urban Solitary Wednesday, October 1st 2014, at 18:00, The Old Princely Court Museum welcomes you to the varnishing day of the URBAN SOLITARY group exhibition, with the participation of artists Christian Paraschiv, Justinian Scărlătescu, Cristi Gaşpar, Lucian Muntean, the focAR group focAR (Răzvan Neagoe and Alina Tudor), Maria Pop Timaru and Raluca Ghideanu, curator Adina Niculae, with the occasion of the Bucharest Art Week.
The exhibition will be opened to the public during the period between the 2nd of October to the 2nd of November 2014, between the hours 09:00 and 17:00, at the Old Princely Court at nr.21-23, French Street, sector 3, Bucharest. The Urban Solitary Exhibition focuses on the image of Bucharest, a city seen through the eyes of a group of artists with a passion for urban space and time, present and past, in which they have lived and continue to do so, expressing their vision of the socio-political themes and architectural aesthetics. The displayed images underline elements of architecture, daily life scenes, urban ones, symbols of the communist era, the project’s idea halting in the sphere of the individual’s relation to urban space and time. “We live in a city we do not comprehend, hence our lack of knowledge regarding its upkeep, often leading it down roads of development which should have forever remained foreign, ruining, through our additions and our pretenses of today, the character which, despite many flaws and acts of negligence, once made the city appealing to visiting foreigners.” Nicolae Iorga “Initially, we had thought that only in contemporary times, the individual’s relation to urban space is one of conflict, where daily routine signifies the main part of today’s society, in detriment to the city’s aesthetic. However, every time period throughout our city’s history appears to have had the same social trajectory – the trivialization of urban décor. When we read these first lines, we get the feeling that Nicola Iorga is a keen observer of present-day Bucharest, clearly pointing out the banality of urban aesthetic during the first half of the last century. It is clear that the country’s geographical location and history have played a decisive part in what concerns Romania’s proclivity for a Balkanized orientalism regarding urban coloring and architecture. Despite the fact that Romanian architects who had studied in Paris had been commissioned for popular works in the West, the city underwent important transformations through the adding of oriental-style architectonic elements. Even if no one contests that Iorga had been rather harsh with his times, the following period of communism truly plunges our city into darkness, both literally and figuratively. We are left with its inheritance, the apartment blocks in which some of us had spent our childhood, now painted in pastel colors, and fitted with double-glazed windows, air-conditioning units, antennas, cables which span from balconies to the street’s electric poles etc. All these details are connected to the way in which the city dwellers understand urban freedom.” – Adina Niculae, curator. For specialized audiences, Christian Paraschiv (born in 1953) enjoys the fame of being an artist appreciated not only in Romania but also beyond our borders. Nowadays the artist lives in Paris. He graduated the Bucharest National University of Art in 1978, and in 1979 he gained the Romanian Fine Arts Union Scholarship. He is known to art critics as “one of the leaders of the 80s generation”, a part of the so called “Tescani group”. Cristi Gaspar (born in 1975) graduated the “Luceafărul” Art Academy, specifically the painting department, and was a student of Teodor Moraru, a well-known artist in Romania and abroad due to his numerous exhibition programs. Artistic expressivity is noticeable in all his works which successfully and authentically combine the message, the idea, with the canvas’ chromatic palette, not requiring any further explanations. Lucian Muntean (born in 1974) is a geological engineer with a passion for photography, which began early on, since his years as a student, when he worked as a photojournalist. The evolution of this acclaimed contemporary artist in the art of photography is observable through the exhibition. The author, drawn to social and urban themed photography, provokes the viewer through his works, carefully studied, combining chromatics and composition with symbolical elements, transforming them into veritable art photographs. Justinian Scărlătescu (born in 1977) graduated the “Luceafărul” Art Academy, specifically the painting department, and was a student of Teodor Moraru, standing out through his numerous individual and group exhibitions. He is a complete artist, who artfully combines the work of a painter with that of a photographer and an illustrator to give birth to a unique form of experimental art. His photo manipulation technique is entirely innovative. The artist uses an analogous camera, manually develops each photo, uses canvas, wood, paper as support for the image, makes use of the aesthetic qualities of photogelatine as well as those of direct photo-manipulation. Sculptor Raluca Ghideanu (born in 1981), a graduate of the „Nicolae Grigorescu” University of Art in Bucharest, is a complete artist, who has managed to combine a passion for sculpture with a love for design and scenography. Her works were featured in many exhibitions; however, the artist, taken with scenograhpy, is also known for her performance shows held in various spaces. Alina Tudor (born in 1980) and Răzvan Neagoe (born in 1974), both graduates of the „Nicolae Grigorescu” University of Art in Bucharest, are the components of the focAR group, involved in many exhibition projects around the country and around Europe. Alina Tudor and Răzvan Neagoe have been working together since 2006, and their artistic efforts have kept them relevant to the socio-political sphere, each of the group’s projects representing a synthesis of a specific time period. Maria Pop Timaru (born in 1980), doctor of Visual and Decorative Arts, is the author of sculpture, ceramic works, art installations and performances. Her art was featured in numerous collective exhibitions and five personal ones. The themes the artist has chosen suggest a paradigm of modern society, mutilated by the rapid evolution of technology, in which the contemporary man is forced to survive. |