Romanian artists raise money for victims of Bucharest Colectiv fire

A group of Romanian artists have come together to raise money for those injured in the Colectiv nightclub fire in Bucharest.

The initiative “Art for Colectiv” is made up of 36 artists and creatives, who donate unique artworks to the cause. The wide range of works, from paintings to postcards, can be bought online, with proceeds going entirely to victims of the fire. The initiative was started by artists Raluca Băraru, Loreta Isac, Paula Rusu & Ioana Șopov.

“It’s been 5 days and we’ve managed to sell over 400 works and raise more than 10.000 euros. [...] It’s the beginning of a beautiful community that started to grow unexpectedly and reached far beyond what we expected.” said Laura Ionescu, one of the young creatives now working with the project.

The Colectiv nightclub fire took place in the Romanian capital, Bucharest, on 30 October, killing 53 people (26 on the spot, 27 in hospitals) and injuring 161 others. The fire, which occurred during a free concert by the band Goodbye to Gravity, is the worst such incident to have taken place in Romania in the last 20 years. Large-scale protests following the fire have led to the resignation of prime minister Victor Ponta.