A new publication featuring Alex Mirutziu's 2023 commission has been released

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The exhibition Lost in the Moment that Follows, held at Kunsthalle Prague from June 9 to September 10, 2023, presents a remarkable selection from the Ovidiu Șandor Collection, offering insight into the evolution of Romanian contemporary art. As part of the Ways of Collecting series, the exhibition highlights the role of private collectors in shaping cultural narratives and preserving artistic heritage.

Curated by Tevž Logar, the exhibition follows a chronological structure, encompassing avant-garde, neo-avant-garde, and post-1989 artistic movements, fostering a dialogue between past and present. The collection’s ability to challenge fixed historical narratives and support new artistic production positions it as an essential force within the broader artistic system.

Insight:

For Christelle Havranek, Artistic Director of Kunsthalle Prague, collecting is an integral part of the art world, operating alongside artistic creation and curation. She situates Lost in the Moment that Follows within the larger context of Eastern European art, emphasizing how it challenges dominant Western narratives.

Renowned curator and former director of the Centre Pompidou’s National Museum of Modern Art, Bernard Blistène, reflects on the deep intellectual and emotional connection between collectors and their collections. Drawing on Walter Benjamin’s insights, he sees the Ovidiu Șandor Collection as an active dialogue between history, geography, and artistic expression, bridging past and present.

Art historian and critic Daria Ghiu approaches the collection as a form of cultural archaeology, unveiling hidden layers of Romanian art history. She highlights its fluid, evolving nature, positioning it as both a private and public entity—one that invites engagement and fosters a shared gaze among artists, artworks, and viewers.

Together, these perspectives reveal how Lost in the Moment that Follows is more than an exhibition; it is a dynamic exploration of collecting as an intellectual pursuit, a means of preserving cultural memory, and a catalyst for ongoing artistic dialogue.

Echoes of Romania: Art, Struggle, and Triumph from the Ovidiu Şandor Collection in Kraków

One Eye Laughing, the Other Crying. Art From Romania. Ovidiu Șandor Collection

March 08 - July 20, 2025

International Cultural Centre in Kraków

Artists:

Andreea Anghel, George Apostu, Han Arp, Ion Bârlădeanu, Ioana Batranu, Marius Bercea, Horia Bernea, Ştefan Bertalan, Constantin Brâncuşi, Brassaї, Geta Brâtescu, Theodor Brauner, Victor Brauner, Andre Cădere, Mircea Cantor, Eva Cerbu, Andrei Chintilă, Lena Constante-Brauner, Roman Cotoşman, Chiril Cucu, Horia Damian, Max Ernst, Harun Farocki, David Farcaș, Constantin Flondor, Adrian Ghenie, Marin Gherasim, Luca Gherasim, Bogdan Gîrbovan, Yvan Goll, Vasile Gorduz, Ion Grigorescu, Jacques Hérold, Marcel Iancu, Isidore Isou, Wasilly Kandinsky, Ana Lupaş, Victor Man, Tincuţa Marin, Max Hermann Maxy, Hortensia Mi Kafchin, Joan Miró, Alex Mirutziu, Florin Mitroi, Gili Mocanu, Herta Müller, Ciprian Mureşan, Paul Neagu, Ioana Nemeş, Mircea Nicolae, Andrei Pandele, Paul Păun, Jules Perahim, Dan Perjovschi, Pusha Petrov, Silvia Radu, Lea Raşovszky, Eugen Rosca, Şerban Savu, Arthur Segal, Hedda Sterne, SubREAL Group, Mircea Suciu, Yves Tanguy, Ovidiu Toader, Sergiu Toma, Doru Tulcan, Tristan Tzara, Andrei Ujică, Andra Ursuţa

[EN] The International Cultural Centre in Kraków invites you to an extraordinary exhibition showcasing works from the collection of Ovidiu Şandor – one of the most important private art collections in Central Europe.

This exhibition is part of the Poland-Romania Cultural Season 2024-2025, offering a broad and multi-dimensional panorama of Romanian art over the last century.

The display, spanning from the avant-garde classics of the early 20th century to contemporary creators, is more than just a review of artistic achievements. It is, above all, a story of human lives revealed through art. Together, they form a collective portrait of Romanians during the turbulent 20th century.

The exhibition highlights the country’s history and its artists, both those who had the opportunity to experiment, create, and gain international recognition, and those whose artistic paths were cut short by the oppression of political systems.

Some maintained their creative freedom only within the confines of their studios, while others chose emigration, achieving success at the cost of the hardships of life abroad.

