Is this plaster wall or brick?

02.03.2022 @ Cristina Stoenescu

What surprised many of the volunteers I worked with on the project was the level of technical knowledge they would not have suspected was so necessary or present in the art world. However, works always need to be curated in a space, there are challenges with the technical possibilities and ideation of an exhibition – sometimes it takes a lot of patience and perseverance, trust in the artistic and the curatorial vision that the installation of the work will achieve what we set out to do.

In the case of the Public Choice Exhibition, we are dealing with the space at Popa Soare 26, a space where history is seen in the way the building has been intervened upon over time: we see layers of concrete, plaster, exposed brick, but also areas where we have deliberately left the walls peeled back to reveal probable traces of wallpaper and decorative murals from the 1930s and 1940s. It is indeed an atypical space for contemporary art, it is not a white cube that a-contextualizes the art it presents, but on the contrary, it invites visitors into an art-home space, an intimate space for reflection and that connects especially to the history of the area and the historic Popa Soare street in Bucharest. 

The visitors who came to see the works for the Public Choice Exhibition have noticed how impactful the exhibition space is, and there is a general appreciation of the historical architecture – I believe that this dimension will count a lot in their return to our exhibitions.