Mihai Zgondoiu by Uj Kriterion Galeria

A Zgondy-típusú kellően mérsékelt dadaizmus

kombinálódik, s ez egy olyan munkafolyamat, melyben a játékos szándék nyilvánvaló, és az AEÁ és a Szovjetunió közötti nagy küzdelemre, mely először is ideológiai, és csak az után technológiai, egyértelmű utalásokat találunk. Dan Lazea

Hogyan másképp is nézhetne ki a földönkívüliek arca, ha nem úgy, ahogy mindannyian tudjuk, hogy kinéz? Honnan tudjuk? Az már nem is fontos, a lényeg, hogy tudjuk: a fej gyakran nevetségesen nagy, s ez az emberi intelligenciát meghaladó értelem jele, és ovális alakot ölt, hogy ezt az értelmet valahová begyömöszöljék; a szem hatalmas, hosszúkás és sötét, mely készen áll arra, hogy százszor több vizuális információt tároljon, mint mi. A modernitás kollektív képzelete által a humanoid földönkívüliek intelligens életéről konstruált történetek fejlődése szakaszokra osztható: alienek, marslakók, földönkívüliek stb. Mihai Zgondoiu azonban a rövidítést választja. Behunyja a szemét, beindítja az önműködő tollbamondót, és szabadjára engedi a kézizmai mechanikájában rejtőző arcforma memóriáját. Nem tud hibázni. A földönkívüli arcok / a KÍVÜL-arcok már azelőtt ott vannak bennünk, hogy megtanultunk volna olvasni, beépülnek a vizuális memóriába, és elraktározódnak az első Cartoon Network-rajzfilmekkel, az első sci-fikkel, videójátékokkal való találkozás után. A legtöbbször szürkék, de nem ritkán zöldek vagy átlátszók, többé-kevésbé békés szándékokkal érkeztek a Földre, és mi felfedeztük őket, természetesen a jövőben, egy párhuzamos világegyetem ki tudja, milyen redőjén keresztül – a képzeletünket benépesítő földönkívüliek készek arra, hogy napfényre kerüljenek, és körvonalaik legyenek Zgondy kísérletei révén. A vakon ellenőrzött gesztikulálás gyorspróbálása látványos eredményekhez vezet. Zgondy KÍVÜL-arcai nemcsak azért hasznosak, mert dokumentálják annak a műteremnek a munkáját, melyet később olyan kidolgozott művek hagynak el, mint a bohémiai porcelánra festett 12 halotti fénykép. Ellenkezőleg, így sorozatba rendezve ezek a rajzok összeforrott benyomást keltenek, és erősítik azt az érzést, hogy a földönkívüli bestiárium nem más, mint bizonyos archetipikus formák variációja, melyek a még mélyebb emlékezetben vannak elvetve. A dadaista kiáltvány, a dadaizmus történetének-tematikájának tanulmányozása segítette Zgondyt, hogy adja át magát a művészet parancsának mint előzetes intellektuális fogadalomnak. A 2012 című könyvtárgy a könyv témáját éppúgy elmélyíti (a könyv mint tudomány, a Szent Könyv stb.), mint ahogy a képregényét is, mely a sci-fi képzelőerő és egyes mikrokultúrák egyfajta fétisévé vált. A jobb oldalon levő tusrajzokat Zgondoiu a bal oldalon egy fényképkollázzsal egészítette ki, és ez meglepő asszociációkat eredményezett, összehangzó formákat, megvilágító erejű egybeeséseket, iróniákat, melyek előítéletek kérődző békéjét zavarják meg. Intelligens és szubverzív, és így Zgondoiu megmutatja, hogy a dadaista kockáztatáson túl tisztában van munkája eredményével. Amúgy az I’m a star-ban, mellyel megnyitotta a KÍVÜL -arcokat 2011 januárjában, a rajz a vászonkollázzsal

