Lucian Muntean - "Povestile Zidurilor"

   Zidurile Bucureștiului oferă trecătorilor o expoziție permanentă de colaje. În 2016, la sarbatorirea a 100 de ani de DADA, aceste colaje se încadrează perfect în spiritul curentului. Instantaneele lui Lucian Muntean trasmit mesaje cu totul neașteptate și prezintă asocieri inedite de imagini, create involuntar prin deteriorarea afișelor, care au fost lipite succesiv pe panouri sau pe ziduri. Brusc ele  funcționeaza ca o memorie recentă a evenimentelor culturale desfășurate în Bucuresti și prezintă totodată diversitatea de genuri sau vedete preferate de public.  "Poveștile zidurilor"  o serie de fotografii făcute fără nicio altă intervenție, a afișelor jupuite sau spălate de ploi. Acest demers artistic e o preocupare a artistului, care se concretizează în decursul ultimului an. Cu toate că de fapt sunt un exemplu de poluare urbană, aceste colaje au un farmec aparte.

   Lucian Muntean este un fotojurnalist cunoscut, un pasionat al imaginii foto dar si pictura. A expus in galerii prestigioase, a participat la bienale de arta iar expozitia de la ArtXpert vine imediat dupa cea de la Berlin unde “Povestile Zidurilor” bucurestene s-au aratat publicului german.

Fotografia lui Lucian Muntean e usor descifrabila, nu e sofisticata, ceea ce o face placuta si pe intelesul tuturor, probabil ca mesria de fotojurnalist nu ii ”permite” sa se disocieze de rutina. Insa acesta rutina e frumoasa si sincera, nu cauta senzationalul ci doar face o expunere corecta a ceea ce vede, la rece, fara interventii.

Povestea zidurilor e un exercitiu, o documentare de jurnalist. Ea vine ca o proiectie recenta a intamplarilor efemere intr-un oras brutalizat de un panotaj stradal haotic. Ce e interesant si surprinzator in aceasta expozitie vine chiar de suprapunerea de layere din imagini, numai ca ce a facut providenta si intamplarea, accidental, e unic, nu implica photoshop sau nicio alta unealta digitala. Pana la urma imaginile lui Lucian Muntean s-ar descrie ca fiind un “Photoshop natural”.

   In perioada 24septembrie - 8 octombrie, galeria ArtXpert va invita la expozitia lui Lucian Muntean "Povestile Zidurilor". Vernisajul va avea loc vineri 30 septembrie orele 19.

Rare copy of Giotto fresco discovered in ruins of Transylvanian church

BUDAPEST – A jewel among the wild grass? A Hungarian historian is convinced that patches of fresco in a Transylvanian church ruin are a rare medieval copy of a legendary masterpiece by Italian maestro Giotto.

The fragments found deep in the Romanian region are part of a 14th-century fresco reproduction of Giotto’s “Navicella” mosaic that used to adorn St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome, Szilard Papp said in Budapest last week.

Only three other 14th-century copies of the work, depicting Christ walking on water before apostles in a boat, are known to exist, in Strasbourg in France and in Florence and Pistoia in Italy.

“This is definitely the fourth,” said Papp of the Transylvanian fresco, in the village of Jelna, 430 km (270 miles) northwest of the Romanian capital, Bucharest.

Giotto made the vast mosaic — measuring roughly 10 by 14 meters (33 by 45 feet) and considered a marvel of medieval art — for the basilica’s atrium around 1300.

It was later destroyed during reconstruction of the basilica in the 17th century.

“It is astonishing that such a major work was reproduced in a small village church on the periphery of western Christianity at that time, so far from Rome,” said Papp, who works for the Budapest-based Istvan Moller Foundation, a heritage protection body.

“Who painted the fresco and how will likely forever remain a mystery,” he added.

Papp’s theory is that probably a sketch of the mosaic somehow made its way from Rome via painters’ workshops to Transylvania where a local artist painted the copy in the church.

