Colectia

MirceaPinte

Cluj

Marius Bercea Mircea Cantor Alexandra Croitoru Adrian GhenieCantemir Haui Istvn Lszl Victor Man Ciprian MureanVlad Nanc Cristi Pogcean Victor Rctu Cristian Rusu

erban Savu Mircea Suciu Supernova Gabriela Vanga

Curatori / Curators: Mihai Pop, Clin StegereanOrganizare / Setup: Ctlin Ilie, Mihaela Luea, Manuil Marcu, Bertha Niculescu, Ioan SocaciuMulumiri / Acknowledgements: Mircea Cantor, Adrian Ghenie, Victor Man, Mihnea Mircan, Jane Neal, Magda Radu, Maria Rus Bojan, erban Savu, Szkely Sebestyn Gyrgy, Claudiu ugar

16.0423.05.2010Muzeul de Art Cluj-Napoca / The Museum of Art Cluj-Napoca

The October 2008 issue of the American magazine ARTnews the oldest and most read art magazine in the world had as its cover, the image of a painting by Mircea Suciu. The work was featured in a concurrent solo exhibition in New York (the show also benefiting from the magazines attention through an article in its Reviews section).

A work by Victor Man appeared on the cover of Flash Art magazine in October 2009 while the following next issue, the NovemberDecember issue, featured a lively and stimulating interview with another Romanian artist, Adrian Ghenie, whose work, The King, was reproduced on the cover of the international issue.

This year, the March publication of the Parisian magazine Artpress dedicated seven heavily illustrated pages to the Romanian artists who have become increasingly established on the international art scene dur-ing recent years: Adrian Ghenie, Ciprian Murean, erban Savu, Radu Coma, Marius Bercea, Szabolcs Veres and Dan Perjovschi.

Excepting Dan Perjovschi (who hails from a previous generation), the artists are all in or around their early 30s with most of them having stud-ied and continuing to live and work in Cluj-Napoca. Along with the art-ists Mircea Cantor and Victor Man (who have already made a name for themselves) they make up a group of artists now in the stables of some of the most renowned western commercial galleries, and participate in some of the most exclusive exhibitions and international art fairs such as Yvon Lambert, David Nolan, Haunch of Venison, and Blum & Poe, the Hayward Gallery Project Space, the Venice and Prague Biennials, Art Basel and New Yorks the Armory Show. Given the international attention these art-ists have received, it is perhaps unsurprising to learn their works have been sought after and collected for several couple of years by such respected collectors as Francois Pinault, Susan & Michael Hort and Blake Byrne each of whom can number works by the most renowned international art-ists of the moment in their collections.

Alongside the attention it paid to individual artists, Artpress also fo-cused on Plan B Gallery from Cluj and its director Mihai Pop. The gallery began, and continues to function as a catalytic presence amongst the Ro-manian, and particularly the Cluj art scene existing more in the capacity of a converging space for the energies of artists who share a similar affinity, rather than operating as a primarily commercial instrument. Plan B Gallery continues to puzzle those who have observed the phenomenal success of its artists, even in the highest reaches of the contemporary art world.

The interest shown by the western art critics stands as proof that (as occurred with the young wave of Romanian cinematography), success was first established abroad, before it registered at home.

I first became aware that a similar state of affairs was in play in the Romanian visual art world during my primary encounter with many of the above-mentioned artists on the premises of the 2008 incarnation of the Art Basel fair. I considered it important, from the point of view of an institution whose mission it is to investigate the visual arts, to familiarize the large number of its local audience with the phenomenon that had been building all around them, but about which they were almost totally unaware.

Besides the artists already mentioned there are a number of other young and emerging artists (Alexandra Croitoru, Cantermir Haui, Istvn Lszl, Vlad Nanc, Cristi Pogcean, Victor Rctu, Cristian Rusu, Gabriela Vanga) who are garnering attention. The at times comparatively young age of an artist should not be a contentious issue for a museum, which should be focusing on the artists work. Certainly the prerequisite for entering a museums collection should not be conditional upon posthumous recognition. Ion Andreescu and Sabin Popp, to mention just two local examples, left to posterity a wonder-ful heritage completed in little over more than thirty years.

On another level, we at the museum want to draw attention to the phe-nomenon of art collecting. The current exhibition focuses on a brave and daring initiative the selection of a generation of artists by a collector from Cluj: Mircea Pinte. He who can be compared to the collectors men-tioned above if not for the comprehensiveness of his collection, but for understanding what this collection addresses for him, for Romania, and particularly for Cluj. This part of his collection fills a vacuum created by the flimsiness of public institutions over the last two decades. During this period only a very small number of art works that were produced made the transition from artist studio to public collection. Thus the collection be-comes a nec plus ultra source for originating an exhibition of this major contemporary artistic phenomenon.

Artpress ended its article with a question debating an affirmation of art critic Arthur Lubows description of the school of Leipzig: it supposedly shared An atmosphere, not a message. Artpress asked: Can the school of Cluj subscribe to the same idea? Definitely not, at least not for the mo-ment. More than this, though is the question of what can be extended be-yond local frontiers. Despite the inevitable differences, what unites a whole generation is their common interest in the dialectical dimensions of the recent past and how it keeps on influencing the present and generating questions regarding the understanding and consequences of history.

It is significant for the whole of society that a generation barely out of childhood in 1989 remains interested in a history that they lived while they were still playing, but which proved to be the harbinger of important conse-quences for their adult life in the decades that followed. Compared to the indifference expressed by past generations, or maybe challenged by this, the 30 something generation has felt the need to question the history that belongs to them, if only by contamination.

The message, expressed by figurative imagery either via painting or photography, is both profound and serious: it deals with the act of regain-ing and expressing critical consciousness, long overlooked until now within society at large.

Clin Stegerean directorThe Museum of Art Cluj-Napoca

Coperta numrului din luna octombrie 2008 al revistei americane ARTnews cea mai veche i cea mai citit revist de art din lume reproducea o pictur de Mircea Suciu dintr-o expoziie personal deschis la New York, show-ului fiindu-i dedicat i o cronic la rubrica Reviews.

O lucrare de Victor Man ilustra coperta prestigioasei reviste Flash Art n luna octombrie a anului 2009, iar n ediia urmtoare, din noiembrie decembrie, putea fi citit un incitant interviu al altui artist romn, Adrian Ghenie, a crui lucrare, The King, era reprodus pe prima copert a ediiei internaionale.

Anul acesta, numrul din martie al revistei pariziene Artpress a dedi-cat apte pagini, cu multe ilustraii, artitilor romni afirmai n ultimii ani: Adrian Ghenie, Ciprian Murean, erban Savu, Radu Coma, Marius Bercea, Szabolcs Veres, Dan Perjovschi.

n afara lui Dan Perjovschi, care aparine altei generaii, toi au n jur de 30 de ani i majoritatea au studiat, triesc i lucreaz la Cluj- Napoca. Ei fac parte din acelai pluton de artiti nscui n anii 70, n care strlucesc deja Mircea Cantor i Victor Man, pe care i ntlnim n ultimii ani n prestigioase galerii occidentale i la cele mai exclusiviste expoziii i trguri internaionale de art: Yvon Lambert, David Nolan, Haunch of Venison, Blum & Poe, Hayward Gallery Project Space, bienalele de la Veneia i Praga sau Art Basel i The Armory Show. Nu ntmpltor lucrrile lor snt de civa ani achiziionate de Franois Pinault, Susan & Michael Hort, Blake Byrne, n ale cror colecii se afl lucrrile celor mai cunoscui artiti internaionali ai momentului.

Alturi de aceste prezene individuale, articolul din Artpress include, semnificativ, n prezentare numele Galeriei Plan B din Cluj i al curatoru-lui su, Mihai Pop. Prezen catalizatoare, mai degrab spaiu de foca-lizare a energiilor unor artiti legai de aceleai afiniti dect instrument preponderent comercial, Galeria Plan B reprezint nc pentru observatorii fenomenului un mister al penetrrii artitilor pe care i reprezint n mediile nalte ale artei contemporane.

