Monstrul, pătratul și hohotul, Museum of Recent Art, Bucharest, 07.06.2024–31.01.2025, Curator Dan Popescu

Abstract

The exhibition The Monster, the Square and the Laughter is, in the words of its curator Dan Popescu, a temporary reconfigu­ration of the Museum of Recent Art collection of Romanian con­temporary art—lasting from 06.2024 to 01.2025—but also a curatorial essay on its own. The theme is a strong one, laying the groundwork for a contemplative journey throughout the psyche and thought process of contemporary Romania. Physically, each level of the building itself corresponds to a certain type of mood constructed entirely out of the artworks, their interaction with one another and their positioning in space. There are the “Black Cubes”, intermediary rooms situated between each level and painted entirely black, meant to convey a feeling of claustrophobia but also interconnectedness. Even though the levels themselves don’t have a strict theme, at times both humorous and solemn pieces hanging from the same wall, the atmosphere is intricately constructed to either pull you towards the dignified or towards the absurd. There are paintings, sculptures of all kinds, installations, readymades and video art. As the title suggests, there are two major approaches to contemporary art in Romania: one is the humorous path, which is rooted in the interwar period, and the other is the sacred one, displaying Romanians’ complex relationship with God and faith. The divine, here, can only be approached through the monster or the square (sacred geometry)—two sides of the same coin actually, as represented on the first level of the building. One of the highlights for me was certainly Marian Zidaru’s (b. 1956) Saint George, which abruptly catches your attention as soon as you finish ascending the stairs thanks to its central placement and towering figure. This wooden sculpture, surrounded by paintings of the same nature, demands your full awareness and concentration. It’s a swift motion, but frozen in time and space. Saint George, represented as the weapon and held up by light itself, is merely seconds away from slaying the dragon.