Titled Laughing with One Eye, Crying with the Other, the exhibition is part of the Poland-Romania Cultural Season 2024–2025.
The display features works from the collection of Timișoara's Ovidiu Șandor, considered one of the most significant private collections of Central European art.
Șandor, who is also one of the curators of the exhibition, told journalists on Friday that the selection of works not only reflects evolving artistic trends but also conveys the complex historical context in which Romanian artists have created.
The exhibition, he said, presents a world of contrasts, ranging from carefree formal experimentation to works shaped by political oppression.
The exhibition is divided into six sections, beginning with works by pioneering figures such as Constantin Brâncuși, Victor Brauner, Tristan Tzara and Brassaï, who helped redefine sculpture, surrealism, dadaism and photography.
Another section highlights 20th-century artists, including Arthur Segal, Horia Damian and André Cadere, whose contributions enriched the global art scene.
The exhibition is accompanied by a bilingual Polish-English catalog featuring essays by prominent intellectuals and researchers, including Adriana Babeți, Łukasz Galusek, Kazimierz Jurczak, Jakub Kornhauser, Diana Marincu, Tom Sandquist and Vladimir Tismăneanu.
A program of related events has also been prepared, including lectures, discussions with Polish and international guests, film screenings, dance and culinary workshops, guided tours, and educational activities.
The impact of Nicolae Ceaușescu’s dictatorship is explored through works by Ion Grigorescu and the Timișoara-based Sigma group, whose art challenged the absurdity of the regime and sought creative independence despite censorship.
The exhibition also examines the turbulent transition period following the fall of communism, reflected in the works of Ana Lupaș and Ioana Bătrânu.
A special focus is given to artists from the northwestern city of Cluj, including Victor Man, Adrian Gheni and Ciprian Mureșan, whose work offers contemporary commentary in diverse styles.
The exhibition concludes with pieces by a new generation of Romanian artists, such as Eugen Roșca, Lea Rasovszky, David Farcaș and Tincuța Marin, who blend global artistic trends with Romanian dadaism, folklore and mythology.
Agata Wąsowska-Pawlik, director of the International Cultural Center, said the idea to present this collection in Kraków was born during the launch of Timișoara’s tenure as the European Capital of Culture in 2023.
She added that the exhibition provides an opportunity to explore both the richness of Romanian art and the historical experiences shared by Poland and Romania in the 20th and 21st centuries.
The exhibition runs until July 20 at the International Cultural Center’s Gallery at 25 Rynek Główny in Kraków.
The Poland-Romania Cultural Season is jointly organized by the Romanian Ministry of Culture, the Romanian Cultural Institute, the Polish Ministry of Culture and National Heritage, and the Warsaw-based Adam Mickiewicz Institute, with support from the Polish Institute in Bucharest.
(rt/gs)
Source: PAP, mck.krakow.pl