Interesul artat de publicistica de specialitate occidental pune n eviden un fenomen n cretere de civa ani, fenomenul momentului n artele plastice din Romnia i, la fel ca n cazul tnrului val al cinema-tografiei romneti, succesele n domeniu au fost consemnate mai nti n afar.

Atent la fenomen, a crui prim revelaie am avut-o la ntlnirea cu muli dintre artitii amintii n ambiana ediiei 2008 a trgului Art Basel, am considerat, din perspectiva unei instituii a crei misiune este i cercetarea artelor plastice, c aceast generaie artistic trebuie prezentat marelui public autohton, pentru care majoritatea numelor enumerate nu au niciun ecou.

Lor li se adaug i ali tineri artiti (Alexandra Croitoru, Cantemir Haui, Istvn Lszl, Vlad Nanc, Cristi Pogcean, Victor Rctu, Cristian Rusu, Gabriela Vanga) aflai pe cursul ascendent al unei afirmri internaionale pentru care numrul anilor nu este o condiie, iar muzeele nu mprtesc obligatoriu o glorie postum. Ion Andreescu sau Sabin Popp, ca s dm doar dou exemple de la noi, au lsat posteritii o oper ncheiat puin dup treizeci de ani.

n alt plan, dorim s atragem atenia asupra fenomenului colecionrii operelor de art, expoziia de fa focalizndu-se asupra opiunii curajoa-se i temerare din perspectiva seleciei ce vizeaz chiar generaia amin-tit, decis de un colecionar clujean, Mircea Pinte, ce poate fi comparat, dac nu pentru dimensiunea coleciei sale, atunci pentru flerul su cu colecionarii amintii mai sus. Aceast parte din colecia sa acoper un gol determinat de situaia instituiilor muzeale n ultimele dou decenii, care a fcut ca puine opere de art contemporan s ajung prin achiziii n colecii publice. Astfel constituit, colecia devine o surs nec plus ultra pentru conturarea n form expoziional a unui fenomen artistic major cu care sntem contemporani.

Finalul articolului din Artpress lanseaz retoric o ntrebare ce specu-leaz una dintre aseriunile criticului Arthur Lubow referitoare la coala de la Leipzig, care ar vehicula o ambian, nu un mesaj: poate fi micarea clujean asociat aceleiai idei? Cu siguran, cel puin deocamdat, nu. Mai mult dect att, ceea ce poate fi extins peste frontierele locale, unind, dincolo de diferenele inevitabile, o ntreag generaie de artiti din Romnia, este interesul pentru dimensiunea dialectic a trecutului apropi-at, ce continu s produc efecte n stricta contemporaneitate i s gene-reze ntrebri legate de sensul i consecinele istoriei.

Poate fi semnificativ pentru ntreaga societate faptul c o generaie care abia prsise vrsta copilriei la momentul 1989 continu s fie pre-ocupat de o istorie pe care a trit-o jucndu-se, dar care se dovedete a fi purttoarea unor consecine pentru viaa lor de adult trit n deceniile care au urmat. n raport cu indiferena proprie sau provocat a generaiilor anterioare, aceast generaie are meritul de a pune n discuie o istorie prelins n existena ei cotidian, care i aparine fie i prin contaminare.

Mesajul, prin recursul la imaginea figurativ, fie ea pictural sau foto-grafic, poate fi acela al dobndirii i exprimrii contiinei critice, restant pn acum, la nivelul ansamblului social.

Clin Stegerean directorMuzeul de Art Cluj-Napoca

MIRCEA CANTOR

Diamond Corn, 2005

Diamond Corn, tiuletele de porumb transformat n propria valoare de schimb, pune problema muncii, a subordonrii i creativitii. Disfuncia ori dislocarea obiec-tului, rezistena lui la uz, e echivalent cu valoarea artistic a lucrrii.

The corn, transformed in its own exchange value, interrogates the problem of labor, subordination and creativity. The dysfunc-tion or dislodgement of the object, its re-sistance to usage, are equal with the ar-tistic value of the work. Text Mihnea Mircan

Nscut n 1977 n Romnia, triete i lucreaz pe Pmnt. Expoziii personale: Tracking happiness, Kunsthaus Zrich (2009), Preventati-ve kiss for suspicious war, Johnen Galerie, Berlin (2009), White Sugar for Black Days, Galerie Yvon Lambert, Paris (2009), Seven Future Gifts, Mcsarnok Kunsthalle, Budapesta (2008), The need for uncertainty, Mo-dern Art Oxford i Bristol Arnolfini (2008), Ciel Variable, FRAC Champagne Ardennes, Reims (2007), The Title Is the Last Thing, Philadelphia Museum of Art (2006), Born to be Burnt, GAMeC, Bergamo (2006), Deeparture, Galerie Yvon Lambert, New York (2005). Expoziii de grup: The Promises of the Past, Centre Pompidou, Paris (2010), Art for the World, Shanghai World Expo (2010), Universal code, The Power Plant, Toronto (2009), a 28-a ediie a Bienalei de la So Paulo, Brazilia (2008), Brave New Worlds, Walker Art Center, Minneapolis (2007), Airs de Pa-ris, Centre Pompidou, Paris (2007), Power Play, Artpace, San Antonio, SUA (2007), a 4-a ediie a Bienalei de Art Contemporan de la Berlin (2006), Bienala Internaional de Art Contemporan de la Sevilla (2006), Irreducible, Contemporary Short Form Video, 19952005, CCA Wattis, San Francisco (2005), Quick-sand, De Appel, Amsterdam (2004), a 50-a ediie a Bienalei de Art de la Veneia Clandestine section (2003).

Born 1977 in Romania, lives and works on Earth. Solo exhibitions include: Tracking happiness, Kunsthaus Zrich (2009), Preventative kiss for suspicious war, Johnen Galerie, Berlin (2009), White Sugar for Black Days, Galerie Yvon Lambert, Paris (2009), Seven Future Gifts, Mcsarnok Kunsthalle, Budapest (2008), The need for uncertainty, Modern Art Oxford; Bristol Arnolfini (2008), Ciel Variable, FRAC Champagne Ardennes, Reims (2007), The Title Is the Last Thing, Philadelphia Museum of Art (2006), Born to be Burnt, GAMeC, Bergamo (2006), Deeparture, Galerie Yvon Lambert, New York (2005). Group shows include: The Promises of the Past, Centre Pompidou, Paris (2010), Art for the World, Shanghai World Expo (2010), Universal code, The Power Plant, Toronto (2009), 28th Bienal de So Paulo, Brazil (2008), Brave New Worlds, Walker Art Center, Min-neapolis (2007), Airs de Paris, Centre Pompidou, Paris (2007), Power Play, Artpace, San Antonio, USA (2007), 4th Berlin Biennial for Contemporary Art, Berlin (2006), Bienal Internacional de Arte Contemporneo de Sevilla (2006), Irreducible, Contemporary Short Form Video, 19952005, CCA Wattis, San Francisco (2005), Quick-sand, De Appel, Amsterdam (2004), 50th Venice Biennale Clandestine section (2003).

Untitled, 2010

Marius Bercea se inspir pentru interesan-tele sale picturi figurative dintr-un amestec de suveniruri personale: tieturi din ziare, fotografii de familie, povestiri incredibile (fabulaii) i propriile amintiri despre c-ltoriile din copilrie. Accentund ideea de etern var a tinereii, subiectele lui snt adesea mbiate ntr-un soare gal-ben strlucitor, surprinse n bucuria unui moment lipsit de griji. n mod paradoxal ns, sentimentul de fericire, aproape copleitor, aduce cu el o stare de nelinite. Atmosfera este ncrcat de o tensiu-ne stranie, iar galbenul soarelui este prea acid pentru a te simi conforta-bil. Baia de lumin trimite la cerul de var de dinainte de furtun sau, mai tulburtor, la cerul contaminat dup Cernobl. Privitorul rmne ntrebtor n faa acestor ferestre nspre o lume pierdut i nostalgic dup un trecut n care maturitatea l mpiedic s intre.