The exhibition intertwines themes of the carefree avant-garde, the distinctively Romanian sense of absurdity and grotesque, with subjects of violence and oppression that often became daily experiences. From surrealism as an escape from reality to „râsu-plânsul” – the characteristic laughter through tears – the exhibition illustrates how art helped to grapple with the struggles of everyday life and to find meaning even in the most tragic events.

The exhibition will also highlight contemporary Romanian artists who, while earning international acclaim, continue to confront the shadow of the 20th century, which, contrary to predictions, did not turn out to be short.

To deepen the narrative about Romania’s history and culture, a comprehensive publication will accompany the exhibition. The book, published in a bilingual Polish-English edition, includes essays by renowned intellectuals and scholars such as Adrian Babeți, Kazimierz Jurczak, Jakub Kornhauser, Diana Marincu, Frances Morris, Horia-Roman Patapievici, Tom Sandquist, and Vladimir Tismăneanu.

This publication will provide insights into the exhibited works within a broad historical and cultural context.

The exhibition "One Eye Laughing, the Other Crying. Art From Romania. Ovidiu Şandor Collection" is a unique opportunity to experience Romanian art in its most authentic, multi-faceted expression.

***

[RO] Expoziția „Un ochi râde, altul plânge. Arta românească în colecția lui Ovidiu Șandor” este deschisă la Centrul Internațional pentru Cultură din Cracovia în 7 martie, mai mult de patru luni.

Sunt prezentate lucrări de artă modernă românească – de la clasicii avangardei la cei mai importanți artiști contemporani – pentru prima dată în Polonia. Incursiunea va permite publicului să urmărească în lucrări fragmente de destine artistice care formează un portret colectiv special, o narațiune nu atât despre artă, cât despre oameni prinși în cursul întortocheat al istoriei României.

Absurd și grotesc, opresiune și lipsă de griji

Expoziția împletește motivul lipsei de griji a avangardei, simțul specific românesc al absurdului și al grotescului, cu temele violenței și opresiunii, devenite adesea o experiență cotidiană. Prezintă totodată artiști români contemporani care, deși au obținut recunoașterea internațională, se confruntă în continuare cu umbra secolul XX.

În lucrările expoziției se face auzit un ton aparte. Este râsul românesc printre lacrimi, râsu’-plânsu’, care face posibilă împăcarea cu destinul și detașarea de necazuri. Care face posibilă rememorarea tragediilor fără a cădea în patetism și fără a impresiona prin suferință,se arată în prezentare. Această abordare a vieții poate lua forma comicului absurd, dadaist, a umorului negru sau a ceea ce românii numesc „a face haz de necaz” – adică fărâma de zâmbet încurajator, care se impune chiar și într-o situație nefericită. În anii ’30, George Bacovia numea România „țară tristă, plină de umor”. Privind din perspectiva unui secol, vorbele lui s-au adeverit.

În scopul aprofundării narațiunii istoriei și culturii României a fost pregătită o publicație care însoțește expoziția. Tipărită în versiune polono-engleză, ea cuprinde eseuri ale unor intelectuali și cercetători remarcabili, plasând lucrările prezentate pe un fundal istoric și cultural larg. Printre autorii textelor se numără Adriana Babeți, Vladimir Tismăneanu, Tom Sandquist, Diana Marincu și polonezii Łukasz Galusek, Kazimierz Jurczak, Jakub Kornhauser.

Expoziția reprezintă un moment de referință al Sezonului Cultural România – Polonia 2024-2025.

Kunsthalle Praha presents newly commissioned performance by Alex Mirutziu

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[EN] Alex Mirutziu was invited to create a performance piece that would reflect on the Ovidiu Șandor Collection and contextualise it in a new way.

Mirutziu describes his medium as 'technologies of ephemeral reciprocity', which creates new scenarios for exchange and interaction between those involved. In his own words, he describes the intricate details of his new, site-specific piece below:

“Accepting the limitations of our ability to establish facts, this performance investigates the possibilities for acting on them subjectively, with intervention serving as the primary operation. The performers set about inventing strategic practices to retain or improve their uniqueness, switching between voice recordings, words, and frozen images of past actions, catering to the 'instinct for business' in an attempt to align aims with outcomes. As the performers interact, or refuse to do so, a unique temporality is created by withholding beliefs and real emotions. A maze of introspections frequently collides with a terrifying incapacity to de-intervene, de-act, or de-realize, jeopardizing the integrity of their own identities.”

