ON PAPER: An Affordable Art Fair
Previous Edition · 27–29 March 2026 · Cluj-Napoca
ON PAPER – An Affordable Art Fair is a contemporary art fair dedicated entirely to works created on paper. The first edition took place between 27 and 29 March 2026, at the Cellarium Gallery of the Ethnographic Museum of Transylvania in Cluj-Napoca, bringing together artists, independent publishers, students, and audiences interested in accessible forms of contemporary art.
With free public access, the fair proposed an open and welcoming environment for discovering, discussing, and collecting art. Its focus was on works that are reproducible, editioned, and easy to circulate — from prints and drawings to zines, artist books, postcards, and other paper-based publications.
At the heart of ON PAPER was the idea that collecting art does not have to begin with exclusivity or high prices. By bringing together affordable works and independent publishing practices, the fair created a space where contemporary art could be encountered in an immediate, personal, and accessible way.
THE FIRST EDITION
The inaugural edition brought together artists and independent initiatives from across Romania, alongside projects connected to illustration, comics, artist books, zines, printmaking, and contemporary painting.
Among the participating artists and collectives were Adina Bogătean, Alina Bradu Pintea, Ana Benczedi, Andreea Domokos, Andreea Omucz, Andreea Tabita Curelaru, Arba Sara, Archive C41, Artivistory, Cătălina Nistor, Claudia Chelaru, Comics Club Cluj, Dóri Újváry, Eliot Mărmureanu, Eugen Gubandru, FDbones, Gujdek, Gura Mare, Liviu Bulea, Maria Brudașcă, Maria Căruntu, Maria Surducan, Mălina Cristea, Oana Maria Pop, Rada Niță, Raluca Bobiş, Raluca Sîrbu, Raul Bali, Răzvan Botiş, The Secret Garden, UAD Pictură, and Vlad Mureșan.
The fair brought together a wide range of approaches to working with paper, reflecting the diversity of contemporary artistic and publishing practices. Visitors could discover individual artworks alongside editions and publications, encountering different ways in which images and ideas can be reproduced, collected, exchanged, and shared.
PROGRAMME & PUBLIC EVENTS
The fair extended beyond the exhibition and sales format through a programme of talks, workshops, book launches, and exhibitions, creating opportunities for exchange between artists, publishers, and visitors.
ABC 80 · Book Launch
The opening programme featured the launch of ABC 80, a Romanian–Hungarian bilingual publication by Evelin Márton and Cătălina Nistor.
Inspired by the 1980s, the alternative alphabet book reflects on childhood and the experience of the so-called “Latchkey kids,” approaching personal and collective memory through the format of an artist publication.
Zines, Collections & an Art Book Fair
Artist and publisher Florin Fâra, representing The Secret Garden and Sit + Read Artbook Fair, presented two initiatives exploring independent publishing as a space for meeting, experimentation, and community-building.
The talk traced the evolution of these projects from DIY initiatives and small-scale formats to art fairs, exhibitions, and educational programmes, highlighting collaboration, production processes, and the role of fanzines and artist books in creating vibrant and accessible cultural contexts.
Fold & Create
The programme also included Fold & Create, a zine-making workshop led by Maria Brudașcă.
Participants explored simple ways of transforming a single sheet of paper into a miniature visual narrative, creating their own stories through drawing and folding. Open to participants of all ages, the workshop emphasized the playful and accessible potential of self-publishing.
ZINE WORLDS · PERSONAL ARCHIVE EXHIBITION
Throughout the three days of the fair, Zine Worlds presented a selection from the personal archive of artist Cătălina Nistor.
The exhibition brought together fanzines, artist books, postcards, and limited-edition publications collected from Romania, Germany, the United Kingdom, and Serbia.
Produced through a variety of techniques — including digital printing, xerox, engraving, risograph, and offset printing — the publications offered a glimpse into the diverse histories and contemporary possibilities of independent printed matter.
PARTICIPANTS’ EXHIBITION
One of the gallery rooms was dedicated to a group exhibition featuring works by participating artists.
Curated by Liviu Bulea and Maria Brudașcă, the exhibition offered a collective perspective on the practices represented at ON PAPER, bringing individual works together in a shared exhibition context.
A FAIR FOR ART ON PAPER
The first edition of ON PAPER brought together art, independent publishing, collecting, and community around one of the most direct and versatile artistic materials: paper.
From original works and prints to zines, artist books, and editions, the fair explored how art can be produced and circulated outside traditional gallery formats — while remaining personal, tangible, and accessible.
The three-day event created a space for encounter, exchange, experimentation, and discovery, connecting artists and audiences through works that could be looked at, discussed, taken home, and collected.
ON PAPER – An Affordable Art Fair
Organized by Asociația Refugiu de Creație
Partners:
Universitatea de Arte și Design, Cluj-Napoca · Cafe del Mars
Refugiu de Creație 