Marius Bercea derives inspiration for his engaging figurative paintings from a melange of personal memorabilia: news-paper clippings, family photographs, tall stories and his own recollections of child-hood trips. Emphasising the notion of the eternal summer of youth, his subjects are often bathed in the brightest of yellow sun-shine and caught up in the joy of a care-free moment. Paradoxically though, the almost overwhelming sense of happiness engenders a sense of unease in the viewer. The atmosphere is charged with a peculiar tension and the yellow sunshine is a little too acid for comfort. The heightened light brings to mind a summer sky moments before a thunder storm, or, more disturb-ingly, the infected sky after Chernobyl. The viewer is left wondering at these win-dows into a lost world and wistful for a past adulthood prevents them re-entering.

Text Jane Neal

MARIUS BERCEANscut n 1979 la Cluj, triete i lucreaz la Cluj. Asistent universi-

tar la Universitatea de Art i Design din Cluj. mpreun cu Vlad Olariu i Mircea Suciu, coordoneaz spaiul de art contemporan Laika, n Cluj i Bucureti. Expoziii personale: Chungking Project, Los Angeles (2009) i The Games We Played, Eleven Fine Art Gallery, Londra (2009). Expoziii de grup recente includ Staging the Grey, a 4-a ediie a Bienalei de la Praga (2009). Urmtoarea expoziie personal va avea loc la galeria Francois Ghebaly, Los Angeles (2010).

Born 1979 in Cluj, Romania, lives and works in Cluj. He holds a teaching position at the University of Art and Design in Cluj. Together with Vlad Olariu and Mircea Suciu he is running Laika artist-run space, based in Cluj and Bucharest. Solo exhibitions include Chungking Project, Los Ange-les (2009) and The Games We Played, Eleven Fine Art Gallery, London (2009). Recent group exhibitions include Staging the Grey, Prague Bien-nale 4 (2009). Upcoming solo exhibitions include Francois Ghebaly Gallery, Los Angeles (2010).

Untitled (Prime Minister), 2004

E ceva monumental, anti-monumental i contra-monumental n aceast imagine.ntrebrile ei imediate cine e personajul principal, a cui e puterea i cine poate iniia transferul ei, cine e glorificat i de ce? , suprapunerea dintre refuz i afirmaie su-gereaz un monument pentru ambiguitatea zilelor noastre.

There is something monumental, anti-mon-umental and counter-monumental in this image. Its immediate questions who is the protagonist, whose power is on display and who could initiate its transfer, who is being glorified and why? , the overlapping assertion and refusal, sketch a monument for the ambiguity of our times. Text Mihnea Mircan

Nscut n 1975 la Bucureti, triete i lucreaz la Bucureti. Din 1999 este cadru didactic la Departamentul de Foto-Video al Universitii Naionale de Arte Bucureti. Expoziii de grup recente la: MUMOK, Viena (2009), Zacheta Gallery, Varovia (2009) i Casino Luxembourg Forum dArt Contemporain, Luxemburg (2009). mpreun cu tefan Tiron i ali invitai, a prezentat proiectul A Fresco for Romania la Plan B, Berlin (2009).

Born 1975 in Bucharest, lives and works in Bucharest. Since 1999 she teaches at the Photo-Video Department of the National University of Art Bucharest. Recent group exhibitions include: MUMOK, Vienna (2009), Zacheta Gallery, Warsaw (2009) and Casino Luxembourg Forum dArt Contemporain, Luxembourg (2009). Together with tefan Tiron and guests she presented the project A Fresco for Romania at Plan B in Berlin (2009).

ALExANDRA CROITORUMIRCEA CANTOR

I shot this image because it is highly suggestive within a specific circle, 2006

Un ready-made urban, n care se inter-secteaz referina direct la Fntna, pisoarul inversat de ctre Marcel Du-champ, i un alt versant al modernitii o istorie social i politic a dezagregrii. An urban ready-made, intersecting a direct reference to the Fountain, the urinal capsized by Marcel Duchamp, and another strand of modernity a social and political history of disarticulation. Text Mihnea Mircan

Cer variabil, 20072008

Variaia meteorologic i ezitrile caligrafi-ei, dispunerea stranie a lucrrii i senzaia vag carceral pe care o evoc toate reproduc raportul complicat dintre loc i lume, modurile n care aceste entiti se definesc reciproc i i scap una alteia. Meteorological variation and erratic callig-raphy, the odd placement of the work and the vague sensation of imprisonment it evokes these reproduce the complicated relations between place and world, the ways in which these entities define (and escape) each other.

Text Mihnea Mircan

Basement Feeling, 2007

Stalins Tomb, 2006

Nscut n 1977 la Baia Mare, triete i lucreaz la Cluj i Berlin. Expoziii personale recente la: Muzeul Naional de Art Contemporan, Bucureti (20092010), Haunch of Venison, Londra (2009). Expoziii de grup recente: Staging the Grey, a 4-a ediie a Bienalei de la Praga (2009)i Bienala de la Liverpool (2008). Expoziiile viitoare includ o expoziie personal la S.M.A.K. Museum, Ghent (2010) i o expoziie de grup la GAMeC, Bergamo (2010).

Born 1977 in Baia Mare, Romania, lives and works in Cluj and Berlin. Recent solo exhibitions: The National Museum of Contemporary Art, Bucharest (20092010), Haunch of Venison, London (2009). Recent group exhibitions: Staging the Grey, Prague Biennale 4 (2009) and the Liverpool Biennial (2008). Future exhibitions include a solo show at S.M.A.K. Museum, Ghent (2010) and a group exhibition at GAMeC, Bergamo (2010).

ADRIAN GHENIE

Flight Into Egypt, 2008

Adrian Ghenie conjug o multitudine de referine, fiind angajat ntr-un dialog per-manent i fertil cu istoria picturii. El invoc nu doar scenografia dramatic a clarob-scurului derivat din Caravaggio, ci i tipul de compoziie-friz la David Hockney, n care elemente disjuncte se nlnuie suc-cesiv, ca pe o scen de teatru; este vizibil la el nu doar atenia acordat geometriei spaiale i problemelor perspectivale care l leag de tradiia pictural renascen-tist, ci i mnuirea dezinvolt a materiei picturale, care amintete de expresio-nismul abstract sau de Gerhard Richter. Complexitatea procedeelor picturale i mo-bilizarea arsenalului de referine nu rezult ntr-un gratuit joc postmodern, ci converg nspre un tip de demers care continu s investigheze posibilitile actuale ale pictu-rii, fr a nceta s o problematizeze.

From the strong effects of chiaroscuro reminiscent of Caravaggio to the frieze-like compositions that bring to mind David Hockneys alignment of disconnected ele-ments alluding to a theatre set; from an in-debtedness to the tradition of Renaissance painting, visible in the rigorous construc-tion of the picture space, to the uninhibited handling of paint that recalls the gestural freedom of abstract expressionism Ghenie incorporates a multitude of refer-ences and idioms that do not result in a gratuitous postmodern game, but rather evince his commitment to investigate the possibilities of painting, while at the same time problematizing it.

Text Magda Radu

Revolution 1989, 20082009

Logica acestei colie de timbre e des-trmat pentru a face loc unei naraiuni despre uitare ori despre putere politic ca putere asupra istoriei i a modurilor n care adevrul e istorisit. Pentru a para-fraza butada lui Darwin despre matema-ticieni, istoricul Revoluiei Romne caut, n cea, o pisic alb care nu e acolo. The logic of the stamp sheet is dismantled to make way for a narrative about oblivion, or about political power as power over his-tory and as variable regime of truth. To paraphrase the aphorism about mathema-ticians attributed to Darwin, the historian of the Romanian Revolution looks, in heavy fog, for a white cat that isnt there.

Text Mihnea Mircan

ISTVN LSZLNscut n 1981 la Trgu Mure, triete i lucreaz la Dublin n

Irlanda i la Trgu Mure. Expoziii personale recente: Preset Adjustments, Plan B, Berlin (2009) i Preset Adjustments II, Meessen De Clercq Gallery, Bruxelles (2010). Expoziii de grup recente: feedback 1989, Hotel Dajti, Tirana (2009), Track Changes, Wilkinson Gallery, Londra (2009) i BERLIN SHOW #1, Plan B, Berlin (2008).

