Traveller in Romania: K O M P U S 3, a crowd of Bucharest

Traveller in Romania: K O M P U S 3, a special crowd of Bucharest, October 2023

This year, the highlight of my holiday in Romania was KOMPUS. I was pleased and honored to ‘rub my elbows’ with a unique bunch of people at the 3rd Edition of KOMPUS.

What is KOMPUS?

KOMPUS is a group of artists, former and current students of Bucharest UNARTE (National University of Arts) of the Painting Department.

Every year in October, the artists meet up by organizing their own (KOMPUS group) exhibition and showcase their work: to each other, to art galleries, to friends and family, and to the public.

I was sad and a bit jealous in the previous two years because I could not travel and I was not there for KOMPUS 1 and 2, but this year I cleverly planned my holiday to Romania especially to be in Bucharest, at least for the opening days.

The exhibition is usually open for a couple of weeks, and the artists had to work themselves to prepare it, from moving furniture, panelling, exhibiting decorating, drinks, and catering, plus the advertising and marketing, preparation of catalogues, the social media, interviews, and newspapers articles.

It’s not an easy job, I can tell you that! Not because I did it, but because I was there ‘behind the curtains’ and I saw them at work, getting ready for the opening.

But many hands make light work and they split the tasks and got it done.

That is the background of the event; now about the artwork!

Each of them had to introduce one piece from their work and exhibit it for the KOMPUS 3.

The variety and the volume of the works presented took me by surprise. There are four rooms at the ground level of an 18th-century house in the Armenian Quarter of Bucharest. I was able to take a few visits all by myself and take my time with each work, and with each view, I found another detail and a new connection.

When the artists and their guests arrived for the opening, it suddenly turned into a crowded place where at first you can feel alone and overwhelmed by all that talent and beauty.

You’re lost, you’re confused, you’re timid, feel as if you do not belong there, you have no place among the artists. That mass of artistry creates humility, you are small and insignificant.

But just when you feel you’re about to fall, they catch you and lift you back up, with a word, a smile, a story, a painting, a glass of wine, or a coffee.

I was lucky to make acquaintance with some of the artists and we talked, and I could drill into the reason, the how and why, the meaning, and mostly the feeling of the painting. I mingled with them and listened, and some were quite young and shy, but they all had a strong love of art, a passion, and a flame that got through their reserve and they all turned out to be a bunch of funny, dreamer people.

Most of them expressed to me that fear of their work being unfinished, or the insecurity of the final work not being ‘quite right’. The artists were unhappy with the result, but me and, I believe the other visitors as well — we could only see the talent and brilliant imagination.

They succeeded in sharing their vision; I am sure of that!

Artists today are doomed to live in their worlds. It is not easy to promote their work, there is no art industry as such, and when a group comes together and has this beautiful initiative and creates events like this, it only proves their beliefs and passion are worth it.

Their paintings and works presented at KOMPUS, as well as information about the artists, are posted on social media as well.

You can find them on Facebook and Instagram. On their Facebook page they also posted the paintings and the works presented at KOMPUS 3.

They had quite a lot of visitors, and apart from me (and my other half) from Australia, they also had visitors from Canada, America, and South Africa.

So we can say that this October, KOMPUS became ‘international’.



Another first for KOMPUS this year was that before the end of the exhibition, four of the exhibited artworks found a new home.

I am sure they will be back in 2024,  so don't be a stranger and look them up, and I hope the stars align so I can go to Bucharest in October, and I’ll have KOMPUS on my list of ‘things to do’.

Everyone had a great time, including myself, and I was sad when I left for home, not only because my holiday was finished, but also because of those wonderful people I met and because of that feeling of peace and joy that art can produce in one’s soul.

I’ve been marked.

Thank you crowd of K_O_M_P_U_S !