During a trip to Jelna in 2014, he first saw the fragments of color on the wall in the mostly roofless church, abandoned since its congregation of ethnic-German Lutheran Protestants died out in 1976.

Last year he examined photographs from 2003 of the fresco in a less degraded state, but it was not until he later came across fragments on bits of plaster stored in a museum warehouse in nearby Bistrita that his pulse quickened.

Poring over academic literature on Giotto’s mosaic, Papp finally arranged the pieces of the puzzle in January.

“When I put together all the elements — the sail, mast, apostles, the Christ figure, the heads with their particular gestures — visible separately on the wall, in the photos, and on the museum fragments, I realized it must be the ‘Navicella,’ ” he said.

Remarkably, it is not “less faithful” to the original than the other three copies, he said.

“There is a lot (in the findings) that makes sense,” Ciprian Firea, a historian in the Transylvanian city of Cluj-Napoca’s Institute of Archaeology and Art History, said.

The church was built in the second half of the 14th century by ethnic Germans, thousands of whom settled in Transylvania, then part of Hungary, after an invitation by a 12th-century Hungarian king.

After the 16th century Reformation frescoes were whitewashed or plastered over by Protestant converts from Catholicism who frowned upon imagery inside churches.

Barely altered since the Middle Ages, decaying churches in Transylvania have revealed many medieval frescoes since the fall of communism in Romania happened in 1989.

The church in Jelna could totally collapse within one year unless urgent repairs are carried out, experts warned at a seminar held in Bistrita on Thursday.

Source : www.japantimes.co.jp

Cuban Artist Ángel Ramírez: "Now at least there is a prospect of progressive movement."

On the internationalization of Cuban art, the uses of engraving, and new art spaces in Havana

La Sexta Puerta, the studio-workshop of Ángel Ramírez (b. 1954, La Habana), could also be a time machine—or maybe an art history class. The artist himself could serve as a teacher, or he could let his works speak of the connection to Romanesque art and show how in history there are processes that are repeated or can be used in different contexts, even with centuries in between.

In the enforced quiet of his workshop, two large colonial windows separate Ramírez from the bustle of Obispo Street. From this hubbub, he has distilled the essence of the street cries, popular sayings, and the gossip of habaneros, transforming them into aesthetic impressions in various formats. These works shake hands with literature, because for Ramírez the relationship of text to image has been a constant—a clever way to combine sensations and mix them with the medieval imagery that is never absent from his art, and that helps him in explaining the context of here and now.

Ángel Ramírez, Llegas, preguntando por toda Cuba, 2014

Courtesy Ángel Ramírez

He acquired these aesthetic resources through his work as an engraver—a technique he studied by sheer chance, he says, but which has served as a linking element among all his works. Not even the latest technology can replace the taste for playing with wood and metal. "My work tries to communicate with an internal discourse that I enjoy while I’m creating it, but I know that once finished, it can fall on good or bad terrain," the artist remarks to Cuban Art News.

His works delineate the symbolic space of each stage of his life. So it’s possible to identify thematic groupings that define identity, the challenges of the diaspora, power, and hierarchy. But in all of them, the figure of man is highlighted, with his social processes translated into artistic motifs that provoke the viewer with suggestive titles: Darla Kara (2004), Marchar Unidos (2004), Todo está Kuadrao (2005), Paciencia mucha paciencia (2008) En su lugar descanse (2011), De noche y ciego, siego (2012). In many of them, the artist repeats motifs, going from woodcut to canvas and from sculpture to installation on a journey of great dedication.

According to critics, the exhibition Kafé de la bodega (2002) established Ángel Ramírez as a mature artist. But 13 years later, Ángel, who is unusually modest for an artist, still tells us that he is not yet established.

So, at what point in your career are you?

Right now, in a very sweaty one (laughs). I´ve worked hard for many years and I don’t think it´s time to jump ahead and consider the future, but rather to continue creating and to be true to myself, which is what interests me most.

