An instance of the Peninsula discussion group

Peninsula began at the Institute of the Present as a discussion group about cultural events, based on the need to give more time and space to reflect on the artistic proposals shown on the local art scene, beyond the fleeting discussions at an opening, a performance, or a book launch. The group has had several formats, bringing together different participants, both art professionals and amateurs from the cultural audience. The first edition took place in Timișoara in 2022–2023, and the editions held in Bucharest also had specific themes; in 2025 this was art criticism and art writing.

Peninsula is a free space for dialogue, with the assumed risk that participants – whether they know each other or not, may or may not meet in the perspectives they bring – resonate or are in flagrant disagreement. The intention was to create a fluid, safe, trusting environment, where everyone could say what they thought and be listened to. The fact that this happens every time is a wonder and a comfort for the participants, which contributes significantly to their motivation and interest in joining the discussions.

Notes Between Us is a form of manifestation that the group’s meetings in 2025 have reached, the idea being to write about or starting from events viewed and discussed within Peninsula. A shift from the collective experience of dialogue to the individual experience of writing which then turns to the others and to the public. Notes Between Us is not a programmatic column, in which we aim to present a specific writing style, but rather an eclectic writing space, which brings together journalistic texts, essays or art criticism texts. The authors’ views on the relationship between writing and nowadays readers are also divided. What we have proposed, however, is that the length of the texts be limited to approximately one page, wishing that they can also be read on social media platforms. The opinions expressed belong to the authors of each text published within the column.

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Notes Between Us is a collaboration between Revista Arta and The Institute of the Present, initiated by Ștefania Ferchedău. Visual identity: Ioana Petcu. Column launched in 2025 in the frame of “In the Archives. (Yet) Invisible Histories”, cultural project co-funded by the Administration of the National Cultural Fund.

The project does not necessarily represent the standpoint of the Administration of the National Cultural Fund. AFCN cannot be held liable for the content of the project or the manner in which the outcomes of the project may be used. These shall devolve entirely on the beneficiary of the financing.