Stills from "But as a document" - Alex Mirutziu/Pär Andersson
"But as a document" to be premiered at Bucharest's National Museum of Contemporary Art
But as a document is a collaboration between artist Alex Mirutziu and choreographer and dancer Pär Andersson in which compiled lines from two internationally renown writers Graham Foust (USA) and Karl Larsson (SE) are written in Sweden Sans typeface and transferred from plain-page to plain-space. The performer recreates a live reading, shedding the meaning of stanzas, by grabbing words with their anatomical technicality. According to Jesper Robinell - head of design at Söderhavet agency, with Stefan Hattenbach, responsible with the official Swedish typeface ): "I don't think this has even been done before. When Alex contacted us, we were first baffled by the idea of making a dance out of a typeface. Now we are still baffled but also impressed and honoured that our design could inspire someone to create a dance based on it."
More about the exhibition in which "But as a document" will be presented see below.
Cătălin Ilie, I talked to the wall and the wall was impressed (Studies for a better understanding), 2015-2016, drawing and sound installation, mixed-media
I’M THE INVISIBLE MAN
Chapter II of “The White Dot and The Black Cube”, an exhibition project in six parts
Opening: Thursday, February 18th, 7 PM
February 19th – April 10th, 2016
The National Museum, of Contemporary Art - 4th floor, Bucharest
Curatorial impulse: Anca Verona Mihuleţ
Response: Diana Marincu
Artists selected by Diana Marincu: Michele Bressan (RO), Andreea Ciobîcă (RO), Norbert Costin (RO/SE), Cătălin Ilie (RO/DE), Alex Mirutziu (RO) + Pär Andersson (SE), Esra Oezen (DE), Cristian Rusu (RO)
MNAC coordinator: Mălina Ionescu
Architect: Attila Kim
Curatorial intro: The curatorial method employed in devising “The White Dot and The Black Cube” as an exhibition in six parts takes its starting point from the investigation of three essential display formulas: two group exhibitions, two duo-shows and two personal exhibitions. Each of these formulas is enhanced by the dialogue between the two curators and by their exchanges with the artists and the museum as an institution. The group exhibitions were conceived following a theoretical impulse that one of the curators transmits to the other; the dual ones by the curators assuming one of the two conflicting theoretical positions; and the personal ones through a triangular dialogue.
Set off by the imperceptible reality and symbolic processuality of the artistic gesture, I’m the Invisible Man, chapter II of the curatorial project “The White Dot and The Black Cube”, discusses the idea of invisibility. The conceptual approach of this exhibition comprises several layers of the relationship with image and matter, which most often constitute the visual hooks of a display. The artists invited to reflect upon this subject perceived the sensitive alteration of reality, which they either provoked themselves or recorded non-invasively, or adopted as such, thus opening the creative discourse towards suspense and coincidence.
The duality of the interpretation of the invisible integrates both its potential to protect visible matter and the fragility produced by erasing an object from space. We believe that both can constitute possible frames of interpreting the unity and discontinuity of a curatorial enterprise.
The invited artists commit themselves to the moment at which the invisible blurs the visible, at which certain planes coincide, at which the images are superimposed perfectly – man’s construction over nature’s construction, the artificial image over the natural one, and reason over intuition; the moment at which the visible body represents both a possible weapon and a vulnerability deriving from public discourses on marginality; the moment at which the white noise of the quotidian insinuates itself as “tense” materiality into our lives; and at which the residual frames of perception reach the centre of the visual field.
Monday Art Project with Alex Mirutziu
The conversation between Alex Mirutziu and Olga Krzeszowiec, Malmsten took place in Stockholm on April 26, 2015.
The object of this encounter with Olga Krzeszowiec is the collaboration I made with Swedish design agency Söderhavet, and the upshot of it -- the project called "But as a document" (with Pär Andersson). At that time I was an artist in residence at IASPIS Konstnärsnämnden, Stockholm; part of my research was dedicated to design, and the politics of reading and writing, thus the interview embody these two paths as well.
"My practice is geared towards understanding where am I and what the word is made of. To clarify is important, especially the matter of presence. I want my works to function, so to speak, to intertwine into a relevant network of idea, to help build a climate for what is to come, because a work of art is never only a work of art, it is so much more than that." - Alex Mirutziu
Art Encounters - 1st edition kicks off
3–31 October 2015
Curators: Nathalie Hoyos and Rainald Schumacher
First edition of the Timisoara Art Encounters, to become a regular venue for Romanian art in the international curatorial dialogue.
