[spectre] Bucharest, National Museum of Contemporary Art

[Andreas Broeckmann]

From: "Ruxandra Balaci" <ruxandra.balaci at artexpo.ro>
Subject: Press release MNAC
Date: Tue, 19 Oct 2004 15:06:17 +0300



Scroll down for English

Comunicat de presa / Press Release



Inaugurarea Muzeului National de Arta Contemporana

in aripa E4 din Palatul Parlamentului

29 octombrie 2004, ora 19.00



The official opening of the National Museum of Contemporary Art, Bucharest

in the Palace of Parliament ö wing E4, October 29, 2004







Inaugurarea Muzeului National de Arta Contemporana in spatiul din 
Palatul Parlamentului reprezinta un proiect de o anvergura fara 
precedent in istoria recenta a artelor vizuale din Romania. Acest 
eveniment poate contribui intr-o masura semnificativa la o 
mediatizare pozitiva a imaginii Romaniei in plan international. 
Locatia MNAC in Palatul Parlamentului constituie un proiect 
provocator pentru artisti, curatori, critici de arta, oferind ocazia 
transformarii acestui edificiu intr-un spatiu al dinamicii ideilor si 
al dialogului international prin dezvoltarea parteneriatelor cu 
institutii similare din lume.



Structura organizationala va fi formata din artisti si specialisti 
activi in mediul local si international. Un aspect important in 
activitatea MNAC il reprezinta normalizarea unei situatii deficitare 
din arta contemporana romaneasca, de emergenta artei romanesti pe 
scena internationala,legata de circulatia artistilor si curatorilor, 
precum si de adaptarea sistemului de achizitii si al pietei de arta 
locale in sistem international. Strategia culturala a MNAC mizeaza pe 
interesul tot mai mare al generatiilor tinere pentru arta 
contemporana, pe integrarea acestor noi energii din viata culturala 
romaneasca.



In contextul actual, deschiderea unui muzeu de arta contemporana ö 
care ar putea deveni una dintre cele mai importante institutii de 
acest gen din Estul Europei ö va avea un ecou puternic in presa 
europeana, in special datorita prezentei la deschiderea muzeului a 
unor artisti importanti si invitati de marca din mediul artistic 
occidental ö curatori si directori ai unor muzee prestigioase, 
jurnalisti straini specializati.



Pentru mai multe informatii accesati: <http://www.mnac.ro/>www.mnac.ro



Trebuie mentionata formarea, in premiera in Romania, a unui board 
international alcatuit din reprezentanti ai unor institutii si 
publicatii de elita din lume:



Ami Barak ö Paris, curator, Presedinte IKT (International Association 
of Curators of Contemporary Art)

RenŽ Block ö Director Kunsthalle Fridericianum, Kassel

Nicolas Bourriaud ö Co-Director Palais de Tokyo, Paris

Heiner Holtappels ö Director Royal Netherlands Media Art Institute - 
Montevideo Time Based Arts, Amsterdam

Anders Kreuger ö curator independent, ex-Director Nordic Institute 
for Contemporary Art, Stockholm

Enrico Lunghi ö Director Casino Luxembourg, Forum d'Art Contemporain, Luxemburg

Catherine Millet ö Director Artpress, Paris



Noua locatie va fi inaugurata in prezenta artistilor, curatorilor si 
directorilor de muzee implicati in proiectele mentionate mai jos, dar 
si a altor membri importanti ai comunitatii artistice internationale 
care, datorita conceptului viabil propus, si-au exprimat interesul 
pentru arta contemporana romaneasca, intentionind sa o sprijine in 
viitorul apropiat in proiecte comune.



ãDorim ca muzeul sa fie un deschizator de dialog, un spatiu viu,

maleabil si polemic in acelasi timp, un ferment si nu doar un spatiu 
constatativ.ä

Mihai Oroveanu



ã MNAC va fi un work in progress, un loc animat de o retea  
intelectuala in care Estul si Vestul sint parteneri macar la nivelul 
ideilor, un laborator deschis cercetarii in domeniul vizualului.ä

Ruxandra Balaci

Inaugurarea Muzeului National de Arta Contemporana

in aripa E4 din Palatul Parlamentului,  29 octombrie 2004





Programul inaugurarii

29 Octombrie: Aripa E4 Palatul Parlamentului, Calea 13 Septembrie.

17:00 Conferinta internationala de presa / Dezbatere: Cum arata un 
Muzeu de Arta Contemporana in secolul 21? organizat impreuna cu 
Ambasada Frantei la Bucuresti, Institutul Francez din Bucuresti si 
AFAA, in prezenta curatorilor, artistilor invitati si a jurnalistilor 
acreditati. (Pentru acreditarile de presa: Excelsa Exarhu, tel. 
0745114411 si Doina Anghel : 3111026)

Participanti:

Ruxandra Balaci, Director Stiintific MNAC

RenŽ Block, Director Kunsthalle Fridericianum, Kassel

Laurence BossŽ, Curator, MusŽe dâArt Moderne de la Ville de Paris

Nicolas Bourriaud, Co-Director Palais de Tokyo, Paris

E.S. Philippe Etienne, Ambasadorul Frantei la Bucuresti

Razvan Exarhu, Director Ex Aequo

Heiner Holtappels, Director Netherlands Media Art Institute - 
Montevideo Time Based Arts, Amsterdam