***

[CZ] Rumunského umělce Alexe Mirutziu jsme do Prahy pozvali k tvorbě performance, která má reflektovat a přinášet nové pohledy na sbírku Ovidia Șandora.

Mirutziu popisuje své médium a nástroje umělecké tvorby jako „technologie efemérní reciprocity“. V perfomancích se vždy snaží vytvářet nové scénáře, podněcuje výměny a interakce mezi zúčastněnými. Vlastními slovy níže popisuje spletité svého detaily nového, site-specific díla.

“S přijetím limitů našich schopností zjišťovat a ověřovat fakta, zkoumá moje nová performance možnosti našeho subjektivního působení na ně. V tomto smyslu mi intervence slouží jako primární operace. Performeři a performerky vymýšlí strategické postupy a uvažují, jak si zachovat nebo vylepšit svou jedinečnost. Přepínají mezi hlasovými záznamy, slovy a zmrazenými obrazy minulosti. Vycházejí vstříc 'business instinktu' ve snaze sladit cíle s výsledky. Jak účinkující komunikují nebo naopak komunikovat odmítají, zadržováním jejich přesvědčení a skutečných emocí vzniká jedinečný dočasný stav. Bludiště introspekcí se často střetává s děsivou neschopností de-intervence, de-akce nebo de-realizace. To ohrožuje integritu jejich vlastních identit.”

Alex Mirutziu

INTERVENTION IS ENOUGH EVIDENCE. FINALLY. | performance

Premiere: June 10, 2023 🕒 5pm

Reprise I: June 22, 2023 🕒 5pm

Reprise II: July 26, 2023 🕒 6pm

Reprise III: August 12, 2023 🕒 5pm

Reprise IV: August 24, 2023 🕒 3pm

Kunsthalle Praha, Prague

Kunsthalle Praha is commissioning Romanian artist Alex Mirutziu for its new program

Alex Mirutziu - Life mask of the artist at 29, photo credit: Hannah Schönová

LOST IN THE MOMENT THAT FOLLOWS

Ways of Collecting: Ovidiu Șandor’s Collection

June 9 - September 11, 2023

Kunsthalle Praha

Curator: Tevž Logar

Exhibition series concept: Christelle Havranek

Exhibiting artists: Dragoș Alexandrescu, George Apostu, Hans Arp, Aurel Baranga, Ion Bârlădeanu, Ioana Bătrânu, Marius Bercea, Horia Bernea, Ștefan Bertalan, Brassaï, Constantin Brâncuși, Geta Brătescu, Victor Brauner, Michele Bressan, André Breton, Filip Brunea-Fox, André Cadere, Ion Călugăru, Mircea Cantor, Andrei Chintilă, Victor Ciato, Radu Comșa, Lena Constante-Brauner, Roman Cotoșman, Sandu Darie, Jean David, Marcel Duchamp, Max Ernst, Harun Farocki, Constantin Flondor, Adrian Ghenie, Bogdan Gîrbovan, Ion Grigorescu, Octav Grigorescu, Jacques Hérold, Marcel Iancu, Pavel Ilie, Jean Isidore Isou, Vasilij Kandinskij, Matei Lăzărescu, Gherasim Luca, Ana Lupaș, Pierre Mabille, Victor Man, Henri Matisse, Max Hermann, Maxy Hortensia, Mi Kafchin, Joan Miró, Alex Mirutziu, Florin Mitroi, Ciprian Mureşan, Vlad Nancă, Gellu Naum, Paul Neagu, Ioana Nemeş, Constantin Nisipeanu, Mihai Olos, Miklós Onucsán, Sașa Pană, Andrei Pandele, Christian Paraschiv, Paul Păun, Jules Perahim, Dan Perjovschi, Pusha Petrov, Mihai Plătică, Lea Rasovszky, Robert Rius, Eugen Roșca, Șerban Savu, Decebal Scriba, Arthur Segal, Hedda Sterne, Yves Tanguy, Doru Tulcan, Tristan Tzara, Andrei Ujică, Andra Ursuța, Ilarie Voronca

Invited artists for new commissions: Alex Mirutziu, Ciprian Mureşan, Dan Perjovschi

[EN] The exhibition series “Ways of Collecting” explores various approaches to collecting by unveiling local and international private collections that are seldom available to the public. In post-communist countries especially, where for decades every collection accessible to the public was held solely by state institutions, the role of private collectors remains somewhat of a mystery. Who collects, and why? What do they collect? What is the relationship between artists and their collectors? How do private and public collections coexist?