In October 2015, Timisoara, the city in western Romania in the heart of the historic Banat region and among the Romanian cities in the current competition for European Capital of Culture 2021, will host the first Timisoara Art Encounters. Stretching over the historical center of the city, Timisoara Art Encounters offers multilayered displays at diverse sites that invite visitors to share in the sensual and intellectual experience of contemporary art. It appeals to people of all ages, to visitors both local and international.
This year’s curatorial theme is Appearance and Essence, and with it Timisoara Art Encounters focuses on a not so well-known chapter in the history of European art: the story of Romanian art from the 1960s to the present day. The selected works trace the distinct narrative thread of Romanian art that emerged and evolved in parallel to art in Western Europe. For the first time, visitors have the chance to experience a comprehensive survey of Romanian art of the last 50 years in dialogue with a few international artists.
Participating artists include: Saâdane Afif, Dragos Alexandrescu, Silvia Amancei & Bogdan Armanu, Apparatus 22, Rosa Barba, Marius Bercea, Stefan Bertalan, Matei Bejenaru, Rudolf Bone, Mihut Boscu Kafchin, Geta Bratescu, the Bureau of Melodramatic Research, Andrei Cadere, Mircea Cantor, Marieta Chirulescu, Radu Comsa, Calin Dan, Daniel Djamo, Joakim Eskildsen, Constantin Flondor, Adrian Ghenie, Ion Grigorescu, Mihai Iepure Gorski, Sofia Hultén, Pravdoliub Ivanov, Gabriel Kelemen, Maxim Liulca, Ana Lupas, Dan Maciuca, Alex Mirutziu, Florin Mitroi, Anca Munteanu Rimnic, Ciprian Muresan, Vlad Nanca, Paul Neagu, Ioana Nemes, Tara von Neudorf, Alexandru Niculescu, Mihai Olos, Andrei Pandele, Dan Perjovschi/Balamuc, Lia Perjovschi, Veda Popovici, Stefan Sava, Serban Savu, Sigma, sub:real, Gert and Uwe Tobias, Iulia Toma, Gabriela Vanga, to name but a few.
Nathalie Hoyos and Rainald Schumacher, the two Berlin-based curators, take Romanian art as the starting point for their selection. “We will concentrate the Encounters on artists who have a relationship with Romanian culture and whose art is rooted in its history, be it by place of birth, by language or by some underlying artistic references; artists who live in the country or abroad. As outsiders, we have taken an ‘archeological’ look at the Romanian art scene and have tried to capture its essence. After identifying the uniquely Romanian quality of this art, we bring it to the surface and make it clear to see. Appearance & Essence is the curatorial theme for this edition of Timi?oara Art Encounters. We are not looking to pin down a specific ‘national’ identity, and are instead searching for certain cultural differences and individual nuances in the global discourse.”
Timisoara Art Encounters takes place across the entire historical city center. A thematic map will connect exhibitions in institutions, public galleries, the Timisoara Art Museum, a former high school and several abandoned buildings. Numerous artistic interventions will be staged in public places. A series of talks featuring international artists, curators and art historians will intensify the open dialogue with the public and the city at large. The educational program developed for Timisoara Art Encounters is aimed at all ages and communicates a concept of art as an open space, where different ideas, opinions and concepts about the world can meet and interact.
Detailed information on the exhibition sites, educational program and participating artists will be announced on the website. A complete overview will be released by the end of May. Further information available at www.artentcounters.ro.
Timisoara
Timisoara lies at a historic crossroads between the former Ottoman and Habsburg empires, in the center of Banat, a Southern-European region rich in diverse traditions. Over several centuries, the city has been a melting pot for various cultures and religions. Furthermore, in the 1960s and 1970s, the city was an important and vibrant creative center for Romanian contemporary art. In that period, artists from Group 111 or the Sigma Group publicized new artistic concepts which drew international attention. In December 1989, the revolution against the Ceausescu dictatorship started in Timisoara. In the 1990s, the city offered a stage for a series of influential festivals, which gave artists the opportunity to test their newly-won liberty. Timi?oara Art Encounters reflects the historical and cultural legacy of the city.