KÍVÜL-arcok, avagy a sablon vállalt művészetéről

Mihai Zgondoiu KÍVÜL-arcok címmel elképzelt és elénk tárt projektje csábító és játékos diskurzus a vizuális sablon manipulálásáról és misztifikálásáról. A választott téma egy kiváltképpen emberi konstrukció arról a módozatról, ahogyan a mi képzeletünk megalkotta a Földönkívüli modelljét. Az Ismeretlen, a Földönkívüli a modell-arckép sugárzása révén egy másféle Másikká vált, melyet mi magunk alkottunk, és főleg rajzoltunk, a saját arcképünkre és hasonlóságunkra. A választott kutatási téma, egy földönkívüli arcképtanulmánya, a fikció és a misztifikálás határára térít: hiszen mégiscsak olyan valamit terveztünk, melynek emberi vonásai vannak, másfelől azonban a földönkívüliek ismeretlen arcáról szóló sablonra ráütjük a hitelesség pecsétjét. Így lettünk olyan agycsiholmányok és vizuális konstrukciók mindentudó Alkotói, akik nem tiltakozhatnak az ellen, hogy vizuális öntőformákba és konzumerista sorozatgyártásba ömlesztjük őket, és meg sem védhetik magukat a Szerző-Alkotó egotikus és emberi inváziói ellen. Egy ilyen szerű vizuális konstrukció metamorfózisai ugyanannak az elképzelt spiritus locinak a galériáiba vezetnek akkor, ha olyan művészek képeire gondolunk, mint Hans Rudolf Geiger vagy Leo Garcia, vagy akkor, ha olyanokéra, mint most a Mihai Zgondoiu földönkívüliek „újraolvasására” tett kísérlete. Az első olyan munkáktól, melyeket a 2011-es KÍVÜL-arcokban adott közre, melyeket a street-art kategóriájába sorolt, és amelyeket az ausztriai Linzben levő műtermében festett, át a graffiti-sorozaton, melyet a szerbiai Zrenjanin város Museum of Destruction-ja számára készített, és a több száz füzeten és mappán, melyek a rengeteg skiccet és vázlatot tartalmazzák, munkamódszere és technikája a vizuális sablon címkéje alá tartozik: művei tagek, paste-up-ok, stencilek, street inventions, kollázsok vagy egyszerű filcrajzok. Ezek fölött a technikák fölött Zgondy újra értelmet ad a sablonnak egy másik sablon által! Ha bármi, amit a Természet embere alkot, Kultúrává válhat, akkor elképzelhetjük, hogy minden, amit Mihai Zgondoiu hozzáad a földönkíüliek arcképéhez, az Saját magunk keresésének és újra megtalálásának arcképévé válhat! De mi van, ha Zgondy maga is földönkívüli? Dan Mircea Cipariu, író, művészeti szakíró Fordította Demény Péter

Dadaismul bine temperat. De tip Zgondy

intenția ludică e evidentă, iar referirile la marea bătălie, ideologică înainte de a fi tehnologică, între SUA și URSS pentru cucerirea spațiului cosmic sunt explicite. Dan Lazea

Cum altfel ar putea să arate fețele extratereștrilor decât așa cum cu toții știm că arată? De unde știm? Nici nu mai contează de unde, știm: capul - de multe ori caraghios de mare, semn al unei inteligențe superioare rasei umane - devenind ovoidal pentru a putea adăposti o materie cenușie pe măsura inteligenței; ochii imenși, alungiți și întunecați, gata să absoarbă de o sută de ori mai multă informație vizuală decât noi. Se pot reconstitui etapele poveștii construite de imaginarul colectiv al modernității în jurul vieții inteligente extraterestre cu înfățișare umanoidă - aliens, marțieni, extratereștri etc. Mihai Zgondoiu o ia însă pe scurtătură. Își închide ochii, declanșează dicteul automat și eliberează memoria unei forme faciale depozitate în mecanica mușchilor mâinii care desenează. Nu are cum să greșească. Fețele extraterestre / Extra-Fețele sunt deja prezente în noi dinainte de a învăța să citim, se impregnează în memoria vizuală și se depozitează acolo de la primul contact cu lumea Cartoon Network, filmele SF, video games etc. Cel mai adesea gri închis dar nu de puține ori verzi sau străvezii, veniți pe Pământ cu intenții mai mult sau mai puțin pașnice sau descoperiți de noi, evident în viitor, prin cine mai știe ce pliu al unui univers paralel, extratereștrii care ne populează imaginația sunt pregătiți să iasă la lumină și să prindă contur în exercițiile lui Zgondy. Repetiția pe repede înainte a unei gesticulații controlate în blind produce rezultate spectaculoase. EXTRA-Fețele lui Zgondy sunt utile nu doar pentru că documentează laboratorul din care ies apoi lucrări mai elaborate ca proces de producere precum seria de 12 obiecte tip fotografie funerară pe ceramică de Boemia. Dimpotrivă, puse una lângă alta, înseriate, aceste desene stau închegat împreună și întăresc senzația că bestiarul extraterestru nu este decât o variație a unor forme arhetipale pe care le avem sedimentate într-o memorie încă și mai adâncă. Frecventarea manifestului/istoriei/tematicii Dada l-a ajutat pe Zgondy să fie complet relaxat în fața imperativului artei ca proiecție vizuală a unui angajament intelectual prealabil. Cartea-obiect “2012” revizitează atât tema Cărții (sapiențiale, Marea Carte etc.), cât și cea a benzii desenate devenită un fel de fetiș al exprimării imaginației SF în anumite micro-culturi. Desenelor în tuș de pe pagina dreaptă, Zgondoiu le-a adăugat un colaj fotografic pe pagina stângă, rezultând asocieri surprinzătoare, forme care se îngână, coincidențe care frapează, ironii care deranjează prejudecăți. Inteligent și subversiv, Zgondy ne arată că, dincolo de hazardul dadaist, rămâne conștient de rezultatul produs. De altfel, în "I'm a star”, cu care a și deschis seria EXTRAfaces în ianuarie 2011, desenul se combină cu colajul pe pânză într-o lucrare unde

