Table et Tableau

Arsmonitor, Bucharest, RO

By Maxime Foucquet

July 3, 2024

Arsmonitor in Bucharest presents “Table et Tableau,” a curatorial project and a collective enterprise curated by Silviu Pădurariu that redefines the interaction between viewer and artwork. This exhibition—without artworks but showcasing documents and various objects—runs from June 27 to August 29, 2024, featuring a diverse group of Romanian artists including Grațian Gâldău, Dumitru Gorzo, Ioana Gorzo, Teodor Graur, Nicu Ilfoveanu, Gili Mocanu, Răzvan Neagoe, Radu Pandele, Ilie Pavel, Magdalena Pelmuș, Bogdan Pelmuș, and Mircea Suciu.

“Table et Tableau” explores the hidden aspects of artistic creation, shedding light on the ‘shadow’ of the artist’s process rather than just the final works. This exhibition challenges the traditional exhibition and art experience as a concept by emphasizing the viewer’s role not just as a spectator but as an active participant in the art’s completion. The setup invites attendees to engage directly with a living archive of notes, sketches, and objects, offering insight into the foundation and evolution of each artist’s identity. The show traces the lineage of contemporary art movements in Romania from Ilie Pavel’s symbolic explorations in the 1970s to the postmodern innovations of Teodor Graur in the 1980s and onward to the diverse expressions of the 1990s and 2000s by artists like Grațian Gâldău and Mircea Suciu. This historical sweep is brought into the context of today with newer works by artists such as Ioana Gorzo and Radu Pandele, reflecting the ongoing dynamism of the Romanian art scene.

The exhibition’s title, “Table et Tableau,” is a clever wordplay that hints at the dual role of the display as both a literal table where objects are laid out for examination and a tableau that invites rearrangement and reinterpretation by the viewer. This concept is inspired by Georges Didi-Huberman’s research, which relates archival images and objects to the narrative processes in art history, echoing the methodological approach of Aby Warburg’s Mnemosyne Atlas. “Table et Tableau” not only provides a physical platform for viewing and interacting with artworks but also metaphorically sets the stage for visitors to curate their own experiences and narratives. By breaking down the barriers between the archived and the active, the exhibition empowers viewers to reorder objects and meanings, thus participating in a dynamic dialogue about art and its implications.

For more information, please consult Arsmonitor’s website here.