Curators
In 2014, curators Nathalie Hoyos and Rainald Schumacher developed a film and video program for Manifesta 10 in St. Petersburg. The curators’ selection was the first major survey of film and video art by contemporary artists, working both in the East and West, from the 1960s until today. The exhibition Fragile Sense of Hope, which they curated in 2014 at me Collectors Room in Berlin, featured highlights from a corporate art collection focusing on contemporary art from Eastern and Southeastern Europe.
*info taken from: http://blog.brooklynartproject.com/2015/06/first-edition-of-timisoara-art-encounters-announced-appearance-essence/
Alex Mirutziu - "Because" installation, 2015
Alex Mirutziu - "Because" installation, 2015
Alex Mirutziu - installation shot, 2015
Alex Mirutziu - installation shot, 2015
Alex Mirutziu - installation shot, 2015
Alex Mirutziu - installation shot, 2015
Alex Mirutziu - installation shot, 2015
Alex Mirutziu - installation shot, 2015
Copyright of photos: Alex Mirutziu
Few Were Happy With Their Condition at Motorenhalle / Dresden
Few Were Happy with their Condition: Video, Film and Photography in Romania / curated by Olga Stefan
10.9. until 17.10.2015
Curator: Olga Stefan (USA/RO)
Artists: Ciprian Muresan, Dan Acosteoaei, Jozsef Bartha, Alexandra Croitoru, Cristina David, Monotremu, Claudiu Cobilanschi, Vlad Nanca, Dragos Alexandrescu, Bogdan Girbovan, Stefan Sava, Alex Mirutziu, Stefan Constantinescu, Cristi Pogacean, Irina Botea and Mircea Nicolae.
Installation view /Alex Mirutziu - Self portrait at 32
Installation view / Alex Mirutziu - Self portrait at 32
Installation view / Alex Mirutziu - Self portrait at 32
English version bellow
Die Ausstellung Few Were Happy with their Condition beschäftigt sich mit dem Zustand Rumäniens nach 1989: Einer Zeit voller Hoffnungen und Enttäuschungen, während derer der Wunsch nach Freiheit in einer wirtschaftlichen und für das kapitalistische Modell typischen Unsicherheit resultierte, während derer Korruption die gesamte Gesellschaft erfasste und zwischenmenschliche ebenso wie institutionelle Beziehungen mitprägte. Die kommunistische Vergangenheit, die darin begangenen Verbrechen und die Unterdrückung der Öffentlichkeit lasten bis heute schwer auf dem Land. Armut und Instabilität der postkommunistischen Ära führten zu einem Trauma, das den Alltag und die Emotionen der meisten Menschen prägt und wenig überraschend auch die künstlerische Produktion.
Mit einem Fokus auf typisch zeitgenössische Medien wie Video, Film und Fotografie spricht die Ausstellung die herrschende Unzufriedenheit in einer Gesellschaft an, die noch immer zwischen zwei Zeiten lebt: Mental von der Vergangenheit geprägt, will sie sich gleichzeitig davon befreien und endlich in die Zukunft aufbrechen.
Die Gegenwart ist in ihrer Komplexität natürlich einer der spannendsten Orte für Beobachtungen, weshalb sich auch viele Künstler in verschiedenen Formen gern mit ihr beschäftigen. Aber nicht nur die Zukunft wird durch eine Analyse der Gegenwart geschrieben: Auch die Vergangenheit hat einen mächtigen, allgegenwärtigen und mitunter erdrückenden Einfluss, gerade in einem Land wie Rumänien, wo die Phase des Übergangs scheinbar endlos anzudauern scheint.
ENG
Few Were Happy with their Condition explores life in post-communist Romania, a time of hope and huge disappointment, with the transition (towards what?) seeming to continue forever, where neoliberalism and communist-style corruption and methodologies clash and mirror each other constantly, and where the young generation is still trying to carve a space for debate and critical analysis in art and life, and position itself against its nation’s past but also the West, thus attempting to create a new contemporary identity.
The show focuses on feelings of discontentment within the context of contemporary society, vis-a-vis Romania’s current political climate, its dark past and ever developing social problems, but also to personal narratives and meditations on life and the human condition.
The artists in the exhibition, through their use of video, film and photography, reflect the contemporary need for immediacy and urgency in expression and the technology and preoccupations of our time. In addition, there is a tradition of criticality inherent in these mediums dating back to the 1960s when video art and experimental film were means of opposing broadcast television and Hollywood, and had a tendency to resist commodification through their deteriorating nature.
http://riesa-efau.de/kunst-erleben/motorenhalle/few-were-happy-with-their-condition-109-17102015/