EXTRAfețe sau despre artele asumate ale şablonului

Proiectul „EXTRAfaces”, imaginat și propus de Mihai Zgondoiu, este un discurs seducător și ludic despre manipularea și mistificarea prin șablonul vizual. Tema aleasă este aceea a unui construct eminamente uman despre felul în care imaginarul nostru a creat o matriţă a Extraterestrului. Necunoscutul, Extraterestrul, a devenit, prin puterea iradiantă a portretului-matriţă, un altfel de Celălalt, creat și, mai cu seamă, desenat de către noi, după chipul și asemănarea noastră. Tema de cercetare aleasă, studiul de portret al unui extraterestru, ne plasează la graniţa dintre ficţiune, modul în care am proiectat o imagine ce are în tiparul său ceva, totuși, uman, și mistificare, prin faptul că acredităm unei posibile autenticităţi o imagine șablon despre feţele neștiute ale extratereștrilor. Am devenit, astfel, Creatorii omniscienţi de plăsmuiri și de construcţii vizuale care nici nu pot protesta că sunt încadrate în matriţe vizuale și într-o serialitate consumeristă, nici nu se pot apăra de invaziile egotice și omenești ale Autorului-Creator. Metamorfozele unui astfel de construct vizual ne conduc în galeriile aceluiași imaginat spiritus loci, fie că avem în minte opere semnate de Hans Rudolf Giger sau Leo Garcia, fie că avem, acum, iată, această re-citire a extraterestrului propusă de Mihai Zgondoiu. De la primele sale lucrări pe tema „EXTRAfaces”, din 2011, catalogate drept intervenţii street art și pe care Zgondy le-a realizat în rezidenţa sa artistică din Linz, Austria, trecând printr-o serie de graffiti-uri făcute la “Museum of Destruction” din localitatea Zrenjanin Serbia, până la caietele și mapele sale cu zeci de schițe și însemnări, tehnicile sale de lucru sunt asumate din artele șablonului vizual, fie că e vorba de tag-uri, paste-up-uri, stenci-uri, street interventions, colaje sau de simple desene în marker. Peste aceste tehnici, Zgondy are vocaţia de a re-semantiza șablonul printr-un alt șablon! Dacă tot ceea ce adaugă omul Naturii poate deveni Cultură, tot așa ne putem închipui că tot ceea ce adaugă Mihai Zgondoiu naturii extraterestre poate deveni portretul în evantai al căutării și al (re)găsirii de Sine! Dar ce ne facem dacă Zgondy e un extraterestru? Dan Mircea Cipariu, scriitor & comentator de artă

Face. The Final Frontier I, 2016 black marker & white wax pastel on paper, 24 x 35 cm

