Exhibition "One Eye Laughing, the Other Crying. Art From Romania in the Ovidiu Șandor Collection"

8 March - 20 July 2025
Opening: March 7, 6 pm


The International Cultural Centre in Kraków the Romanian Cultural Institute invite you to an extraordinary exhibition showcasing works from the collection of Ovidiu Şandor – one of the most important private art collections in Central Europe. This exhibition is part of the Poland-Romania Cultural Season 2024-2025, offering a broad and multi-dimensional panorama of Romanian art over the last century.

The display, spanning from the avant-garde classics of the early 20th century to contemporary creators, is more than just a review of artistic achievements. It is, above all, a story of human lives revealed through art. Together, they form a collective portrait of Romanians during the turbulent 20th century.

The exhibition highlights the country’s history and its artists, both those who had the opportunity to experiment, create, and gain international recognition, and those whose artistic paths were cut short by the oppression of political systems. Some maintained their creative freedom only within the confines of their studios, while others chose emigration, achieving success at the cost of the hardships of life abroad.

The exhibition intertwines themes of the carefree avant-garde, the distinctively Romanian sense of absurdity and grotesque, with subjects of violence and oppression that often became daily experiences. From surrealism as an escape from reality to „râsu-plânsul” – the characteristic laughter through tears – the exhibition illustrates how art helped to grapple with the struggles of everyday life and to find meaning even in the most tragic events.

The exhibition will also highlight contemporary Romanian artists who, while earning international acclaim, continue to confront the shadow of the 20th century, which, contrary to predictions, did not turn out to be short.

To deepen the narrative about Romania’s history and culture, a comprehensive publication will accompany the exhibition. The book, published in a bilingual Polish-English edition, includes essays by renowned intellectuals and scholars such as Adrian Babeți, Kazimierz Jurczak, Jakub Kornhauser, Diana Marincu, Frances Morris, Horia-Roman Patapievici, Tom Sandquist, and Vladimir Tismăneanu. This publication will provide insights into the exhibited works within a broad historical and cultural context.

The exhibition "One Eye Laughing, the Other Crying. Art From Romania in the Ovidiu Şandor Collection" is a unique opportunity to experience Romanian art in its most authentic, multi-faceted expression.

Exhibition features work by the following artists:

Andreea Anghel, George Apostu, Hans Arp, Ioana Bătrânu, Marius Bercea, Horia Bernea, Ștefan Bertalan, Ion Bîrlădeanu, Constantin Brâncuși, Brassaї, Geta Brătescu, Théodore Brauner, Victor Brauner, André Cadere, Mircea Cantor, Eva Cerbu, Andrei Chintilă, Lena Constante-Brauner, Roman Cotoșman, Chiril Cucu, Horia Damian, Max Ernst, David Farcaș, Harun Farocki, Constantin Flondor, Adrian Ghenie, Marin Gherasim, Bogdan Gîrbovan, Vasile Gorduz, Ion Grigorescu, Jacques Hérold, Isidore Isou, Marcel Janco, Wassily Kandinsky, Gherasim Luca, Ana Lupaș, Victor Man, Tincuța Marin, Max Hermann Maxy, Hortensia Mi Kafchin, Joan Miró, Alex Mirutziu, Florin Mitroi, Gili Mocanu, Herta Müller, Ciprian Mureșan, Paul Neagu, Ioana Nemeș, Mircea Nicolae, Andrei Pandele, Paul Păun, Jules S. Perahim, Dan Perjovschi, Pusha Petrov, Silvia Radu, Lea Rasovszky, Eugen Roșca, Șerban Savu, Arthur Segal, Hedda Sterne, subREAL, Mircea Suciu, Yves Tanguy, Ovidiu Toader, Sergiu Toma, Doru Tulcan, Tristan Tzara, Andrei Ujică, Andra Ursuța

We invite you to the International Cultural Centre in Kraków from 7 March 2025.

Programme policy:
Agata Wąsowska-Pawlik, dr Łukasz Galusek


Curators:
dr Monika Rydiger, dr Łukasz Galusek, dr Ovidiu Şandor


Exhibition design:
Anna Wisz

Exhibition coordinators:
Magdalena Gacek, Karolina Wójcik


Visual identity:
Kuba Sowiński


Translation into English:
Jessica Taylor-Kucia


Proofreading:
Anastazja Oleśkiewicz, Jessica Taylor-Kucia


Installation and execution of the layout:

Art Industry Standard, Emanuel Mróz, Jakub Wójtowicz

Supervising conservator:
Magdalena Ponikowska-Preissen


Lightning and multimedia:
Maciek Bernaś

Cooperation:
Joanna Biegacz, Ewa Czarnecka, Magdalena Grabias, Joanna Hojda-Pepaś, Robert Karwowski, Agata Klejzerowicz, Dorota Korohoda, Daniel Krawczyk, dr Paulina Małochleb, Antoni Michalik, Paulina Orłowska-Bańdo, Marcin Pańtak, Łukasz Pieróg, Anna Sawłowicz, Paulina Semianchuk, Klaudia Słupek, dr Mariusz Soczówka, Julianna Wójcik, Natalia Żak

Polish Sign Language Guide:
Jakub Studziński, Dawid Halota

Audiodescription:
Regina Mynarska, Dawid Górny

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.

Organisers: