this exciting event was Horatiu Lipot, Curator and Cultural Manager based in Romania. In this interview, he kindly shared with us his thoughts not only on the event itself, but also on what he enjoys most about working in the arts.

EduArt: What was one major highlight of the PAW 2023 event for you? And why?

Horatiu: I couldn’t name just one. Surely, one of them was meeting Jiří Kovanda during his exhibition. The second one has to be the tour organised at the National Gallery where the chief curator, Michal Novotný, presented us the methodology for selection and presentation of the 1939⁠–⁠2021: The End of the Black-and-White Era exhibition.

EduArt: Did you discover any artists who are now on your radar?

Horatiu: Yes, an artist from the 70s generation, Jiří Kolář. His work left a lasting impression on me.

EduArt: Was there anything that surprised you during the event?

Horatiu: The variety of venues and events scheduled during PAW 2023 was truly impressive. We got to experience everything from artist workshop factory hubs, to auction houses. We passed through the most renowned art galleries, off-site exhibitions, and national museums. Overall, there was something for everyone. It was a testament to the diversity and inclusivity of the art world.

EduArt: What do you like most about working in the arts?

Horatiu: What I like about it has to do with all the operations that go into the process of exhibition-making; be it small and invisible ones, or ones that are decisive and seen from afar; or ones that deal with the journey of the artwork from the studio to its placement in an institutional context. Ultimately, the main objective is for the art and art projects to become a part of the public’s consciousness and eventually, the historical collective consciousness. What a great discovery it is when one realises that when taking the object out of the equation, what you essentially leave behind is a cluster of ideas, often with social or speculative scientific value, prompting analysis and discussion among individuals from different groups.