Well-Tempered Dadaism. The Zgondy type

What else can an extraterrestrial’s face look like than the way we all know it does? How do we know it? It doesn’t actually matter how we know it: the head – often ridiculously big, a sign of an intelligence superior to humans – has gained an ovoid shape capable of enclosing sufficient grey matter to sustain this level of intelligence; huge, elongated, dark eyes ready to absorb a hundred times more visual information than we do. One can reconstruct the stages of the story nourished by the collective imagination of modernity, created around intelligent extraterrestrial forms of life with humanoid features – aliens, Martians, extraterrestrials, etc. Yet, Mihai Zgondoiu takes a shortcut. He closes his eyes, turns on the subconscious in his mind, and discharges from his memory a facial shape deposited in the muscular mechanics of his drawing hand. He cannot make a mistake. The extraterrestrial faces/Extra-Faces have been present in our minds since before we could read, they have been printed and deposited in our visual memory since our first encounter with the world of Cartoon Network, sci-fi films, video games, etc. Usually of dark grey colour, but often appearing in green, translucent or shiny looks, as well, coming to the Earth with more or less peaceful intentions, or will be discovered by us in who knows which nook of a parallel universe in the future, the extraterrestrials populating our imagination are ready to come to light and take shape in Zgondy’s sketches. In blind fast forward repetition of a controlled gesture produces spectacular results. Zgondy’s EXTRA-Faces are useful not only for documenting the laboratory where more elaborated artworks, such as the 12-piece series of funerary photographtype Bohemian ceramic items, are created. To the contrary, placed in sequence, next to each other, it becomes obvious that these drawings share a common concept reiterating the feeling that the extraterrestrial bestiary is nothing else than a variation of archetypical forms deposited in an even deeper layer of human memory. Studying the Dada manifesto/history/topics helped Zgondy keep his cool when facing the demands of art as a visual projection of a previous intellectual commitment. The ObjectBook “2012” revisits both the topic of the Book (the Sapiential Book, Holly Book, etc.) and that of the comics, which, in certain micro-cultures, have become a fetish as far as the expression of imagination in the domain of sci-fi is concerned. The tint drawings presented on the right hand side pages of the book appear together with photographic collages on the left pages, which yield surprising associations, intertwining shapes, shocking coincidences, ironies that question a number of prejudices. In his intelligent and subversive approach Zgondy shows us that, beyond the Dadaist hazard, he remains aware of the result produced. In “I’m a star”, which opened

the EXTRAfaces series in January 2011, drawing is combined with collage on canvas resulting in a work of art with evident ludic intentions and explicit allusions to the space race – first ideological, then technological – between the USA and the USSR. Dan Lazea

EXTRAfaces or Commitment to Pattern Arts

Imagined and proposed by Mihai Zgondiu, the “EXTRAfaces” project is a seducing and ludic discourse on manipulation and mystification through visual patterns. The topic chosen is the human construct, the mold of the Extraterrestrial created by our imagination. Owing to the emanating power of the mold-portrait, the Unknown, the Extraterrestrial has become a different Other created, or, better said, drawn by us in our own image and likeness. The chosen research topic, the portrait study of the alien, takes us to the boundary between fiction, the way we have designed an image which has, in its very essence, something human, and mystification, due to the fact that a possible authenticity is matched to a pattern-image of the unknown alien face. Thus, we have become omniscient Creators of visual constructions that can neither protest against being included in visual molds and in a consumerist seriality, nor can defend themselves against the Actor-Creator’s egotist and typically human invasions. The metamorphoses of a visual construct of this kind lead us to the galleries of the same imaginary spiritus loci, regardless of whether we have in mind Hans Rudolf Giger or Leo Garcia’s artworks or we encounter, as we do now, the re-interpretation of the extraterrestrial proposed by Mihai Zgondoiu. From his first works on the topic of “EXTRAfaces” created in his artistic residence in the Austrian city of Linz in 2011, which are referred to as street art interventions, through a series of graffiti made at the “Museum of Destruction” in Zrenajnin, Serbia, to the notebooks and folders full of sketches and notes, all his techniques are borrowed from the visual pattern arts such as tags, paste ups, stencils, street interventions, collages or simply drawings in marker. Beyond these techniques, Zgondy has the vocation of re-semantising the patterns by applying another pattern on them. If all that Man adds to Nature can become Culture, we can also imagine that all that Mihai Zgondoiu adds to the extraterrestrial nature can turn into the comprehensive portrait of the quest and finding of the Self! But what will become of us if Zgondy is an extraterrestrial? Dan Mircea Cipariu, writer and art commentator Translated by: Kémenes Árpád

