Between East and West

I saw a very beautiful exhibition in Mingei Museum. Mingei is one of my favorites: the exhibitions are amazing both in content and as exhibitions. This is how it was with this “Between East and West” exhibition. The Romanian-native Lucia Ionescu Kachenian who lives in San Diego donated more than 250 folk art pieces, books and photos to the museum. Amazingly beautiful embroidered folk dresses, pottery, carved trunks, and objects of everyday use – many times with Hungarian text… Romanians, Slavic, Saxons, Hungarians, Jews, Armenians, and Szeklers from Maramures, Bucovina, and Moldavia. East meets West – and they co-exist quite well. And without bringing in the politics of today it is difficult not to think about how politics can make enemies from people of different ethnic origin who used to live in peace. These ethnic groups still live in Romania – Csangos, Romani, Romanians, Slavic, Hungarians, Jews, Armenians – with very rich cultural heritage. I wish we would talk more about these than about our crazy politicians’ manipulations which destroys our lives in the East and in the West.







Lattam egy szep kiallitast a Mingei Museum-ban.Mingei az egyik kedvenc, gyonyorusegesek a kiallitasaik, szinvonalban,kivitelezesben egyarant. Igy volt ez most is a Between East and West kiallitassal is. A San Diegoban elo, roman szarmazasu Lucia Ionescu Kanchenian tobb,mint 250 db roman nepmuveszeti targyat, konyvet, fotot adomanyozott a muzeumnak. Csodaszep himzett nepviseletek, keramiak, faragott ladak,mindennapos hasznalati targyak - sokszor magyar felirattal....Romanok, szlavok, magyarok, Maramaros, Bukovina, Moldavia tajairol. Kelet talalkozik a Nyugattal - es jol megfer egymassal. S anelkul, hogy az aktualis politikat behoznam , nehez elvonatkoztatni, nehez nem arra gondolni, hogy a politika hogy egymasnak tud ugrasztani valaha egymas mellett bekessegben elo nepcsoportokat. Ma is elnek Romaniaban ezek az etnikai csoportok - csangok, ciganyok, romanok, szlavok, magyarok,zsidok, ormenyek - mind gazdag kulturalis orokseggel. Bar inkabb ezekrol esne tobb szo, mint elborult agyu politikusaink manipulacioirol, ami alattomosan mergezi az egymashoz valo viszonyunkat... Keleten es Nyugaton.