Born 1981 in Trgu Mure, Romania, lives and works in Dublin, Ireland and Trgu Mure. Recent solo exhibitions: Preset Adjustments, Plan B, Berlin (2009) and Preset Adjustments II, Meessen De Clercq Gallery, Brussels (2010). Recent group exhibitions: feedback 1989, Hotel Dajti, Tirana (2009), Track Changes, Wilkinson Gallery, London (2009) and BERLIN SHOW #1, Plan B, Berlin (2008).

Found, 2008

n pictura lui Cantemir Haui, exist o parte ntunecat, misterioas, ce evoc deopotriv arta vizionar a secolului xVIII i simbolismul secolului xIx. O tem recu-rent la Haui este natura, creia i altu-r, deseori, imagini semnificative, locuri i animale din copilria i adolescena sa. Dei aceste reprezentri snt uneori tandre, ele nu snt niciodat sentimentale, i dese-ori, o senzaie de ameninare planeaz asu-pra lor: grupurile de copii pot fi interpretate ca bande, iar o violen latent pare inut n fru pentru a nu invada jocurile copilriei. Haui se joac adesea cu proporiile, redu-cnd uneori omul la ceva insignifiant fa de trunchiul gros al unui copac btrn, alteori crend figuri monstruoase de dimensiuni giganteti. Uneori, Haui ndeprteaz definitiv umanitatea, lsnd n urm un peisaj fr oameni, dar impregnat cu atmosfera ntmplrilor trecute i deseori cu asocieri dramatice.

Swim in Organized Place, 2009

Theres a darkly atmospheric quality to Cantemir Hauis painterly works that evokes both 18th century visionary art and 19th century symbolism. Nature is a recurring theme in Hauis scenes, and against this he casts and recasts sig-nificant figures, places and animals taken from his childhood and adolescent memo-ries. While these depictions may at times be tender, they are never sentimental, and more often than not a sense of threat laces through the work: groups of children could instead be read as gangs, and a latent violence feels only just held in abeyance from invading childhood games. Often Haui plays with scale, sometimes reduc-ing the human to almost nothing next to the broad trunk of an aged tree, at other times creating monstrous figures of gargantuan proportions. On occasion, Haui removes humanity altogether, leaving behind a land-scape empty of people but redolent with the atmosphere of past occurrences and often dramatic associations.

Text Jane Neal

CANTEMIR HAUINscut n 1976 la Baia Mare, triete i lucreaz la Cluj.

Expoziii recente: Staging the Grey, a 4-a ediie a Bienalei de la Praga (2009) i expoziiile personale de la Tajan, Paris (2010) i Faye Fleming & Partner, Geneva (2009).

Born 1976 in Baia Mare, Romania, lives and works in Cluj. Recent exhibitions include Staging the Grey, Prague Biennale 4 (2009) and his solo shows at Tajan, Paris (2010) and Faye Fleming & Partner, Geneva (2009).

Romanian Blood, 2004

O lucrare din perioada tricolor a Cluju-lui, Snge romnesc se ntreab ce s-ar ntmpla dac un patriot adevrat i-ar lua viaa i, de asemenea, dac un patri-ot adevrat i poate lua viaa, deci poate nceta s contribuie la energia ncpnat a locurilor comune ale culturii naionale, la derapajele ei resentimentare.

A work from the tricolor period of the city of Cluj, Romanian Blood inquires what would happen if an authentic patriot would take his or her life, and also if an authentic patriot can take his or her life, and there-fore stop rehearsing the obstinate energy of the commonplaces of national culture, its spiteful derailments.

Text Mihnea Mircan

Nscut n 1977 la Dej, triete i lucreaz la Cluj. Expoziii recente: The Seductiveness of the Interval, pavilionul Romniei la a 53-a Bienal de la Veneia (2009), The Generational: Younger Than Jesus, New Museum, New York (2009). Expoziii viitoare: The Promises of the Past, Centre Pompidou, Paris (2010), Bienala de la Sydney (2010) i expoziiile personale de la Neuer Berliner Kunstverein i Plan B, Berlin (2010).

Born 1977 in Dej, Romania, lives and works in Cluj. Recent exhibitions include: The Seductiveness of the Interval, the Romanian Pavilion at the 53rd Venice Biennale (2009), The Generational: Younger Than Jesus, New Museum, New York (2009). Future exhibitions include: The Promises of the Past, Centre Pompidou, Paris (2010), Sydney Biennial (2010) and his solo shows at Neuer Berliner Kunstverein and Plan B, Berlin (2010).

CIPRIAN MUREAN

Choose..., 2005

Din punctul de vedere al market-ingului, anularea diferenei dintre Pepsi i Coca-Cola e o apocalip-s: mrcile nceteaz s mai fie diferena pe care o promiteau i se contopesc. n cheie existenial, refuzul jucu al lui Vlad Murean ar putea nsemna o supra-identifi-care: dac tot ce ni se spune prin publicitate e adevrat, cum am pu-tea s nu vrem totul, la un loc?

From a marketing viewpoint, col-lapsing the difference between Pepsi and Coca-Cola is an apoc-alypse: brands cease being the difference they promised, they conflate. Read in an existential key, Vlad Mureans playful refusal could indicate an act of over-identi-fication: if all that we are told in ad-vertisement is true, how could we not want everything, at once?

Text Mihnea Mircan

Untitled, 2007

Ceramicile funerare reproduc trei scene consecutive din filmul No-sferatu, de Murnau, n care uile celor atini de cium snt nsem-nate de ctre un personaj lugubru. Crucea devine semn al excluderii i separaiei, prin extensie al mo-durilor n care societatea creeaz comuniti de non persoane.

The funerary ceramics reproduce three consecutive scenes from Murnaus Nosferatu, in which the doors of houses contaminated by the plague are marked by a lugubri-ous character. The cross becomes a sign of exclusion and separation, more broadly of the ways in which contemporary society creates communities of non-persons.

Text Mihnea Mircan

Untitled (Black Canopies), 2006

Lucrrile lui Victor Man iau subiectivitatea ca principiu de organizare i privesc ctre spaiul public dintr-un unghi strict privat, al confesiunii amnate i al fantasmei explica-te. Dinamica pe care o caut e undeva ntre mister i atracie, n proporii perfect egale. Victor Mans works take subjectivity as structuring principle and look towards public space from a strictly private angle, of delayed confession and explained phan-tasm. The dynamic they seek articulates mystery and attraction, in perfectly equal proportions.

Text Mihnea Mircan

Nscut n 1974 la Cluj, triete i lucreaz la Cluj. Expoziii persona-le recente: Hayward Gallery, Londra (2009), Gladstone Gallery, New York (2009), Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen, Rotterdam (2009), GAMeC, Bergamo (2008), Ikon Gallery, Birmingham (2008). Expoziii de grup recen-te: Sequelism, Arnolfini, Bristol (2009), Reframing, CCA, Andratx/Mallorca (2009), Whose (His)story, Kunstverein, Hamburg (2008), Back to Black, Kestner Gesellschaft, Hanovra (2008). Particip la Bienala de la Busan (2008), la a 52-a ediie a Bienalei de la Veneia, pavilionul Romniei (2007) i la a 2-a ediie a Bienalei de la Praga (2005).

Born 1974 in Cluj, Romania, lives and works in Cluj. Recent solo exhibitions: Hayward Gallery, London (2009), Gladstone Gallery, New York (2009), Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen, Rotterdam (2009), GAMeC, Bergamo (2008) and Ikon Gallery, Birmingham (2008). Recent group exhibitions: Sequelism, Arnolfini, Bristol (2009), Reframing, CCA, Andratx/Mallorca (2009), Whose (His)story, Kunstverein in Hamburg (2008), Back to Black, Kestner Gesellschaft, Hannover (2008). His work was also exhibited in the Busan Biennial (2008), the Romanian Pavilion at the 52nd Venice Biennale (2007) and the Prague Biennale 2 (2005).