My work has been steady, but I´ve gone through different periods. In my generation, we didn’t study to be artists, but rather to be art teachers. We were all teachers of teachers. When I graduated, the idea of the independent artist was just beginning, but it grew very slowly.

But art has moved on: previously, it was found in the biennials, which are purely cultural institutions. Now art is found in fairs, which are commercial institutions where galleries participate, not artists. Everything has changed a lot. Artists who emerged in each of these stages have more easily found their place. I have been in the middle.

However, we cannot say that your work has been limited, the variety of media you use is proof of that. Do you prefer one medium over another?

I prefer not to be bored. I don’t like to repeat, or to produce too much. There are artists who put together a way to create and produce infinitely. That's not bad, it's what works with the market. But it doesn´t give me pleasure. I live on my creation and I have not starved.

What about the thematic groupings then?

The themes don’t vary too much: one is oneself, and also in context. My work is almost journalistic in that sense, because I reflect what is happening at the moment—what I live and what happens around me. That is the constant in the work.

How do you assess the new trends in contemporary art?

I think you cannot do everything. People have their time and their way of approaching creative work. These new trends will have to settle down, and then we´ll have to discard. Although one thing does not replace the other: throughout the world, people are still painting, making sculpture, and creating works of all kinds. Photography didn’t finish off painting, cinema didn’t end theater; they complement one another. The digital world has an impact on painting, for example, but painting continues. Art is a means of communication, and everyone invents his own story. Contemporary art is not necessarily that which is tied to technology. With new media, you can frame an old discourse, or vice versa.

But there are techniques, such as engraving, for example, which are often avoided.

Engraving has to do with a way of thinking, a way of predicting what will happen. And it also has the incentive of surprise, because in the end unexpected things occur. There have been different historical reasons for engraving. Right now, in Cuba, people are making works related to it but are not considered prints as such. Because right now the need for multiple images is not very important to Cubans.

Engraving is widely used to print copies of works that are very successful, to be sold cheaper in the market. But in Cuba it’s the opposite: if you make a printed image, you have to sell a complete edition in order to recoup the investment you make when you sell just one picture or other work. Engraving doesn’t make much sense. Great artists, such as Miró and Picasso, experimented with engraving, played with technique. But that is past; there is very little to do in this regard.

Nevertheless, for my work engraving was an important tool, because it has another side: the manual work, a taste for wood or metal—all that is in my work. Moreover, engraving teaches you to paint, helps you organize. What has happened is that many engravers continue selling the technique—that is, what you can achieve with it—and that is boring.

It’s what I was saying about video and new technologies: no matter how new they are, you can get bored with them, if we limit ourselves to video for the sake of video, or photography for the sake of photography. Right now, there is too much engraving for its own sake. The boom of the 1990s, with Belkis Ayón and Ibrahim Miranda, is very far from what is being done now, although there is the occasional interesting project.

However, these are boom times for Cuban art, thanks to the new social context in the country. Do you think the island could be identified as the epicenter of art in this region?

Very good art is being made in Latin America. We sometimes think we’re the navel of the world, but if we compare Cuban art with that made in Brazil, Argentina, Mexico, or Colombia, we would see that our art is a little disoriented and preoccupied with looking outside, rather than looking at itself. Therefore, some works are empty, in the sense that the artists don’t look at themselves, at the immediate source that an artist can have.

The internationalization of art is a sign of our times. Anyway, there is good art production in Cuba and that is undeniable, especially because people can have good educational training. Now, Cuba is also in a boom, and people worldwide are very curious to come here before things change too much.

And that's largely thanks to the market…

In Cuba there is no art market. But the international market, now more than ever, sets out the routes to follow. Many young artists are guided by these commercial paradigms, and only think about what they can take from this, how to do it so it fits into the international market.

In Cuba there is also a boom in the so-called studio-gallery, which allows greater mobility of works. Could these spaces become some kind of competition for official galleries?

