September 11 – October 31, 2003
The four installations featured in this exhibition emphasize the difficulties Romanians face during a period of political, economic, and social transition. After a bloody revolution in 1989, the oppressive communist dictatorship led by Nicolae Ceausescu was overthrown by a coalition of center-right parties. Since the revolution, Romania has been in a phase of transition as it approaches possible admission to the European Union in 2007.
Even after the so-called revolution, much in Romania has remained unchanged. Since 1989, Romanians have faced increased economic disparity; the middle class has nearly vanished as inflation has soared to more than 40% per year. Popular artistic practice has remained stuck in the prerevolutionary tradition, where artists are encouraged to create works that imitate early twentieth-century masters such as Cézanne and Picasso or deal with religious themes and iconography.
Artists in the exhibition include Dan Perjovschi, Lia Perjovschi, Teodor Graur, and Ioan Godeanu. Each of their installations contain an interactive component. For instance, Dan Perjovschi's installation ReAct includes social and political drawings that visitors can transfer directly onto the wall by using carbon paper. Lia Perjovschi asks visitors to contribute to her installation Endless Collection—two panels, each containing 100 photographs of globes that she collected on her travels throughout the world—by bringing other objects featuring globes to the reception and anytime during the show.
The artists of this exhibition push the boundaries of contemporary Romanian art. They analyze the changes that are taking place and bring to light the critical questions that Romanians must face in a period of transition and instability.
Curated by Olga Stefan