Group exhibition Lithuania

"The Other Sides of the World" international group exhibition organized in Lithuania, at the art galley

 

for more data, see

http://www.antanasmoncys.com/lt/Naujienos.html?article=41;

Involved artists:

Ole Bjorn Gundermann – Danija, Ana Maria Gruia - Rumunija, Lojze Kalinsek - Slovėnija, Faust Campama Peleja - Andora, Lluisa Casas Grimaldos - Andora, Martje Verhoeven- Olandija, Cristiana Itiopolos - Graikija, Octavo Esinencu - Moldavija, Laura Gomez Volero - Andora, Olga Cabanes Chao - Andora, Isabel Pons Escarre - Andora, Dolors Pascuet Mas- Andora, Elga Grinvalde - Latvija, Gelu Lupas - Rumunija, Edmond Krebik- Rumunija, Mindaugas Aučyna - Lietuva, Martinas Jankus - Lietuva, Edita Matulionytė - Lietuva, Eugen Raportoru - Rumunija.

Homemade fair 13 december 2008

Another art fair hits the city! Cluj-Napoca, be ready for another exhibition at Casa Tranzit, organized with the support of the French Cultural Center in Cluj-Napoca. There will be also cookies, French music, and the atmosphere of the 1930s. And, not to mention, everything will be 100% handmade.

Gruia&Gruia exhibition, december 2008

I invite you to Gruia&Gruia, my first exhibition together with my father. It can be seen (and bought) at Galeriile La Fortuna, Piata Muzeului nr. 6, Cluj, all throughout this December. The place is a nice and cozy cafe where you will have a good time, and there are good chances we will meet there.
My father exhibits a series of flowers and landscapes (oil on canvas) on the upper floor, while I have the basement of the cafe, with works from two different series. The most numerous contains works about Cluj, made in a mix technique (collage, linocut, acrylic on canvas) while the other is part of a an older cycle of acrylics.

Covers for contemporary art magazines

Some photos are just right for magazine covers: they are just fine, though a little something is missing in their composition. Here are some example I made during cold winter days in various locations in Transylvania. In the right light, even the simplest objects (a frozen car tire, the handle of an old closet, water melting on my car, or a cute girl running in dim light) made for photo shooting subjects.

Winter bazaar at La mesteceni Country Club

We were invited to take part at this great event organized by a country club near Sebes, Romania. Fighting the weather we went to try our luck, with some paintings and some Dacian hats. We landed in a room crowded with Christmas decorations, music CDs, shoes, clothes, icons, and the above photographed: Dracula with blood dripping from his vampire canines grinning from a porcelain cup with gold trimming, a female nude statuette by the feet of the Crucifix (somehow not religious at all), and ceramic desk mask (?) with butterflies!

And a special treat for Romanian speakers. It is worth reading, I guarantee.

Tonight's work

 
Alright, I gave into abstract compositions. I was in fact trying to use randomly dyed working paper from previous linocuts. Then, through collage, I integrated them into new compositions and assorted them with new acrylic painting, suggesting silhouettes in the background. The technique looks promising, it just needs a bit more work and practice. Maybe it should look better on canvas, not cardboard.

Seeing yourself, international photo exhibition

The exhibition is the result of an international project, exhibiting works by 60 artists from 5 countries, Romania, the Czech Republic, Poland, Spain, France, and Germany. The opening, at the Art Museum in Cluj-Napoca (the Banffy Palace in Unirii Square), will be held on November the 19th 2008, starting at 5 PM. See yourself there!

Doodles

Doodle=a figure, design, or scribble drawn or written absent-mindedly. I believe most artists, not to mention non-artist, have been satisfied and intrigued by such creations of un-intentional art.
More about doodle as art at http://www.squidoo.com/doodle-art, for example. Or better, Gombrich's "Pleasures of Boredom: Four Centuries of Doodles (1991)" in The Uses of Images: Studies in the Social Function of Art and Visual Communication, 304 pp., 356 illustrations, London, Phaidon Press.

Retrospective exhibition Zoe Vida-Porumb

I attended the retrospective textile exhibition of Zoe Vida-Porumb at the Art Museum in Cluj, held in one of the best exhibition rooms of the institution. Adding the later hour, the conditions were just fine for a couple of nice photos. The speakers included Orthodox Church officials and the director of the Art Museum.

Day of the Dead

The Orthodox Day of Dead in Cluj-Napoca has been, in time, somewhat contaminated by the Catholic version of the event. It is all about visiting the graves at night, placing flowers, socializing (smoking in the cemetery, by the cover of darkness, might be an incentive) and most importantly about bringing some light. The Romanian name of the event, Luminaţie, is about the light (from candles), and not about the Illuminati, as any google search seems to suggest.
The central cemetery of Cluj is pretty impressive during such contexts as it includes some old and well-made funerary sculptures and monuments. I can easily imagine a successful light photography project there. But for now, here is some of my photos.