I couldn’t say. There are many artists in Cuba, and these studio spaces can’t cope with that. A serious gallery may represent 20 or 25 artists, but consider that most of those 20 or 25 artists already have at least an initial trajectory, some kind of preliminary recognition; there is not much to be done for the many artists who have to work individually. That is true throughout the world, but what happens here is that the galleries are not as aggressive, to the extent that they prevent an artist from moving on unless represented by the gallery. In Cuba, those officially represented can also work independently.

Although there is no legal framework for establishing private galleries.

No, but there is a space that nobody deals with. There are beginning to emerge spaces that are not run by artists, but by critics or curators independently, and who have a group of artists. For example, Factoría Habana is a gallery run by and curated by a foreigner. I think that's important, because a little competition doesn’t hurt.

Many Cuban artists were already exhibiting in the United States before December 17, and many interested people in the art world have been coming to Cuba. I don’t think anything spectacular will happen from now on. But there are some who are too optimistic and others who are overly pessimistic, which is ridiculous, because there is certainly a good chance that we will continue to move forward. In the 1990s, hardly anyone knew what was going to happen. Now at least there is a prospect of progressive movement.

— Lianet Hernández

Lianet Hernández (Artemisa, Cuba, 1989) Graduated in journalism from the University of Havana. She works at Casa de las Americas and often collaborates on Casa Contemporánea magazine.

Source:http://www.cubanartnews.org/

Ce se ascunde in spatele galeriilor de arta?

Cand vine vorba de cumparat bunuri oamenii fac un mic studiu de piata ca sa afle care e cel mai bun magazin, care e cel mai bun produs, ce optiuni au, analizeaza si decid. In US exista, pentru fiecare industrie, produs, serviciu, un rapor,t "Consumer Report," care reprezinta primul pas inainte de a cumpara ceva. Oamenii consulta acest raport, apoi fac si alte cercetari mai amanuntite pana iau o decizie.

In cazul areia contemporane, consumatorul stie ca achizitia reprezinta mai mult decat o simpla cumparatura. Preturile pot fi ridicate. Ei bine, cine vrea sa o faca cum poate proceda, de unde se documenteaza? In cine poate avea incredere?

 Iata un prim pas:

Va intrebati adesea cum se deruleaza lucrurile in businessul de arta din Romania si cum de poate rezista  o galerie de arta contemporana in contextul in care tara e saraca, puterea de cumparare e redusa iar oamenii cu dare de mana sunt extrem de inculti?

Va oferim o imagine de ansamblu care sa va ajute sa intelegeti ce se intampla si, evident, ce artisti sa urmariti, fara a va directiona catre un anume autor, lasandu-va loc sa discerneti singuri, in functie de cine ii reprezinta si ii promoveaza. Pentru a facilita propria dumneavoastra analiza va ghidez in tipologia galeriilor de arta contemporana, caci acestea sunt platformele, legatura dintre colectionar si artist. Rolul lor, important poate ajuta sau, mai mult incurca decizia de a cumpara.

1           Galerii abonate, prin fundatii si asociatii paravan, la fondurile Ministerului Culturii, ICR, ACUB.

Asadar, indiferent ce expun, aceste” lacasuri de arta” ele nu vor reflecta niciodata o situatie reala, economic vorbind, iar artistii lor nu reprezinta in niciun fel o investitie pentru colectionari. Mai exact, atat timp cat galeria e subventionata prin paravane de catre bani publici, autorii care expun nu pot genera incredere si nici macar o cota de piata. Mai exact, acesti artisti sunt doar pretextul accesarii de fonduri, ei fiind doar manipulati cu abilitate de catre galerie. Un artist bine impamantenit, cu parcurs si valoare nu are nevoie de finantari pentru a-si impune opera si, evident, cota pe piata. Cota se impune in exclusivitate prin vanzari constante.