Face. The Final Frontier II, 2016 black marker & white wax pastel on paper, 24 x 35 cm

The year of 2012, 2012 artbook â&#x20AC;&#x201C; ink drawing & collage on paper, 15 x 21 cm

Untitled, 2016 mixed technique on paper, 24 x 35 cm

2012 artbook, 2012 ink drawing & collage on paper, 15 x 21 cm

I'm a Star, 2013 spray drawing on the wall, Museum of Destruction, Zrenjanin, Serbia

Untitled, 2013, ink on paper, 25 x 32 cm Untitled, 2013, ink on paper, 25 x 32 cm

I'm a Star, 2013 / paste-up on the wall, Ciclop Parking, Bucharest (RO) Untitled, 2013 / ink, black wax pastel, acrylic on paper, 25 x 32 cm

Untitled, 2013 paper object, underground Catholic Church St. Maria, Sibiu (RO)

Untitled, 2014, ink on printed paper, 12 x 20 cm Untitled, 2014, ink on printed paper, 12 x 20 cm

Untitled, 2014, ink on printed paper, 12 x 20 cm

Untitled, 2014, ink on printed paper, 16 x 24 cm Untitled, 2014, ink on printed paper, 16 x 24 cm

Untitled, 2014, ink on printed paper, 16 x 24 cm

The Host, 2016, ink & acrilic on plate paper, 20 x 26 cm

Untitled, 2011, mixed technique on paper, 25 x 35 cm Untitled, 2011, mixed technique on paper, 25 x 35 cm

I'm a Star, 2011, mixed technique on canvas, 33 x 41 cm

Mihai Zgondoiu

(b. 1982) www.mihaizgondoiu.ro Is a visual artist, university assistant Ph.D. at UNA (National University of Arts Bucharest, Design Department), initiator and the coordinator of the Atelier 030202 Gallery – a contemporary art space in Bucharest and co-curator of geamMAT Gallery, part of the Art Museum in Timișoara (2012-2014), co-curator at Atelier în tranziție (English: Studio in transition) between 20092013, graphic designer at the Comedy Theatre in Bucharest (since 2005). Member of the Artists Union in Romania (since 2006). Mihai Zgondoiu easily oscillates between experimental and traditional, approaching a wide range of styles and techniques with his artwork from drawing, collage, print, all the way to video-installations, action-performance and urban art. The most recent exhibitions/solo projects are: New Wall / Calina Gallery – Timișoara 2017

He also participated in RERE.

Dada Brancusi / MB-XL Gallery – Bruxelles, 2016 & Galateca Gallery – Bucharest 2017

Overriding Design with Art and Vice-Versa – Vienna Design Week 2016

The Artist’s Golden Hand / FivePlus Gallery – Viena, 2014 & Aiurart Gallery – Bucharest, 2013

DADADA - Media Art Festival – Museum of Art-Arad 2016, Transformation – Muzeul Beelden Aan Zee, Haga 2014

Lenin’s Sleep / Free Press Square - Bucharest, 2011

BB6 (Bucharest International Biennial for Contemporary Art 2014

The Red Line / the National Dance Center of Dance in Bucharest, 2001 The Red Carpet / the Schlooss Museum courtyard – Linz, Austria, 2011 Freedom as Visual Pattern / Hampden Gallery - Incubator Art Space, Amherst, Massachusetts USA, 2010 Me Matrix / Calina Gallery – Timișoara, 2009 Me / Contemporary Art Gallery of the Brukenthal Museum – Sibiu, 2008

IEEB4 & IEEB7 (International Experimental Engraving Biennial, 2010, 2016) Now Art Now Future (The International Biennial of print – Vilnius, 2008) His artworks being part of private and state collections: Art collection Luciano Benetton (IT), Alain Servais Collection (BE), Avium Art Collection (RO), Daniel Stefanica Art Collection (RO), Nasui Art Collection (RO), Herczeg Art Collection (RO), Calina Art Collection (RO).

Untitled, 2014, black marker on paper, 21 x 29,5 cm Untitled, 2014, black marker on paper, 21 x 29,5 cm

Untitled, 2014, black marker on paper, 21 x 29,5 cm Untitled, 2014, black marker on paper, 21 x 29,5 cm Untitled, 2014, black marker on paper, 21 x 29,5 cm Untitled, 2014, black marker on paper, 21 x 29,5 cm