Finissage thematic tours of the exhibition of Romanian art

We invite you to thematic tours accompanying the finissage of the exhibition "One eye laughs, the other cries. Art from Romania in the Collection of Ovidiu Şandor ".

Thematic tours from July 9 to 18, 2025

July 9, 17.00 – “Nature through the eyes of Romanian artists”

Nature and the surrounding landscape influenced Romanian artists, becoming an inspiration and also a starting point for pondering art. We will look at how nature manifested itself in the works of individual artists and what it meant to them.

Presenter: Zofia Grząślewicz

July 10, 17.00 – "Between Rebellion and Subjugation. Attitudes of Romanian Artists Toward Communist Power"

The dictates of Socialist Realist aesthetics and the subordination of art to political goals forced many artists to choose between internal emigration and service to the new government. The guided tour will focus on the attitudes Romanian artists took toward communist rule: from the regime's favorite, Max Hermann, to Lena Constante-Brauner, who was imprisoned for many years.

Presenter: Dominik Wrześniak

July 11, 17.00 – “Romanian Conceptual Artists”

Among Romanian artists, many drew on the conceptual art movement to present their approach to creativity, identity and make statements about the political or social situation in the country and the world. They put the idea and a kind of invention first in the creative process, paying less attention to aesthetics, for example.

Presenter: Zofia Grząślewicz

July 16, 17.00 – "Romanian art in the global canon. From Brâncuși to Adrian Ghenie"

Artists originating from Romania have had a significant impact on the development of new artistic trends in Europe. Suffice it to mention artists such as Constantin Brâncuși, Victor Brauner, Tristan Tzara or the increasingly well-known Adrian Ghenie today. The theme of the tour will be the relationship of Romanian art with artistic phenomena developing in other parts of Europe, primarily in the West.

Presenter: Dominik Wrześniak

July 17, 17.00 – "Humor in spite of disaster. Dadaist themes in Romanian art"

Viewing works from Ovidiu Șandor's collection, one gets the impression that specific humor with a touch of the grotesque and absurdity as a creative strategy is part of the Romanian DNA. During the thematic tour, we will look at this phenomenon and trace how the Dadaist gene has manifested itself in Romanian art over the past 120 years.

Presenter: Marcin Krotla

July 18, 17.00 – “The Voice of Minorities in art from Romania”

Why is the title of the exhibition using the phrase “art from Romania” rather than “Romanian art”? Because only by taking into account the diversity of this country can one get a complete picture of its culture. The minority voice is very important for the overall resonance of this art. During the tour, we will listen to the polyphony of sounds of art from Romania, paying attention to the dissimilarities that enrich its character.

Presenter: Joanna Majewska-Grabowska

Tours will be held in Polish.

The exhibition “One eye laughs, the other cries. Art from Romania in the Collection of Ovidiu Şandor” is co-organized by the International Cultural Centre in Krakow and the Romanian Cultural Institute in Warsaw.

Event within the framework of the Romania-Poland Cultural Season 2024-2025

The Romania-Poland Cultural Season 2024-2025 is organized by the Romanian Ministry of Culture and the Romanian Institute of Culture, on the Romanian side, and by the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage and the Adam Mickiewicz Institute, in cooperation with the Polish Institute in Bucharest, on the Polish side.