2        Galeriile “doamnelor” - aceste galerii sunt detinute si/sau sub managementul unor doamne intretinute de soti sau amanti, galerii care nu fac altceva decat sa alimenteze dorinta acestor Dinu Paturica feminine ( de cele mai multe ori cu origini provinciale, cu studii discutabile ) ce spera sa isi castige un statut social. In cele mai multe cazuri mamici satule sa stea acasa ele se gandesc in perspectiva castigarii unui statut social pentru copilasii lor.

3         Galeriile masina de spalat - sunt galerii care recicleaza si sprijina o activitate infractionala comuna in lumea artei_ spalarea de bani. Sunt galerii care figureaza doar pe hartie, nu au inventar, nu au program expozitional, doar mineaza activitatea in domeniul artei contemporane. Activitati de tip suveica, unde artistii tranzactionati nici macar nu simt circuitul dubios in care le este introdusa opera sunt principala activitate. O astfel de operatiune se bazeaza pe lipsa de cunoastere a drepturilor de catre artist si pe intretinerea unei nebuloese, a unei stari neclare intre autor si galerie.( Lipsa de contracte, operatiuni cash, etc.)

4       

       Galeriile escrocherie - sunt galerii care vaneaza, sub promisiunea ca artistii pe care ii reprezinta vor avea vreo data cota de piata, divesi speculanti naivi ce traiesc cu impresia ca au investit in viitorul Ciucurencu sau Tonitza. Sunt galerii ce se axeaza pe vanarea de personae cu bani, fara cultura plastica, potentiali clienit ce pot fi speculati atat sub aspect emotional cat si financiar.

5     Galeriile presiune - sunt galeriile care sunt abonate la programele CSR ale marilor corporatii, stabilimente in care se scurg cei 2% livrati de cumnati, socri, celule securisto-masonice. Ca si in celelalte cazuri, artistul nu reprezinta o prioritate pentru afacere ci doar un pretext pentru a colecta si cheltui prin terte entitati juridice afiliate galeriei, sumele obtinute din “donatii”.

6      Galeriile restaurant/bar - sunt galerii care se chinuie sa-si asigure un cash flow din activitati conexe celei de arta, un lucru absolut normal, avand in vedere cheltuielile operationale mari. pot fi locuri interesante, cu autori buni, promitatori. Cu siguranta se chinuie sa reziste pe piata. Nu le neglijati.

       

       Galeriile legitime - sunt galerii cu un trecut palpabil, de mult timp in bransa, in general detinute de oameni legati de arta de cel putin o generatie, cu studii de specialitate. Au un program curatorial clar, pe termen lung, inceput de ani si care continua si in viitor. Au un portofolio restrans de artisti, ii promoveaza si ii sustin cu ritmicitate. Sunt o cale buna de urmat. Din pacate foarte putine.

Starea economica a tarii, lipsa know-how-ului si mai ales lipsa de anduranta a antreprenorilor din domeniul artei contemporane sunt factori care duc constant la fluctuatii ale businessului de arta. Multi isi imagineaza ca a promova, vinde si sustine arta contemporana este o activitate simpla. De aceea multe galerii apar si dispar cu repeziciune din peisaj.

Pentru colectionari, achizitionarea de arta direct de la autor nu poate fi o optiune sustenabila caci, place sau nu, galeria este garantul carierei si longevitatii artistului, ea este punctul de intalnire, "vitrina" si intrumentul de promovare a acestuia.

Asadar, atunci cand va ganditi sa achizitionati arta, arta cu impact, care sa reziste in timp dincolo de estetic, alegeti cu grija galeria.

Urmariti artistii mai ales functie de cine-l reprezinta si nu va sfiiti sa cereti cifre si documente reale ale vanzarilor anterioare atunci cand cumparati. Chiar daca cifrele sunt confidentiale, puteti avea acces macar la partea superioara a unei facturi. Nu credeti in vorbe ci in hartii!

