9 December 2020

[EN/RO] ‘The Meaning of Sculpture’ at Kunsthalle Bega

'The Meaning of Sculpture' at Kunsthalle Bega, exhibition view
[EN/RO] ‘The Meaning of Sculpture’ at Kunsthalle Bega
'The Meaning of Sculpture' at Kunsthalle Bega, exhibition view

[EN]

text: Liviana Dan

Sculpture can be impeccable sculpture suggested by nature. Yet, as an intellectual exercise, reality has never stimulated such a scenario. For a long time, sculpture functioned between a civic function and a sacred vocation. Marble, monument, power, politics. You could see the sculpture as an image: plan – structure – elevation. Sculpture had to stand up against the language, it had to cope with a metaphorical and image criticism. Each handicap had to be transformed into an advantage.

Considered literary, limited and primitive, the sculpture aims to have a complex role in the figurative, modern and minimalist ideas and fantasies.

The paradigm of sculpture – too much materiality, too much corporality, too much ambiguity – has provided and supported a lot of thoughts regarding the installation of some theories referring to sculpture.

The visual is replaced by the tactile as tactility has become a systematic theory evaluated by means of esthetic criteria. / Herbert Reed / The incorporation of the optical spirit / Clement Greenberg / develops the open, linear, optical sculpture which is not affected by pictorial effects.

Sculpture transcends in materiality in order to offer a pure experience.

/ Rosalind Krauss moment / considers the sculpture in an expanded field, an independent object of art directly connected with the space, the environment and the assemblage itself.

'The Meaning of Sculpture' at Kunsthalle Bega, exhibition view

The dissolution of the notion of sculpture, the contamination of the sculpture with the installation, the domination of the organic materials double the visual experience with a sensorial one. / Alex Potts / The sculptural imagination determines the re-interpretation of spaces, outskirts – center, and disturbs the reason of bi-dimensional images. / Julie Reiss /

The radical transformation is completed by several theorist artists obsessed by sculpture such as Robert Smithson, Eva Hesse, Bruce Nauman and Richard Serra. How can we define the long history of sculpture from a contemporary viewpoint? The myths regarding marble collapses. The autonomy of forms and the commitment of matters are contaminated by the rules of installation. The two positions, the anti-monument and the anti-pedestal, become recurrent topics. Each material can be replaced with another material without changing the intention.

Recently, there are more and more surprising works seen as sculptures: immense photos and video films documenting the ocean, the vegetation, the ice, the human body, the molecules, the silver plants, the clouds, the tunnels of light, and the performance posting up the technical grid, which is provided with theatrical sensibility…

Is there a certain meaning? Is there a visual prejudice?

The sculpture bears its truth.

'The Meaning of Sculpture' at Kunsthalle Bega, exhibition view
Bogdan Rața's work at 'The Meaning of Sculpture', Kunsthalle Bega
Cristian Răduță's work at 'The Meaning of Sculpture', Kunsthalle Bega
'The Meaning of Sculpture' at Kunsthalle Bega, exhibition view
'The Meaning of Sculpture' at Kunsthalle Bega, exhibition view
'The Meaning of Sculpture' at Kunsthalle Bega, exhibition view
'The Meaning of Sculpture' at Kunsthalle Bega, exhibition view
'The Meaning of Sculpture' at Kunsthalle Bega, exhibition view
'The Meaning of Sculpture' at Kunsthalle Bega, exhibition view
'The Meaning of Sculpture' at Kunsthalle Bega, exhibition view
'The Meaning of Sculpture' at Kunsthalle Bega, exhibition view
'The Meaning of Sculpture' at Kunsthalle Bega, exhibition view
'The Meaning of Sculpture' at Kunsthalle Bega, exhibition view
'The Meaning of Sculpture' at Kunsthalle Bega, exhibition view
'The Meaning of Sculpture' at Kunsthalle Bega, exhibition view
'The Meaning of Sculpture' at Kunsthalle Bega, exhibition view
'The Meaning of Sculpture' at Kunsthalle Bega, exhibition view
'The Meaning of Sculpture' at Kunsthalle Bega, exhibition view
'The Meaning of Sculpture' at Kunsthalle Bega, exhibition view

[RO]

text: Liviana Dan

Sculptura poate fi sculptură impecabilă propusă de natură. Dar ca exercițiu intelectual, realitatea nu favorizează niciodată un astfel de scenariu. Sculptura a funcționat mult timp între funcția civică și vocația sacră. Marmură, monument, putere, politică. Vedeai sculptura ca pe o imagine: planul – structura – elevația. Sculptura trebuia să reziste limbajului, trebuia să reziste unei critici metaforice și de imagine. Fiecare handicap trebuia transformat într-un avantaj.

Considerată literară, limitată, primitivă, sculptura ajunge să dețină un rol complex în ideile și fanteziile figurative, moderne, minimaliste.

Paradigma sculpturii – prea multă materialitate, prea multă corporalitate, prea multă ambiguitate – a oferit și a susținut multe gânduri pentru instalarea unor teorii despre sculptură.

Vizualul este înlocuit de tactil. Tactilitatea devenind o teorie sistematică evaluată după criterii estetice. / Herbert Reed / Încorporarea spiritului optic / Clement Greenberg / dezvoltă sculptura deschisă, lineară, optică, neafectată de efecte picturale.

Sculptura transcende în materialitate pentru a oferi o experiență pură. Momentul Krauss / Rosalind Krauss / consideră sculptura un câmp expandat, un obiect de artă independent în relație directă cu spațiul, mediul și asamblajul în sine. Disoluția noțiunii de sculptură, contaminarea sculpturii cu instalația, dominația materialelor organice dublează experiența vizuală cu una senzorială. / Alex Potts / Imaginația sculpturală determină re-interpretarea spațiilor-margine-centru și disturbă logica imaginii bidimensionale. / Julie Reiss /

'The Meaning of Sculpture' at Kunsthalle Bega, exhibition view

Transformarea radicală este făcută de câțiva artiști teoreticieni obsedați de sculptură. Robert Smithson, Eva Hesse, Bruce Nauman și Richard Serra. Cum poate fi definită într-o manieră contemporană lunga istorie a sculpturii? Cade mitul marmurei. Autonomia formei și angajamentul conținutului sunt contaminate de regulile instalației. Cele două poziții anti-monument și anti-soclu devin teme recurente. Orice material poate fi înlocuit cu un alt material fără ca intenția să fie schimbată.

În ultimul timp, lucrări tot mai surprinzătoare se numesc sculptură: fotografii imense și filme video documentând oceanul, vegetația, gheața, corpul uman, moleculele, plantele din argint, norii și tunelele de lumină și performanța documentând gridul tehnic care primește sensibilitate teatrală…

Există un anume sens? Este un prejudiciu vizual?

Sculptura umblă cu adevărul ei.

Imprint

ArtistApor – Nimbert Ambrus, Rudolf Bone, Norbert Costin, Teodor Graur, Roxana Ionescu, Adi Matei, Alexandru Mirutziu, Vlad Nancă, Mihai Olos, Alexandra Pirici, Bogdan Rața, Cristian Răduță, Mircea Spătaru, Patricia Teodorescu, Napoleon Tiron, Casandra Vidrighin
ExhibitionThe Meaning of Sculpture
Place / venueKunsthalle Bega, Timișoara, Romania
Dates25 September 2020 – 24 January 2021
Curated byLiviana Dan
Websitekunsthallebega.ro
Index

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