VICTOR MAN

Nscut n 1979 la Bucureti, triete i lucreaz la Bucureti. Artist i uneori curator, este fondatorul blogului Bukresh http://bukresh.blogspot.com i este implicat activ n scena artistic din Bucureti, gzdu-ind home galleries (2020 home gallery, Apartamentul 17); este curatorul expoziiilor Wait (2006) i Back to the future (2007), la Galeria Nou, Bucureti. Expoziiile de grup includ: Bad Times / Good Times, Futura Centre for Contemporary Art, Praga (2009), Remix (cu Janek Simon), Galeria Raster, Varovia (2008), Der Prozess. Collective Memory and Soci-al History, a 3-a ediie a Bienalei de la Praga (2007), Social Cooking Roma-nia, NGBK, Berlin (2007), Re:Location, Casino Luxembourg Forum dArt Contemporain, Luxemburg (2009).

Born 1979 in Bucharest, lives and works in Bucharest. Artist and sometimes curator, he is the founder of Bukresh Blog http://bukresh.blogspot.com and is actively involved in Bucharests art scene, hosting home galleries (2020 home gallery, Apartamentul 17) and curating exhibitions: Wait (2006), Back to the future (2007), at Galeria Nou, Bucharest. Group exhibitions include: Bad Times / Good Times, Futura Centre for Contemporary Art, Prague (2009), Remix (with Janek Simon), Raster Gallery, Warsaw (2008), Der Prozess. Collective Memory and Social History, Prague Biennale 3 (2007), Social Cooking Romania, NGBK, Berlin (2007), Re:Location, Casino Luxembourg Forum dArt Contemporain, Luxembourg (2009).

VLAD NANC

Propunere pentru Catedrala Mntuirii Neamului, 2004

Lucrarea preced planul real de a amplasa Catedrala Mntuirii Neamului n imediata vecintate a Casei Poporului. Cnd a fost realizat, ea ddea o soluie ironic, i pervers evident, la ntrebarea despre locaia noului colos al populismului romnesc: Catedrala ntregului popor i a salvrii sale sufleteti e gata, ea se ascun-de sub decoraia abundent i ucigtoare a Casei Poporului i nu trebuie dect marcat prin cupole prin care duhul s se pogoare asupra maselor.

The work precedes the real plan to locate the Cathedral of National Redemption in the immediate proximity of the House of the People in Bucharest. When it was realized, it put forward an ironic, and perversely obvious, solution to the question of where to place the new colossus of Romanian populism: the cathedral of the entire nation and its spiritual salvation is ready, lurking beneath the abundant, obscene decoration of the House of the People all it needs is to be signaled by domes through which the spirit can descend upon the masses.

Text Mihnea Mircan

Un chien andalou, 2004

Shrek continu discuia despre original i copie, distribuindu-i pe cpcunul animat i obiectul dorinei sale n roluri dintr-un scena-riu suprarealist: scena tierii ochiului din Un cine andaluz, de Buuel i Dali. Cele dou tipuri de spaiu filmic se ntrees ca ntr-un test Rorschach pentru intelectualul postmodern, iar rezultatul e profund nelinititor.

Shrek pursues the discussion of copy and Original, casting the animated ogre and the object of his desire in a Surrealist sce-nario: the eye-slashing scene in Buuel and Dalis Un chien andalou. Two types of filmic space interweave, as if in a Rorschach test for the post-modern intellectual, and the result is profoundly disquieting.

Text Mihnea Mircan

CIPRIAN MUREAN

Leap into the Void, After Three Seconds, 2004

Lucrarea deschide dou cronologii: aciunea e situat la trei secunde dup saltul n gol al lui Yves Klein, iar sensul ei la o jumtate de secol i la o paradigm distan de acea ncercare de a aproxima sublimul, n absena coordonatelor morale ale experienei sublime clasice. Originalul rmne suspendat ntre atunci i acum, incomplet inteligibil n propriii termeni i incomplet traductibil n ai notri.

The work breaches two chronologies: its action is situated three seconds after Yves Kleins Jump into the Void, while its mean-ing is to be found half a century and a change of paradigm later from that attempt to approximate the sublime in the absence of the moral coordinates which defined the classical experience of the sublime. The Original remains suspended between then and now, incompletely intelligible in its own terms and imperfectly translatable in ours.

Text Mihnea Mircan

Breaking Heart, 20042005

Breaking Heart traduce ntrebarea istoric, politic i cultural despre Romnia i Moldova, retorica podurilor de flori i a jertfei, n termenii unei telenovele: harta care trebuie rupt i apoi refcut, geopolitica i dragostea fr ans, promi-siunile inutile i calculele umbroase.

Breaking heart translates the historical, political and cultural question about the links between Romania and Moldova, the rhetoric of flower bridges and self-sacri-fice, in the terms of a soap opera: the map that needs to be broken to be pieced to-gether, geopolitics and star-crossed love, useless promises and shady calculations.

Text Mihnea Mircan

2544, 2006

n 2544, Cristi Pogcean i spune c rolul curatorului este s duc imaginea artistului numele su, marca n care un artist se poate transforma pn la vrful ierarhiei instituionale ori comerciale pe care st lumea artei contemporane. Apoi ncredineaz aceast presupunere, spre a fi verificat mot--mot, curatorului Mihai Pop, care urc cu portretul artistului pe vr-ful Moldoveanu.

In 2544, Cristi Pogcean seems to pon-der the idea that the role of the curator is to take the image of the artist the name, the brand that an artist can become to the top of the institutional or commercial hi-erarchy on why the contemporary art world relies. Then he entrusts this assumption, to be demonstrated literally, to curator Mihai Pop, who climbs Mount Moldoveanu carry-ing a banner with the portrait of the artist.

Text Mihnea Mircan

Caranime, 2002

Emblematic pentru ipotezele tiinifice ale barocului timpuriu, gestul lui Toma Necredin-ciosul devine lecie de anatomie n animaia lui Cristi Pogcean, iar verificarea dureroa-s, repetat la nesfrit amn la nesfrit evidena mistic, credina i destinul.

Emblematic for the scientific hypotheses of the Early Baroque, the gesture of Doubting Thomas becomes a lesson of anatomy in Cristi Pogceans animation, while verifica-tion painful and endlessly repeated end-lessly postpones mystical evidence, faith and destiny.

Text Mihnea Mircan

Nscut n 1980 la Trgu Mure, triete i lucreaz la Cluj. Expoziiile de grup: a 2-a ediie a Bienalei Art Sector, Katowice, Polonia (2009), Low Budget Monuments, pavilionul Romniei la a 52-a ediie a Bienalei de la Veneia (2007), Cluj Connection, Haunch of Venison, Zrich (2006), Dada East? The Romanians of Cabaret Voltaire, Cabaret Voltaire, Zrich (2006).

Born 1980 in Trgu Mure, Romania, lives and works in Cluj. Group exhibitions include: 2nd Biennial Art Sector Katowice, Poland (2009), Low Budget Monuments, the Romanian Pavilion at the 52nd Venice Biennale (2007), Cluj Connection, Haunch of Venison, Zrich (2006), Dada East? The Romanians of Cabaret Voltaire, Cabaret Voltaire, Zrich (2006).

CRISTI POGCEAN

The Abduction from the Seraglio, 2006

Povestea jurnalitilor rpii n Irak, orchestrat sau nu din Romnia, fr precedent i fr rspuns, a mobilizat emoii i interpretri con-tradictorii, acuze de toate prile. n Rpirea din serai, ea devine, ca orice istorie apocrif, un subiect potrivit pentru o carpet de perete. O carpet n care snt reproduse o alt carpet i un punct culminant etern.

The story of the Romanian journalists kidnapped in Iraq, orches-trated or not from Romania, without precedent and without explana-tion, has triggered contradictory emotions and interpretations, as well as accusations from all sides of the political spectrum. In the Abduction from the Seraglio, it becomes, like any apocryphal his-tory, an appropriate subject for a wall carpet: one in which another wall carpet, as well as an eternal denouement, are reproduced.

Text Mihnea Mircan

Nscut n 1967 la Sighioara, triete i lucreaz la Cluj. Expoziii per-sonale recente: Above the Abyss, Ivan Gallery, Bucureti (2008). Expoziii de grup recente: Staging the Grey, a 4-a ediie a Bienalei de la Praga (2009), Strategies for Concealing, C Space Gallery, Beijing (2008), Locked In, Casino de Luxembourg Forum dArt Contemporain, Luxemburg (2008).

