Victoria creating books with children, Saltmarsh gathering 2023, Ioana making work on Clifton Beach, Simon’ Self Assembly in Korea
Romania/Tasmania artist exchange 2026
In May 2026 Simon Spain and Victoria Ryle intend to travel to Romania for the second stage of a carefully built artistic exchange.
The exchange began in 2023 when Romanian artist Ioana Palamar joined us in Tasmania through Erasmus+ funding. During her residency she created temporary works on local beaches, took part in our Saltmarsh Project, and built connections with Tasmanian artists. What started as a residency has grown into an international exchange linking Tasmania with Iași, Cucuteni, and Timișoara.
The Exchange with Romania
Over ten days we intend to work in three contexts:
UNAGE, Iași – lectures, workshops, and a participatory gallery installation.
The Singing Land, Cucuteni – multi-day community and youth workshops.
UVT, Timișoara – engagements near the Satchinez wetlands, echoing our Tasmanian Saltmarsh Project.
The program will include talks, participatory studio sessions, co-publishing workshops, public engagement through Self Assembly, and a presentation on the Tyler Collection (UTAS).
Our Partners
UNAGE – George Enescu National University of Arts (Iași, Romania) – Leading institution for fine art and arts education.
The Singing Land Residency (Cucuteni, Romania) – Artist retreat and community-engaged creative space. (pictured)
West University of Timișoara (UVT) – Faculty of Arts and Design, represented by Dr Smaranda Moldovan, extending the project to western Romania.
University of Tasmania – Tyler Collection (Australia) – A unique collection of Romanian art, providing cultural and research links between Tasmania and Romania.
Application Support Materials
click here to see all the letters of support and additional material
Key People
Dr Simon Spain – Artist, curator, Adjunct Senior Researcher (UTAS), Co-Director All That We Are. SEE SIMON’s SAMPLE PORTFOLIO HERE and SEE SELF ASSEMBLY HERE
Victoria Ryle – Artist, researcher, PhD candidate (UTAS, completion 2025), Co-Director All That We Are.
Ioana Palamar – Artist and academic at the George Enescu National University of Arts (UNAGE), Iași. First Romanian artist-in-residence at All That We Are in 2023, initiating the exchange partnership. SEE IOANA’S SAMPLE GALLERY HERE
Ionela Sandrina Mihuleac – Founder and Director of The Singing Land Residency in Cucuteni. Leads a program of residencies and community engagement in a region internationally recognised for its Neolithic cultural heritage. SEE SANDRINA’S SAMPLE PORTFOLIO HERE
Dr Smaranda Moldovan – Lecturer in Visual Arts, Faculty of Arts and Design, West University of Timișoara (UVT). Provides academic collaboration and in-kind accommodation support, extending the project to western Romania. SEE SOME OF SMARANDA’S WORK HERE
Context: Iași, Cucuteni & Timișoara, Romania
The exchange takes place across three culturally significant Romanian locations:
Iași – A major centre of Romanian culture and education, home to the George Enescu National University of Arts (UNAGE), with a rich tradition in visual arts and music.
Cucuteni – A rural village internationally recognised as the birthplace of Europe’s oldest Neolithic culture. Today it is home to The Singing Land Residency, where artists work closely with young people and community members in a landscape deeply marked by history.
Timișoara – A dynamic city in western Romania, known for its contemporary arts scene and as the European Capital of Culture in 2023. Here, the West University of Timișoara (UVT) and Dr Smaranda Moldovan (Faculty of Arts and Design) extend the project into a new region, providing academic collaboration and in-kind accommodation support during the visit. Nearby on the Banat Plain are the Satchinez Swamps with a very similar ecological system to the Saltmarshes of Tasmania.
About Us
We are Dr Simon Spain and Victoria Ryle, two Tasmanian artists with complementary practices:
Simon is a public participatory artists, and Adjunct Senior Researcher at UTAS, known for Self Assembly and participatory sculptural practice. He has also served as Chair of Regional Arts Australia (2017–2024). See a sample of Simon’s work here.
Victoria is an artist, researcher, and PhD candidate at UTAS, completing her doctorate in March 2026. She is an international pioneer of participatory co-publishing, with over 300 books made with children and communities worldwide. See Victoria’s work here.
Together we have hosted many international artists and we have also undertaken residencies across the USA, Europe, Korea, and Japan. This dual perspective — as hosts and participants — gives us a unique understanding of how residencies can create meaningful, lasting exchange.
What will we do in Romania?
Lectures & presentations at UNAGE (Iași).
Studio workshops – SELF ASSEMBLY & participatory publishing.
Community project with youth in Cucuteni.
Gallery installation at UNAGE.
Talk on the Tyler Collection (UTAS) as cultural bridge.