Grey shadow of communism hangs over artists

Mûcsarnok is showcasing the contemporary art scene of Cluj-Napoca (known in Hungary as Kolozsvár) until 1 July. Over 30 artists and 17 cultural groups and institutions are representing creativity from the Romanian city in the exhibition.The artworks are extremely varied in style but one colour dominates: light grey. It is the grey of prefabricated buildings, concrete squares and the smog over an industrial city. Small booths for watching films and dividing walls are made from ash-grey sandstone. The pieces are arranged according to rough themes including coming to terms with the socialist past, mourning, death, war, the atmosphere of change and travel.
Witnesses to communism’s left-overs
These are the works of the generation of artists who did not grow up under communism but who see the remains of that era before their eyes day by day. The oil paintings of Adrian Ghenie show grey, everyday situations with plentiful texture and play on light. Violence comes to the fore in the film by Ciprian Muresan showing dog puppets speaking about the terrible acts committed by people against their own kind.
Cristi Pogacean’s hand-woven rug depicting abducted people with machine-guns trained on them around the traditional, floral border is also striking.
The bleak mood continues in the oil paintings of Serban Savu, showing workers stretched out for their midday break on grey concrete.
A spot of colour in the grey monotony is the photography series of Duo van der Mixt titled “Best of Red, Yellow and Blue” after the insistence of the nationalist Romanian mayor of Cluj (from 1992 to 2004), Gheorghe Funar, that the city be painted in Romania’s national colours, from park benches and playgrounds to rubbish bins.
The works of Razvan Botis, a train ticket from Cluj to Novosibirsk in Russia (one-way!), and a glass walking stick filled with Johnnie Walker whisky, titled “Hit the road Jack”, are also humorous.
The “Cluj Phenomenon”
The mood of change and the desire to come to terms with the past and to depict everyday reality are clearly conveyed by this exhibition from Cluj. Most of the works are on loan from galleries in the West and many have already been shown in museums such as MOMA in New York and the Kunsthaus Zürich, which points to the success story of the Cluj art scene.
Visitors with an interest in the region and contemporary culture should leave plenty of time for viewing. The rear, semi-circular hall of the Mûcsarnok is set up as a “resting room”, where exhibition-goers can leaf through the catalogues of the 30 artists or study the history of the 17 institutions and initiatives of the young artists’ scene in Cluj in comfort.
Exhibition
European Travellers – Art from Cluj Today
Runs until 1 July
Open Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and at weekends from 10am to 6pm, Thursday from noon to 8pm
Mûcsarnok
District XIV, Dózsa György u. 37 (Heroes’ Square)
www.mucsarnok.hu