“Lost in the Moment That Follows”, the second exhibition in the “Ways of Collecting” series, is dedicated to the collection of philanthropist Ovidiu Șandor, who is based in the city of Timișoara. Focusing on Romanian art, Șandor’s collection traces artistic practices, movements, and ideas that have greatly contributed to reflections on our common recent history. Through the exploration of topical themes in contemporary art such as identity, the human condition, and nature, the exhibition juxtaposes works by emblematic figures of the historical avant-garde such as Constantin Brâncuși, Victor Brauner, and Brassaï, important works by post-war avant-garde artists such as André Cadere and Ana Lupaș, and the works of contemporary artists such as Mircea Cantor, Ciprian Mureșan, Ioana Nemeș, and many others. The collection covers a variety of media, from painting to installation, drawing, photography, and video.

The title of the exhibition comes directly from a quote by the famous French writer André Breton, the founder and main theorist of surrealism, an artistic movement that is strongly represented in Ovidiu Șandor’s collection. Curator Tevž Logar explains the exhibition’s title: “The original quote by Breton concerns time—the relationship between the past, the present, and the future. It is also very closely related to the exhibited artworks from Ovidiu Șandor’s collection, especially in the sense that this exhibitioin is not only a retrospective but also a dialogue with the present.” Breton’s original quote reads: “The important thing is that man is lost in time, in the moment that immediately precedes him—which only attests, by reflection, to the fact that he is lost in the moment that follows.”

The Ovidiu Șandor Collection is exemplary in the region of southeastern Europe for it demonstrates how the operations of a collection can contribute significantly to the improvement of local conditions related to artistic production. This has been accomplished not only through the acquisition of works by Romanian artists but also through the long-term program of the Art Encounters Foundation, which carries out complementary activities to the collection and acts as a meeting point and an open platform for contemporary art connecting Timișoara with other spaces in the global art scene.

The exhibition “Lost in the Moment That Follows” provides a detailed insight into Șandor’s vision for the collection while also showcasing artistic practices that for more than a century have been creating a space for critical reflection on society and our everyday lives.

How is the Ovidiu Șandor Collection structured, and what new things does it bring? According to curator Tevž Logar, the collection rests on a trio of historical pillars that contest each other. The first pillar is represented by the historical avant-garde, which is further developed by the works of the postwar Romanian neo-avant-garde (i.e., postwar art until the end of the 1980s).

The third pillar is the art that began to emerge after the Romanian Revolution of December 1989, which, given its course and number of victims, ranks among the most violent of the anti-communist upheavals that took place in the late 1980s in Central and Eastern Europe.

“This third pillar is in some sense the most complex of the three, in part because it was at this time that the collection began to provide direct support to the generation of artists who began their artistic creation after the revolution. During their personal and professional development, artists of this generation witnessed the total transformation of the social and political panorama, and this was directly expressed in the formation of their own positions as artists,” writes Tevž Logar in the exhibition catalogue.

According to Logar, visitors should think of the presented collection not as a burial ground for objects but rather as a living organism. The collection is constantly expanding with new acquisitions that often reveal the similarities between the conceptual and formal interests of contemporary artists and those of their predecessors. It was for this reason as well that the curator approached three contemporary Romanian artists to enter a dialogue with the existing collection, add new impulses and layers, responding to the specific spaces of Kunsthalle Praha and the context of the Prague exhibition. This initiative resulted in the creation of, for example, a new drawing entitled Peace by Dan Perjovschi, whom local audiences may know from his drawings on the walls inside the National Technical Library. Visitors will also be able to see a sculpture by Ciprian Mureşan entitled Echoes, which contains a built-in camera obscura, or the performance Intervention Is Enough Evidence. Finally. by Alex Mirutziu.

***

[RO] “Lost in the Moment That Follows” este a doua expoziție din seria “Ways of Collecting”, organizată de Kunsthalle Praga, și este dedicată colecției filantropului român timișorean Ovidiu Șandor. Seria expozițiilor ce au în centru colecții de artă urmărește să aducă publicul mai aproape de fenomenul colecționismului, dar și să exploreze rațiunile acestei vechi preocupări ale unor oameni pasionați de artă. Seria “Ways of Collecting” se concentrează, în special, pe colecții de artă din țările care au făcut parte din blocul sovietic.

