{"id":18544,"date":"2017-05-16T13:11:19","date_gmt":"2017-05-16T13:11:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/artzealous.com\/?p=18544"},"modified":"2017-05-16T13:11:19","modified_gmt":"2017-05-16T13:11:19","slug":"in-conversation-with-catinca-tabacaru-of-ctg-collective","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/artzealous.com\/in-conversation-with-catinca-tabacaru-of-ctg-collective\/","title":{"rendered":"In Conversation with Catinca Tabacaru of CTG Collective"},"content":{"rendered":"
Romanian-born Catinca Tabacaru has quite the resum\u00e9: originally a human rights attorney, she\u00a0then switched gears and\u00a0made a huge splash in the New York art world as a curator and gallery owner. Her most recent endeavor is an art collective that has taken her and several artists to some of the most remote places on\u00a0the globe. We can’t wait for you to read the\u00a0incredible stories she has to tell.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n AZ: Tell us a bit about your professional background. What led you to start CTG Collectiv<\/a>e<\/a>?<\/strong><\/p>\n CT:<\/strong> I am a human rights attorney, turned curator, turned art dealer, turned co-founder of an art collective.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n In 2013 I was in Romania with two artists I had worked with for years\u2014Rachel Monosov and Justin Orvis Steimer. We were visiting my grandmother\u2019s house in the countryside where running water only came in a few years prior. It\u2019s where I grew up, scampering around barefoot in the woods, encountering boars and sometimes a wolf or two. The villagers of Grajdana live close to the earth, tilling the land and caring for their gardens and animals. They love me and often tell stories of my innocent childhood, sometimes remarking that I am still the same wild kid who would put daily holes in my shorts trying to climb the highest of trees.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n As we became accustomed to village life and word of our presence spread over numerous valleys, the neighbors would show up at the house with gifts or offers for barter. Justin exchanged a small drawing for a 2-day old duckling that found a new mom in my grandma\u2019s hen. Our neighbor turned up with that day\u2019s fresh cheese, and Rachel offered to take photos of his twin girls.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n We left Romania with plans to expand this experience. By not committing to one space for working\u2014i.e. the studio or the gallery\u2014we would let the land and culture where we found ourselves lead the way. What matters most in this moment and space? How do we engage with that while growing our circle of collaborators and creators beyond its borders? We would start by breaking the determined geographical boundaries. And so, our inaugural project, a traveling art residency we named CTG(R), was born.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n AZ: Since starting CTG Collective, you\u2019ve worked with some pretty incredible artists\u2014what qualities did you see in them that compelled you to ask them to be a part of this project?<\/strong><\/p>\n CT:\u00a0<\/strong>Between Rachel, Justin and I, we tend to see a ninja when faced with one. Sometimes it\u2019s an artist\u2019s fascinating mind, sometimes it\u2019s their ambition or courage or connection to the divine. Sometimes it\u2019s raw talent and a quirky uniqueness. What brings each artist into the fold depends on their own set of qualities that makes them an important voice and an interesting human. All that said, nobody gets in who lacks kindness or empathy.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n AZ: So far the collective has traveled to Zimbabwe and Newfoundland. How were these locations chosen? \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n CT:\u00a0<\/strong>Sometimes I feel like the locations chose us, and not the other way around. I followed the rabbit, and that\u2019s where it took us.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n