The Art Newspaper

Bucharest’s first commercial video show gives preview of Romanian Pavilion at Venice Biennale

By Richard Unwin | Web only
Published online 1 Apr 09

"Portraits of the Artists as Young Artists" at the Andreiana Mihail Gallery, Bucharest

LONDON. In a significant coup for dealer Andreiana Mihail, her Bucharest gallery provided a sneak preview of the three Romanian artists selected for this year’s Venice Biennale. The exhibition “Portraits of the Artists as Young Artists”, which featured 13 artists and ran until 30 March, was the first of its kind in Bucharest dedicated exclusively to video work, with works priced between €5,000 and €8,000. Artists Stefan Constantinescu, Andrea Faciu and Ciprian Muresan will go on to present video works in the Romanian Pavilion under the collective banner “The Seductiveness of the Interval”.

Andreiana Mihail Gallery’s show aimed to provide a snapshot of young artists whose careers began after the 1989 Romanian Revolution. Bringing together a wide range of established artists, over half of whom are now based outside Romania, the exhibition was well received, attracting over 200 visitors to its opening. Although the profile of video work is growing in Romania, Ms Mihail says that it remains a difficult sell, and “Portraits of the Artists as Young Artists” was not expected to reap large commercial returns. The dealer, whose gallery opened in late 2006, has been quick to establish her presence on the Bucharest scene as well as internationally, exhibiting at a number of fairs including Art Basel 2008.

“The Seductiveness of the Interval” in Venice has been organised by Bucharest-based curator Alina Serban, with work chosen from around 20 proposals submitted to the Romanian ministry of culture. Funding for the pavilion is expected to come from the ministry, alongside contributions from private donors and international funds.

Muresan is the best known of the three artists, and as well as working with Andreiana Mihail Gallery, he is represented by Plan B Gallery in Cluj, northwest Romania. He has exhibited widely internationally, and in Venice will present two recent video works, Auto-da-Fe, 2008, and Dog luv, 2009.

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