Ghosts – Ciprian Mureşan

As in Czech Republic, communism was in power in Romania for a long time. Although this regime ended in 1989, it left behind a myriad of proletarian sculptures depicting the hard working class and their efforts to rebuild the country after World War II. The unified look of these sculptures, as well as their lifeless faces, beg a question „What were the proletarians thoughts on this? Did they want to be in these sculptures, and would they agree with the overall impression and intention of their presence across the country?“ also „What do Romanian people think of their political agenda?“.

With this work, the artist presents his own interpretation. The installation Ghosts presented in the exhibition at Kunsthalle Praha under the name LOST IN THE MOMENT THAT FOLLOWS. The Ovidiu Șandor Collection depicts the fragility of this idea in a form a proletarian sculpture built from paper. Having placed a camera obscura in his eye, it perfectly presents the “upside down“ opinion of people vs. the ideology of the regime of the time.

As roads to freedom have their slow steps, so does our limited edition. The 29 series of 9 photos capturing the artist’s studio and creative process, the trip to Prague and it’s unveiling in the exhibition. Did someone ask the proletarian what material he wants to be built out of? Did he want to travel to Prague? Is his view completely upside down, or is ours?

Be it as it may, this piece is a must have for all those who lived, it, remember it and never want to forget how fragile peace can be and how important it is to protect our freedom.

Product information

Artist: Ciprian Mureşan
Printing technique: Giclée
Year: 2023
Material: Hahnemühle Photo Rag Baryta 315 gsm
Size: 53,5 × 66,5 cm

Ciprian Mureşan

The Romanian artist reflects on post-Soviet life in his work. He works with various media, but most often with installations, sculpture and drawing. He expresses his sardonic view of the world, which he shaped during his adolescence years during the Romanian Revolution, the subsequent political upheaval and the shaky transition to capitalism. His artistic work is characterized by a critical view and irony, which he uses to comment on the political history of Romania. Ciprian Mureşan is a major figure of the Romanian art scene, with many individual and group exhibitions around the world and his work can be found in public and private collections. He participated in the 53rd Venice Biennale, the Sydney Biennale, exhibited at institutions such as the Centre Pompidou in Paris and the Tate Modern in London, and his work is in the collections of The MOCA Grand Avenue in Los Angeles and the Palais Populaire in Berlin.