Colectia

Mircea
Pinte
Cluj
Marius Bercea Mircea Cantor Alexandra Croitoru Adrian Ghenie
Cantemir Haui Istvn Lszl Victor Man Ciprian Murean
Vlad Nanc Cristi Pogcean Victor Rctu Cristian Rusu
erban Savu Mircea Suciu Supernova Gabriela Vanga
Curatori / Curators: Mihai Pop, Clin Stegerean
Organizare / Setup: Ctlin Ilie, Mihaela Luea,
Manuil Marcu, Bertha Niculescu, Ioan Socaciu
Mulumiri / Acknowledgements: Mircea Cantor,
Adrian Ghenie, Victor Man, Mihnea Mircan, Jane
Neal, Magda Radu, Maria Rus Bojan, erban
Savu, Szkely Sebestyn Gyrgy, Claudiu ugar
16.0423.05.2010
Muzeul 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 benefting 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 affnity,
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
frst established abroad, before it registered at home.
I frst 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 flls a vacuum created by
the fimsiness 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 affrmation 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? Defnitely 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 infuencing the present and generating
questions regarding the understanding and consequences of history.
It is signifcant 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 fgurative 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
director
The 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 findu-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 f 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 afrmai 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 af lucrrile celor mai cunoscui artiti
internaionali ai momentului.
Alturi de aceste prezene individuale, articolul din Artpress include,
semnifcativ, 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 afniti 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-
tografei 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) afai pe cursul ascendent al unei afrmri 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 f comparat,
dac nu pentru dimensiunea coleciei sale, atunci pentru ferul 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 f micarea
clujean asociat aceleiai idei? Cu siguran, cel puin deocamdat,
nu. Mai mult dect att, ceea ce poate f 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 f semnifcativ pentru ntreaga societate faptul c o generaie
care abia prsise vrsta copilriei la momentul 1989 continu s fe pre-
ocupat de o istorie pe care a trit-o jucndu-se, dar care se dovedete a
f 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 fe i prin contaminare.
Mesajul, prin recursul la imaginea fgurativ, fe ea pictural sau foto-
grafc, poate f acela al dobndirii i exprimrii contiinei critice, restant
pn acum, la nivelul ansamblului social.
Clin Stegerean
director
Muzeul 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 Arnolfni (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 Arnolfni (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 fgurative dintr-un amestec
de suveniruri personale: tieturi din ziare,
fotografi 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 fgurative 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 BERCEA
Nscut 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 glorifcat i de ce? ,
suprapunerea dintre refuz i afrmaie 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 glorifed 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 CROITORU MIRCEA CANTOR
I shot this image because
it is highly suggestive within
a specifc 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 caligraf-
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
defnesc 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 defne (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, find angajat ntr-un dialog per-
manent i fertil cu istoria picturii. El invoc
nu doar scenografa 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 LSZL
Nscut 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 semnifcative, 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 f 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 insignifant fa de
trunchiul gros al unui copac btrn, alteori
crend fguri monstruoase de dimensiuni
giganteti. Uneori, Haui ndeprteaz
defnitiv 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-
nifcant fgures, 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 fgures 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 HAUI
Nscut 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 fe
diferena pe care o promiteau i se
contopesc. n cheie existenial,
refuzul jucu al lui Vlad Murean
ar putea nsemna o supra-identif-
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
confate. Read in an existential
key, Vlad Mureans playful refusal
could indicate an act of over-identi-
fcation: 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 flmul 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, Arnolfni, 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, Arnolfni, 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 sufeteti 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 flmic 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 flmic
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
defned 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
fori 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 fower bridges and self-sacri-
fce, 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 f verifcat 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 tiinifce ale
barocului timpuriu, gestul lui Toma Necredin-
ciosul devine lecie de anatomie n animaia
lui Cristi Pogcean, iar verifcarea dureroa-
s, repetat la nesfrit amn la nesfrit
evidena mistic, credina i destinul.
Emblematic for the scientifc hypotheses of
the Early Baroque, the gesture of Doubting
Thomas becomes a lesson of anatomy in
Cristi Pogceans animation, while verifca-
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 fulflment. 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 fnger 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
Butterfies, Flower and Abyss, 2006
Lead, 2006
n muzeu, casca nu poate f atins, iar gre-
utatea ei strivitoare nu poate f 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 fred 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 profl, 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 f doar viziuni efemere.
Meticulously rendered and peopled with
workers and ordinary folk, erban Savus
paintings read as tender documents of
the characters who refect 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 feeting 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 benef-
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 fe 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 ofcial 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, Offcial 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 fguri sin-
guratice, ntr-un col, ghemuite incomod sau ascunzndu-i faa de team
sau ruine. Temele abordate snt pedeapsa i exilul impuse fe de alii,
fe 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 f 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, fat 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
fgures 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 diffcult
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 fnger 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
infnite 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 infnite
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 difcultatea 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 redefnete fo-
tografa ca pe o cutie de lumin.
The theme of the work is the diffculty
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 redefnes 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 f 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
SUPERNOVA
Grup 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),
Docufction, Universitatea de Arhitectur, Bucureti (2004), Re:Location 2,
Cluj / Linz i Re:Location 4, Luxemburg (2003), Infexible 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), Docufction,
University of Arhitecture, Bucharest (2004), Re:Location 2, Cluj / Linz and
Re:Location 4, Luxembourg (2003), Infexible 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 Butterfies, 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
Fotografe / 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
Fotografe / 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 specifc
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 fecare / 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 fecare / each
Ciprian Murean Leap into the Void,
After Three Seconds, 2004
Fotografe / Photography
Dimensiuni variabile / Dimensions variable
Publishers: Plan B ClujBerlin, Muzeul de Art Cluj-Napoca /
The Museum of Art Cluj-Napoca
Redactor / Editor: Mihai Pop
Traduceri / Translations: Mihnea Mircan, Daria Ptrunjel, Cecilia Varga
Fotografi / 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, Berlin
Tipar / 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.