Born 1967 in Sighioara, Romania, lives and works in Cluj. Recent solo exhibitions include Above the Abyss, Ivan Gallery, Bucharest (2008). Recent group exhibitions: Staging the Grey, Prague Biennale 4 (2009), Strategies for Concealing, C Space Gallery, Beijing (2008), Locked In, Ca-sino Luxembourg Forum dArt Contemporain, Luxembourg (2008).

Picturile lui Victor Rctu, subtile i discrete, se dezvluie treptat privitorului. Artistul i ndreapt atenia spre ceea ce e adesea ignorat sau nu e considerat important n era consumerismului i a preocuprii pentru satisfacerea imediat a simurilor. Pentru Rctu, un fapt mrunt devine obiect de mirare, ce trebuie explorat i preuit. Cu sensibilitate, mnuind ncet i chibzuit culoarea, el surprinde urma unei linii pe nisip sau naintarea aproape imperceptibil a melcului pe scoara btut de vreme a unui copac. n faa acestor reprezentri migloase, privitorul este ncurajat s revad natura prin ochiul artistului, amintindu-i plcerea de a atinge nisipul ud sau de a trece cu mna peste coaja aspr a unui copac. Snt intervenii aproape invizibile, dar vii, care reuesc, n felul lor, s se opun unei lumi n continu micare.

Subtle and understated, Victor Rctus paintings reveal themselves slowly to the viewer. The artist turns his attentions to that which is often over-looked or considered unremarkable in our age of mass consumer-ism and preoccupation with immediate sensory fulfilment. To Rctu, the small action becomes an object of wonder to be explored and treasured. With sensitivity and a slow and deliberate handling of paint he records the trace of a line in the sand or the almost imperceptible progress of a snails journey along a trees weathered bark. Faced with these beauti-fully rendered but painstaking portrayals of small moments, the viewer is encouraged to pause and look afresh at nature through the artists eyes, remembering the pleasure of pushing a finger into wet sand or of running a palm across the roughened skin of a tree; almost invisible yet poignant interventions that succeed, in their small way, at providing a form of resist-ance against a fast-paced world.

Text Jane Neal

VICTOR RCTU

Salvation, 2009

Butterflies, Flower and Abyss, 2006

Lead, 2006

n muzeu, casca nu poate fi atins, iar gre-utatea ei strivitoare nu poate fi msurat. Cele douzeci de kilograme de plumb au un raport metonimic att cu glonul tras pe front, ct i cu capacitatea ideologiilor de a stlci mini.

In a museum, the helmet cannot be touched, and its crushing weight cannot be measured. The twenty kilograms of lead institute a metonymic rapport with both the bullet fired on the war front and the capacity of ideologies to maul minds.

Text Mihnea Mircan

CRISTI POGCEAN

Modernist Bird House, 20052007

Lucrarea discut att fetiul modernist al artei contemporane, ct i transformarea modernismului ntr-un principiu de design, dup ce ideologiile progresului s-au izbit mai nti una de cealalt, apoi de propriile li-mite, i au fost nlocuite de melancolie i de diverse scenarii n care istoria nceteaz.

The work questions both the Modernist fetish of contemporary art and the muta-tion of Modernism in a design principle, after the moment when various ideologies of progress have clashed with each other, and then with their own limits, being now replaced by melancholy and by scripts for the end of history.

Text Mihnea Mircan

Nscut n 1978 la Sighioara, triete i lucreaz la Cluj. Expoziii personale recente: Recent Paintings, Plan B, Berlin (2009) i The Edge of the Empire, David Nolan Gallery, New York (2008). Expoziii de grup: Expanded Painting, a 3-a ediie a Bienalei de la Praga (2007) i Staging the Grey, a 4-a ediie a Bienalei de la Praga (2009), Size Matters: xS Recent Small-Scale Painting, Knoxville Museum of Art, Knoxville, SUA (2008). Expoziii personale viitoare la Mihai Nicodim Gallery, Los Angeles (2010) i Galerie Hussenot, Paris (2010).

Born 1978 in Sighioara, Romania, lives and works in Cluj. Recent solo exhibitions: Recent Paintings, Plan B, Berlin (2009) and The Edge of the Empire, David Nolan Gallery, New York (2008). Group exhibitions include: Expanded Painting, Prague Biennale 3 (2007), and Staging the Grey, Prague Biennale 4 (2009), Size Matters: xS Recent Small-Scale Painting, Knoxville Museum of Art, Knoxville, USA (2008). Upcoming solo exhibitions include Mihai Nicodim Gallery, Los Angeles (2010) and Galerie Hussenot, Paris (2010).

ERBAN SAVU

Parking, 2008

Lucrate meticulos i populate cu muncitori i oameni simpli, lucrrile lui erban Savu snt mrturii afectuoase despre personaje caracteristice unor atitudini obinuite, prac-tici de lucru i viaa de zi cu zi din Romnia natal a artistului. Aceast Arcadia nu este ns ceea ce pare, ci o fantezie paralel cu realitatea n care triete artistul. Lucrrile nfieaz efectele experimentului social i politic inventat de comuniti. Visul lor era s creeze Omul Nou, ns realitatea era un comar distopic al urbanizrii n mas, care a dus la distrugerea unor comuniti rurale, generaii ntregi ncercnd s-i duc traiul la periferia oraelor ca la ar. Ca i la Edward Hooper (martor al izolrii individului ntr-o alt viziune utopic visul american), personajele lui Savu snt adesea surprinse din profil, ceea ce accen-tueaz senzaia de intimitate ntre subiect i privitor. Uneori protagonistul pare pier-dut n uitare de sine, alteori pare c este confuz, prins ntr-o activitate al crei sens probabil i scap. O oarecare eliberare este dat de incursiunile n lumea rural, dar i acestea par a fi doar viziuni efemere.

Meticulously rendered and peopled with workers and ordinary folk, erban Savus paintings read as tender documents of the characters who reflect the common attitudes, working practices and everyday life of the artists native Romania. Yet this Arcadia is not what it seems, it is a fantasy that runs parallel to the reality the artist in-habits; the paintings depict the after-effects of the social and political experiment de-vised by the communists. Their dream was to create a New Man, yet the reality was a dystopian nightmare of mass urbanisa-tion that saw rural communities destroyed and families, generations on, still attempt-ing to live as if in the countryside, while on the peripheries of the city. In common with Edward Hopper (who played witness to the isolation of the individual caught up in an alternate utopian vision: the American dream), Savus subjects are often lit from the side, reinforcing the sense of intimacy between the subject and viewer. Some-times the protagonist appears lost in the oblivion of the moment, at others it is as if he is in a state of confusion, committed to the task of undertaking an activity which in itself might not make sense. Light relief comes from forays into the countryside but these, it seems, are fleeting visions.

Text Jane Neal

Nscut n 1972 la Cluj, triete i lucreaz la Cluj. Este artist vizual i scenograf, cadru didactic la Facultatea de Teatru i Televiziune a Universitii Babe-Bolyai n Cluj. Ca scenograf, este coautorul mai mul-tor spectacole de teatru montate n Romnia i n strintate. A benefi-ciat de o reziden la Knstlerhaus Bchsenhausen Innsbruck (2007). Expoziii personale recente: Fear Itself, Plan B, Cluj i Space Itself, Plan B, Berlin (2009).

Born 1972 in Cluj, Romania, lives and works in Cluj. Visual artist and stage designer, holds a teaching position at the Faculty for Theatre and Television of the Babe-Bolyai University in Cluj. As stage designer he is co-author of several theatre performances highly awarded in Romania and abroad. Artists residence at the Knstlerhaus Bchsenhausen Innsbruck (2007). Recent solo exhibitions: Fear Itself, Plan B, Cluj and Space Itself, Plan B, Berlin (2009).

Pavillon Tyrol, 2007

Machet a unei construcii realizate la In-nsbruck, Pavilionul lui Cristian Rusu con-trapune arhitectura, ideologia i natura. Arhitectura aspir s fie munte punct de fug, sau mai curnd obstacol, pentru pri-vire , s marcheze peisajul cu aceeai vigoare i s-i prezinte misiunea ideologi-c ca pe o escalad simbolic.