Lumea in Fragmente

"Lumea in Fragmente" este o interpretare personala a unei artiste care pricepe si vede realitatea printr-o perspectiva voalata a unei experiente personale destul de zbuciumata. Experientele si trairile personale au facut-o sa vada si sa inteleaga lumea in felul ei, dupa propriile-i valori.
Expozitia "Lumea in Fragmente" surprinde placut lumina unor locuri unde iarna nu vine niciodata. Fie ca e sudul Spaniei sau Florida, bucuria luminii, jocul umbrelor in vegetatia abundenta, freamatul naturii miscata de briza sunt greu de redat in carbune pe hartie. Cumva, Livia o face! Personal rezonez cu lucrarile ei pentru ca am inteles firea naturii locurilor pe care ea le deseneaza. Lucrarile ei traiesc, sunt dinamice si sofisticate, fara a fi prefabricate, fara clisee. Livia isi explica, probabil trairile personale in aceste tensiuni creeate in compozitiile sale.
Expozitia "Lumea in Fragmente" de la ArtXpert este primul fragment al unei lumi pe care Livia Krasting o dezvaluie incet-incet,! Acesta este doar un prim pas.

“Perfectiunea naturii m a facut sa inteleg ca este inutil, chiar frustrant sa incerc sa o copiez intocmai.De aceea incerc sa descopar forma din spatele formei, cea contaminata de trairile mele atunci cand privesc un fragment al lumii.Astfel am descoperit si am imbratisat expresionismul abstract ca modalitate de exprimare si ca fel de a ma simti sigura pe hartie sau pe panza.” – Livia Krasting

Artxpert presents Serena Luna Raggi

Serena Luna Raggi is a young Italian Artist born in Bologna, Italy. She Graduated the Academy of Fine Arts in Bologna. Her works are inspired from Indian and Persian Miniatures. The artist is using a mixed technique of oil colours, watercolours, acrylic, pastel, usually on paper. Serena is travelling intensely, and, pretty often we will see in her works the treasures she gathered during her expeditions: jewellery, fabrics, symbols, but above all the stories of the people she met.

Passionate about oriental art, Persian miniatures to Indian patterns, Byzantine icons, they all combine smoothly with the image of the ancestral woman, image that we get to see usually in the works of Serena. Another trait of her works is the delicacy while approaching the Roma journey through the continents and throughout history. The colours in her works are bright, delicate, with intricate arabesques.

Serena had exhibitions in Rome, Milan and other Italian cities.

We are proud to invite you at the first exhibition abroad of Serena Luna Raggi, on the 25^th of July, starting with 20.00 ,presented by Artxpert Fine Art Concept Store. Artxpert gallery is located in Bucharest, Putul lui Zamfir no 45, Dorobanti area.

Elis Iaia-Inceputuri Alternative

Galeria ArtXpert prezintă în perioada 3-15 iunie expoziția de pictură interactivă a artistei
Elis Iaia – “Începuturi alternative” și o inovație în arta vizuală.

Vernisajul va avea loc pe 3 iunie, începând cu orele 18.00.

Elis Iaia este unul dintre artiștii care evadează din canoane și găsește noi mijloace de expresie, fără a sacrifica totuși emoția estetica sau firul narativ. “Începuturi alteranative” propune un nou mod de a te raporta la o lucrare de artă. Tablourile interactive permit privitorului să schimbe povestea printr-un mecanism complet nou.

Neo-pop ca și orientare, Elis Iaia explorează teme precum identitatea, rolurile asumate în cuplul modern, temerile existențiale și alte preocupări ale omului contemporan, dar iși lasă privitorul să iși definească punctul de vedere interacționând cu lucrările.    

“Privim același lucru, dar vedem povești diferite. Adevărul nu e absolut. Adevărul ți se adaptează ție. “Începuturi alternative” iți permite să schimbi povestea oricând. Întoarce lucrarea si obții o nouă stare, o nouă mască, un nou vis, un nou rol, o nouă teamă, un nou tu. Fiecare instalație iți oferă un nou început.” spune Elis Iaia despre conceptul expoziției. 

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Resursă: demo tablou interactiv http://elisiaia.com/x4/