Paul Celan at 105: Symposium & Piano Recital

A symposium and piano recital celebrating the legacy of Paul Celan, 105 years after his birth.

The Romanian Cultural Institute in London dedicated an entire day of events to the multifaceted, exceptional, and tragic personality of Romanian-born, internationally acclaimed French poet of the German language, Paul Celan, and his profound influence on contemporary art. The series of events, which included a symposium, a roundtable discussion, a piano recital, and a private view of the "Atemkristall (Breathcrystal)" exhibition, was opened by Aura Woodward, the Director of the Romanian Cultural Institute. Mrs Woodward stressed the importance of remembering and celebrating such stellar personalities as Paul Celan and introduced the distinguished speakers. We are thankful to Peter Harrap, Anna McNay and Florin Ungureanu for their passionate presentations and for curating an exceptional exhibition at the Blyth Gallery of Imperial College London. We were honoured to listen to the contributions of scholars, poets, and artists such as Andreea Iulia Scridon, Marius von Brasch, Harriet Tarlo, Susie Hamilton, Barbara Howey, Alex McIntyre, and Fiona Robinson.

The first part of the day concluded with an outstanding piano recital by Cristiana Achim, who presented, for the first time in our Enescu Room, Lipatti's Early Compositions Suite and a piano transcription of Enescu's First Rhapsody, alongside compositions by Maurice Ravel, Enrique Granados, and her own works.

The private view of the exhibition took place at the Blyth Gallery of Imperial College London and was opened with a short introduction by Director Woodward. Ambassador Laura Popescu then took the floor and saluted the initiative of celebrating Paul Celan, the immense poet and survivor of the Holocaust, who wrote his entire opus in German, the language of his oppressors. Ambassador Popescu also mentioned that this exhibition, featuring no less than 81 British and Romanian artists, contributes to the cultural celebrations marking 145 years of British-Romanian diplomatic relations, highlighting the importance of soft power in our societies. Peter Harrap then spoke about the long history of developing this project, referring to its initial iteration in Iași and plans of taking it to other relevant spaces in the future.

🗓️ When: Thursday 20 March, 12-5 pm

📍 Where: 1 Belgrave Square, SW1X8PH

🖼️ A fantastic exhibition exploring the profound impact of Paul Celan’s poetry through the lens of contemporary art, with works on paper by 80 Romanian and British artists. Paintings, drawings, and photographs exploring themes such as walking, language, and otherness are presented alongside archival materials, including the personal works of Celan and Gisèle Lestrange, fragments of collaborative work by poet Harriet Tarlo and the late artist Judith Tucker, as well as a selection of small paintings by British artist Peter Harrap.

Curators: Peter Harrap, Anna McNay, Florin Ungureanu.

🗓️ When: Private View 20 March, 6:30 pm; Until 1 May, Mon-Fri from 10 am - 5 pm

📍 Where: Imperial College London, Blyth Gallery, Level 5, Sherfield Building

This project was supported by the British Council Romania, the Warburg Institute, UCL London, and the ‘George Enescu’ National University of the Arts in Iași, Romania.