Concentrându-se pe arta românească, colecția lui Ovidiu Șandor urmărește practici, mișcări și idei artistice care au contribuit în mare măsură la reflecțiile asupra istoriei noastre recente comune. Prin explorarea unor teme de actualitate în arta contemporană, cum ar fi identitatea, condiția umană și natura, expoziția juxtapune lucrări ale unor figuri emblematice ale avangardei istorice precum Constantin Brâncuși, Victor Brauner și Brassaï, lucrări importante din perioada postbelică. artiști de avangardă precum André Cadere și Ana Lupaș și lucrările unor artiști contemporani precum Mircea Cantor, Ciprian Mureșan, Ioana Nemeș și mulți alții. Colecția acoperă o varietate de medii, de la pictură la instalație, desen, fotografie și video.

Colecția Ovidiu Șandor este un exemplu pentru regiunea de sud-est a Europei, deoarece demonstrează modul în care operațiunile unei colecții pot contribui semnificativ la îmbunătățirea condițiilor locale legate de producția artistică. Acest lucru s-a realizat nu doar prin achiziționarea de lucrări ale artiștilor români, ci și prin programul pe termen lung al Fundației Art Encounters, care desfășoară activități complementare colecției și acționează ca punct de întâlnire și platformă deschisă pentru arta contemporană.

If you are “in doubt”, go to the City Museum of Ljubljana: a new exhibition will feature five distinguished European collections of contemporary art

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Foto: Facebook Ovidiu Șandor

WHEN IN DOUBT, GO TO A MUSEUM

January 26 - May 16, 2021

Curator: Tevž Logar

City Museum of Ljubliana

www.mgml.si

“When in Doubt, Go to a Museum” is a new exhibition highlighting the important role played by art collectors. It is being put together by a team from the City Museum of Ljubljana, with Tevž Logar as guest curator.

By showcasing works of art from five distinguished European collections of contemporary art, the exhibition will shine a light on the role of collectors and explore why they are so important, both for artists and the entire art system.

The exhibition will feature a number of world famous artists, including Constantin Brâncuși, Maurizio Cattelan, Shirin Neshat, William Kentridge, Joseph Beuys, Diane Arbus, Jean Arp and Hito Steyerl, the majority of whom have never been made available to audiences in Slovenia before now.

Art collecting is extremely underrated in Slovenia. This exhibition, together with its accompanying publication, conference, guided tours and other events, can therefore be seen as an attempt to highlight the role played by collectors in today’s art system. The five collections can also serve as case studies revealing the ways in which collectors could help facilitate major projects in Slovenia, including those planned for the new Cukrarna Gallery after its scheduled opening in September 2021.

So if you are “in doubt”, come to the City Museum of Ljubljana, where we will do our best to convince you!

Collection Laurent Fiévet:

Helena Almeida, Carl Andre, Diane Arbus, Mercedes Azpilicueta, Oliver Beer, Anna Betbeze, Etienne Chambaud, Jean Cocteau, Daniel Gustav Cramer, Rodolphe Delaunay, Dominique Gonzalez-Foerster, Laurent Grasso, Richard Hamilton, Pierre Huyghe, Jean-Louis Igout, Alexandre Lavet, Henri Matisse, Wilfredo Prieto, Anri Sala, unknown amateur photographer, Andy Warhol, Ian Whittlesea.

Lah Contemporary:

Joseph Beuys, Sophie Calle, Ištvan Išt Huzjan, William Kentridge, Robert Mapplethorpe, Shirin Neshat, Marjetica Potrč, Hito Steyerl.

Ovidiu Șandor Collection:

Dragos Alexandrescu, Jean Arp, Ştefan Bertalan, Constantin Brâncuși, Brassaï, Geta Brătescu, Victor Brauner, André Cadere, Ion Călugăru, Constantin Flondor, F. Brunea-Fox, Harun Farocki & Andrei Ujică, Ion Grigorescu, Marcel Iancu, Wassily Kandinsky, Gherasim Luca, Ana Lupaș, Victor Man, Max Hermann Maxy, Alex Mirutziu, Ciprian Muresan, Vlad Nanca, Paul Neagu, Ioana Nemes, Mihai Olos, Sașa Pană, Paul Păun, Jules Perahim, Eugen Rosca, Arthur Segal, Doru Tulcan, Tristan Tzara, Andra Ursuţa, Ilarie Voronca.

Fondazione Sandretto Re Rebaudengo:

Maurizio Cattelan, Nan Goldin, Mona Hatoum, Josh Kline, Barbara Kruger, Yong-Baek Lee, Eva Marisaldi, Paulina Olowska, Raymond Pettibon.

Thyssen-Bornemisza Art Contemporary Collection (TBA21):

Dana Awartani, Christian Salablanca Díaz, freq_wave curated by Carl Michael von Hausswolff, Yeo Siew Hua, Eduardo Navarro.