A model for a construction made in Inns-bruck, Cristian Rusus Pavilion con-trasts architecture, nature and ideology. Architecture aspires to be a mountain vanishing point, or maybe obstacle, for sight , to mark the landscape as vigorous-ly as a geological formation and to present its ideological mission as a symbolic escalade.

Text Mihnea Mircan

CRISTIAN RUSU

Nscut n 1978 la Baia Mare, triete i lucreaz la Bucureti. mpreun cu Marius Bercea i Vlad Olariu, coordoneaz spaiul de art contemporan Laika, n Cluj i Bucureti. Expoziie personal recent: The Fall, Slag Gallery, New York (2009). Expoziii de grup recente: de porc, Muzeul de Art Cluj (2010), Staging the Grey, a 4-a ediie a Biena-lei de la Praga (2009), Without Hintersinn, eveniment paralel oficial al celei de-a 11-a ediii a Bienalei de la Istanbul (2009), Thats All Falks, Stadtshalle, Bruges (2009).

Born 1978 in Baia Mare, Romania, lives and works in Bucharest. To-gether with Marius Bercea and Vlad Olariu he is running Laika artist-run space, based in Cluj and Bucharest. Recent exhibitions include The Fall, Slag Gallery, New York (2009). Recent group exhibitions: de porc, The Museum of Art, Cluj (2010), Staging the Grey, Prague Biennale 4 (2009), Without Hintersinn, Official Parallel Event for 11th Istanbul Biennial (2009), Thats All Falks, Stadtshalle, Bruges (2009).

MIRCEA SUCIU

Study (Girl in green), 2008

Cu paleta lor redus i adesea sumbr, suprafee plane i un imaginar ndrzne, lucrrile lui Mircea Suciu se joac n aria reclamei i a propa-gandei. Fr orice alte detalii strine, lucrrile prezint adeseori figuri sin-guratice, ntr-un col, ghemuite incomod sau ascunzndu-i faa de team sau ruine. Temele abordate snt pedeapsa i exilul impuse fie de alii, fie de ctre sine, este greu de stabilit. Aceast ambiguitate, ntrebarea cine este responsabil pentru ceea ce se ntmpl cu subiectul (dac este vorba de altcineva, aceast persoan nu este dezvluit, jucnd scenariul de comar al Fratelui cel Mare; dac agonia subiectului este autoimpus, atunci imaginarul devine expresia unei angoase existeniale), l induce n eroare pe spectator, provocnd o experien tulburtoare. Tablourile lui Suciu par s arate cu un deget acuzator: poate privind subiectul, spec-tatorul nsui consolideaz status-quoul prizonierului/victimei, care este mereu inspectat fra s i poat vedea gardianul/agresorul. Pe de alt parte, spectatorul poate fi un simplu martor al unei paranoia a celor care se simt separai i n contradicie cu ceea ce i nconjoar.

With their tight, often sombre palettes, flat surfaces and bold imagery, Mircea Sucius paintings play into the arenas of advertising and propa-ganda. Stripped of any extraneous details the works often feature lone figures situated in a corner, crouching uncomfortably or hiding their faces in fear or shame. The subject matter tackles the themes of punishment and exile whether imposed by another, or self perpetrated, it is difficult to ascertain. This ambiguity, the question of whom is calling the subject to account (if it is another, he or she is never revealed, thus at times playing into the nightmare of the big brother scenario, if the anguish experienced by the subject is self-imposed, the imagery becomes expressive of a kind of existential angst), wrong foots the viewer and makes for a disquieting experience. There is an accusatory finger that Sucius paintings seem to be wagging: perhaps by viewing the subject, the viewer too is reinforcing the status quo of the prisoner/victim who is always open to scrutiny, but never able to look upon his jailer or abuser. Alternatively, the viewer might simply be witness to the paranoia of individuals who feel separate from and at odds with all else around them.

Text Jane Neal

ERBAN SAVU

Picnic, 2006

Maybe Not, 2006

Nscut n 1977 n Romnia, triete i lucreaz la Paris. Expoziii personale: One thousand words, Plan B, Berlin (2010), Still from an infinite movie, Dvir Gallery, Tel Aviv (2007), Every word I tell you keeps me alive, Plan B, Cluj (2006). Expoziii de grup: Lichtzwang, Dvir Gallery, Tel Aviv (2009), Une monde sans mesures, Oscar Niemeyer de Brasilia, Ajaccio, Corsica (2009), BERLIN SHOW #1, Plan B, Berlin (2008), Une monde sans mesures, Mac de So Paulo (2008), Unreliable Witness, Tramway, Glasgow (2008), The space between, Konsthall Anna Nor-dlander, Sweden (2008), The Art of Failure, Kunsthaus Baselland, Basel (2007), Across the Trees, David Nolan Gallery, New York (2007), Fairytale, Institutul de Art Contemporan, Tirana (2007), Cluj Connection, Haunch of Venison, Zrich (2006), Periferic 7: Focusing Iai / Why Children?, Iai (2006), Message Personnel, Galerie Yvon Lambert, Paris (2006).

Born 1977 in Romania, lives and works in Paris. Solo exhibitions in-clude: One thousand words, Plan B, Berlin (2010), Still from an infinite movie, Dvir Gallery, Tel Aviv (2007), Every word I tell you keeps me alive, Plan B, Cluj (2006). Group exhibitions include: Lichtzwang, Dvir Gallery, Tel Aviv (2009), Une monde sans mesures, Oscar Niemeyer de Brasilia, Ajaccio, Corse (2009), BERLIN SHOW #1, Plan B, Berlin (2008), Une monde sans mesures, Mac de So Paulo (2008), Unreliable Witness, Tramway, Glasgow (2008), The space between, Konsthall Anna Nord-lander, Sweden (2008), The Art of Failure, Kunsthaus Baselland, Basel (2007), Across the Trees, David Nolan Gallery, New York (2007), Fairy-tale, Tirana Institute of Contemporary Art, Albania (2007), Cluj Connec-tion, Haunch of Venison, Zrich (2006), Periferic 7: Focusing Iai / Why Children?, Iai (2006), Message Personnel, Galerie Yvon Lambert, Paris (2006).

Lightbox, 2007

Tema lucrrii e dificultatea ori natu-ra inevitabil circular a interpretrii: lumina care anim secretul din imagine are un efect exterior lucrrii titlul ei. Titlul face apel la o alt infrastructur tehnic a obiectului ori redefinete fo-tografia ca pe o cutie de lumin.

The theme of the work is the difficulty and unwitting circularity of interpreta-tion: the light that animates the secret in the image has an effect adjacent to the work its title. The title invokes an-other technical infrastructure for the object, or possibly redefines photogra-phy as a box of light.

Text Mihnea Mircan

GABRIELA VANGA

PAVEL, 2006

Un obiect prin care timpul trece n dou feluri i este, n acelai timp, tan-dree, grij i singurtate, inseparabile, dar distincte.

An object through which times passes in two ways and is, simultaneously, tenderness, care and loneliness, dis-tinct yet inseparable.

Text Mihnea Mircan

Art for the Masses, 2004

Parte din expoziia Art pentru mase (Studio Protokoll, 2004), alturi de li-chidul pentru curat geamuri vitrine de muzeu ori ferestre ctre ce va s vin de la aceeai marc, proiectul Supernova Cola poate fi privit ca un manifest pentru generaia artistic a anilor 2000: rspunsul ei la furorul li-beralismului romnesc i capacitatea ei, atunci, de a-i imagina viitorul.

Part of the exhibition Art for the Masses (Studio Protokoll, Cluj, 2004), next to the cleaning liquid for glass museum display cases or windows towards what will come from the same brand, Supernova Cola can be regarded today as a manifesto for the artistic generation of the year 2000: its answer to the furor of Romanian liber-alism and its capacity, then, to imagine the future.

Text Mihnea Mircan

SUPERNOVAGrup iniiat n 2002 la Cluj de Istvn Lszl, Ciprian Murean i

Cristi Pogcean, activ pn n 2004. Expoziiile personale i de grup in-clud: Art for the Masses, Studio Protokoll, Cluj (2004), Art for the Mas-ses, Muzeul Brukenthal, Sibiu (2004), Bienala de la Paris (2004), Docufiction, Universitatea de Arhitectur, Bucureti (2004), Re:Location 2, Cluj / Linz i Re:Location 4, Luxemburg (2003), Inflexible Clash, Institu-tul de Art Contemporan, Dunajvros (2003), Couleurs locale, Galeria din Cetate, Trgu Mure (2002), Super Us / Supernova, Casa Matei, Cluj (2002), Intervenie n galeria Ata, Cluj (2002), Supernova, Centrul Cultural Sindan, Cluj (2002), American Erection, Casa Tranzit, Cluj (2002).

Founded in 2002 in Cluj by Istvn Lszl, Ciprian Murean and Cristi Pogcean, active until 2004. Solo and group exhibitions include: Art for the Masses, Studio Protokoll, Cluj (2004), Art for the Masses, Brukenthal Museum, Sibiu (2004), Biennale de Paris (2004), Docufiction, University of Arhitecture, Bucharest (2004), Re:Location 2, Cluj / Linz and Re:Location 4, Luxembourg (2003), Inflexible Clash, Institute of Con-temporary Art, Dunajvros (2003), Couleurs locale, Fortress Gallery, Trgu Mure (2002), Super Us / Supernova, Casa Matei, Cluj (2002), In-tervention in Ata Gallery, Cluj (2002), Supernova, Sindan Cultural Center, Cluj (2002), American Erection, Casa Tranzit, Cluj (2002).

Vlad Nanc Propunere pentru Catedrala Mntuirii Neamului, 2004

Print Lambda pe hrtie / Lambda print on paper

47,8 x 68,9 cm

Cristi Pogcean The Abduction from the Seraglio, 2006

Carpet din ln, fabricat / Woolen carpet, manufactured

110 x 160 cm

Cristi Pogcean Caranime, 2002

Video 8 secunde / 8 seconds

Cristi Pogcean Breaking Heart, 20042005

Medalion din aur / Medallion made of gold Dimensiuni variabile / Dimensions variable

Cristi Pogcean 2544, 2006

Video 5 minute / 5 minutes

Cristi Pogcean Lead, 2006

Plumb turnat / Cast lead 16 x 27,5 x 30 cm

Victor Rctu Butterflies, Flower and Abyss, 2006

Ulei pe pnz / Oil on canvas 24 x 18 cm

Victor Rctu Salvation, 2009

Salvation 1 (Sand Traces )

Ulei pe pnz montat pe panou de lemn / Oil on canvas mounted on wood board

13 x 33,3 cm

Salvation 2 (On the Tree)

Ulei pe pnz montat pe panou de lemn / Oil on canvas mounted on wood board

14 x 13,9 cm

Cristian Rusu Pavillon Tyrol, 2007

Obiect din beton / Concrete object H 50 cm

Fotografie / Photography 38 x 50 cm

erban Savu Parking, 2008

Ulei pe pnz / Oil on canvas 63 x 100 cm

Cristi Pogcean Modernist Bird House, 20052007

Lemn / Wood H 17 cm

erban Savu Maybe Not, 2006

Ulei pe pnz / Oil on canvas 40 x 50 cm

erban Savu Picnic, 2006

Ulei pe pnz / Oil on canvas 20 x 30 cm

Mircea Suciu Study (Girl in green), 2008

Ulei pe pnz / Oil on canvas 110 x 120 cm

Supernova Art for the Masses, 2004

Produs de consum / Product Mrime natural / Life size

Gabriela Vanga PAVEL, 2006

Sticl, nisip alb / Glass, white sand Mrime natural / Life size

Gabriela Vanga Lightbox, 2007

Fotografie / Photography 37 x 53,7 cm

Marius Bercea Untitled, 2010

Ulei i acrilic pe pnz / Oil and acrylic on canvas

200 x 150 cm

Mircea Cantor Diamond Corn, 2005

Cristal turnat, carton / Cast crystal, cardboard

Mrime natural / Life size

Mircea Cantor Cer variabil, 20072008

Fum de lumnare pe tavan / Candle smoke on the ceiling

Dimensiuni variabile / Dimensions variable

Mircea Cantor I shot this image because it is highly suggestive within a specific

circle, 2006

Light box 60 x 80 cm

Alexandra Croitoru Untitled (Prime Minister), 2004

C-print 80 x 67 cm

Adrian Ghenie Flight Into Egypt, 2008

Acrilic i colaj pe hrtie / Acrylic and collage on paper

50 x 70 cm

Adrian Ghenie Stalins Tomb, 2006

Ulei i acrilic pe pnz / Oil and acrylic on canvas

30 x 73 cm

Adrian Ghenie Basement Feeling, 2007

Ulei i acrilic pe pnz / Oil and acrylic on canvas

125 x 105 cm

Cantemir Haui Found, 2008

Ulei pe panou de lemn / Oil on wood panel 20 x 30 cm

Cantemir Haui Swim in Organized Place, 2009

Ulei pe pnz / Oil on canvas 100 x 120 cm

Istvn Lszl Revolution 1989, 20082009

30 de timbre / 30 stamps 22 x 32 cm

Victor Man Untitled (Black Canopies), 2006

3 pri / 3 parts: Ulei pe pnz / Oil on canvas

75 x 96 cm Acrilic pe plastic, dou lucrri /

Acrylic on plastic, two sheets 42 x 29,5 cm fiecare / each

Victor Man Untitled, 2007

Ceramic funerar / Funerary ceramics Dimensiuni variabile / Dimensions variable

Ciprian Murean Choose..., 2005

DVD PAL 41 secunde / 41 seconds

Ciprian Murean Romanian Blood, 2004

Desen i print / Drawing and print Dimensiuni variabile / Dimensions variable

Ciprian Murean Un chien andalou, 2004

15 desene, storyboard pentru o animaie 3D / 15 drawings, storyboard for a 3D animation

21 x 29,7 cm fiecare / each

Ciprian Murean Leap into the Void, After Three Seconds, 2004

Fotografie / Photography Dimensiuni variabile / Dimensions variable

Publishers: Plan B ClujBerlin, Muzeul de Art Cluj-Napoca / The Museum of Art Cluj-Napoca

Redactor / Editor: Mihai PopTraduceri / Translations: Mihnea Mircan, Daria Ptrunjel, Cecilia Varga

Fotografii / Photographs: Mircea Cantor, Bartha Lrnd, Raymond Bobar, Jon Etter (Haunch of Venison, Zrich), Feleki Istvn, Feleki

Szabolcs, Adrian Ghenie, Katrin Hammer, IDEA arts + society, Victor Man, Ciprian Murean, Cristi Pogcean, Mihai Pop, Victor Rctu,

David Regen (Gladstone Gallery, New York), erban Savu, Cathleen Schuster and Marcel Dickhage

Graphic Design: PROCLAME, BerlinTipar / Printing: Primeline, Berlin

Colecia Mircea Pinte s-a constituit la Cluj ncepnd cu anul 2004 i se concentreaz pe arta din Romnia ultimilor 50 de ani. Colecia cuprinde aproximativ 200 de lucrri i se remarc prin consistena seciunilor Paul Neagu, Ion Grigorescu i Horia Bernea i prin consecvena cu care a integrat artiti ai generaiei 2000 din Cluj. Muzeul de Art Cluj-Napoca a iniiat un parteneriat cu colecionarul Mircea Pinte pentru a prezenta colecia sa ntr-o serie de expoziii temporare, structurate tematic, pe durata urmtorilor ani.

The Mircea Pinte collection was initiated in Cluj in 2004 and focuses on Romanian art of the last 50 years. It now comprises approximately 200 works and is distinguished by substantial sections of works by Paul Neagu, Ion Grigorescu, Horia Bernea, as well as by the consistency with which it has integrated Cluj artists of the 2000 generation.The Museum of Art Cluj-Napoca has initiated a partnership with collector Mircea Pinte to make the collection accessible to its public, via a series of thematic exhibitions, over the next few years.