Anders Kreuger, Curator independent, Stockholm

Enrico Lunghi, Director Casino Luxembourg, Forum dâArt Contemporain

Hans Ulrich Obrist, Curator, MusŽe dâArt Moderne de la Ville de Paris

Mihai Oroveanu, Director General MNAC

Suzanne PagŽ, Director MusŽe dâArt Moderne de la Ville de Paris (de confirmat)

Raluca Velisar (Sef Departament Curatoriat-Cercetare, MNAC)

19:00 Deschiderea oficiala a Muzeului National de Arta Contemporana 
in prezenta Primului Ministru Adrian Nastase, a Ministrului Culturii 
si Cultelor, Razvan Theodorescu, a E.S. Philippe Etienne, Ambasadorul 
Frantei la Bucuresti si a E.S. Jesus Atienza Serna, Ambasadorul 
Spaniei la Bucuresti

21:00 Party night

Expozitii:



Romanian artists (and not only) love Ceausescuâs Palace?!



Artisti: Irina Botea, Christoph BŸchel, Jordi Colomer, Nicolae 
Comanescu, Stefan Cosma, Alexandra Croitoru, Josef Dabernig, Calin 
Dan, Suzana Dan, Euroartist Bucuresti, Casa Gontz, Gorzo, Teodor 
Graur, Ion Grigorescu, Karen Kipphoff, Iosif Kiraly, Peter Jacobi, 
Dan Mihaltianu, Gianni Motti, Vlad Nanca, Marilena Preda-Sanc, 
Cristian Pogacean, Cristi Puiu, subREAL, Mona Vatamanu & Florin Tudor.

Curator: Ruxandra Balaci



Palatul lui Ceausescu sau Casa Poporului a generat o serie de 
metafore, mituri si reactii care se regasesc in lucrari de arta. 
Expozitia reuneste aceste opinii artistice cu privire la problemele 
politice, sociale, etice si arhitecturale legate de cladirea care 
adaposteste noul muzeu. Interogind istoria si simbolismul 
edificiului, expozitia angajeaza privitorul-participant intr-un 
dialog cu privire la conditia post-comunista, adunind reactiile ö 
metaforice, ironice ö ale unor artisti importanti din Romania si 
strainatate la mutatiile simbolice prin care a trecut edificiul in 
istoria noastra recenta, de la o expresie a dictaturii megalomane la 
posibila lui exorcizare ö devenind speram un spatiu pentru exercitiul 
gindirii libere.



CamŽra / MusŽe dâArt Moderne de la Ville de Paris



Artisti: Yung Ho Chang, Jian Wei Wang, Fudong Yang

Curatori: Hans Ulrich Obrist, Vivian Rehberg



Colaborarea dintre cei doi artisti video Jian Wei Wang, Fudong Yang 
si arhitectul Yung Ho Chang reflecta practici artistice curente din 
China contemporana. Aparate producatore de imagini precum Îcamereleâ 
Leica, Nikon, Polaroid si Seagull sint reasamblate din metal, lemn, 
plastic si hirtie, transformate astfel in spatii de reflectie. Acesta 
alternativa la explozia urbanistica si economica a Chinei este o 
forma de Îmicro-urbanismâ (Yung Ho Chang), mult mai adaptata 
situatiei istorice, sociale si ecologice care rezulta din relatia 
dintre economie si puterea politica.     

   

Stock Zero (opera)



Artisti: Boris Achour, Mircea Cantor, Plamen Dejanoff, Kendell Geers, 
Bertrand Lavier, Franck Scurti.

Curator: Nicolas Bourriaud, Co-Director Palais de Tokyo, Paris



Stock Zero urmareste prin intermediul unor artisti de prima mina ai 
scenei pariziene actuale relatiile dintre capital, sistemul artei si 
puterea politica. 

"Epoca noastra nu este lipsita de proiect politic, dar asteapta 
formele care sa-l incarneze, sa-l materializeze. Pentru ca forma 
produce sau modeleaz sensul, il orienteaza, il repercuteaza in viata 
cotidiana. Cultura revolutionara a creat sau a popularizat mai multe 
tipuri de socialitate: adunarea (sovietele, agora), greva japoneza, 
manifestatia, protestul si declinarile lui vizuale (banderola, 
manifestul, moduri particulare de organizare a spatiului etc.) Sub ce 
cuvint de ordine ar putea imaginile sa defileze, astazi? Care este 
rolul lor in construirea naratiunii realitatiiâ? (Nicolas Bourriaud, 
in libretto-ul Stock Zero)



Under Destruction #1



Artisti: Christoph BŸchel, Gianni Motti 

Curator: Mihnea Mircan



Primul episod dintr-o serie de interventii site-specific in locatia 
MNAC din Palatului Parlamentului, care angajeaza istoria complicata a 
cladirii, precum si dialogul dintre arta contemporana si societate.



Paul Neagu ö Horia Bernea, Experiente timpurii



Curator: Mihai Oroveanu

Expozitia ia in discutie o colaborare amicala si un exemplu de 
practica experimentala remarcabila. Ea izoleaza o serie de lucrari 
din anii â60 si â70, propunind un raspuns la intrebarea privitoare la 
libertate artistica aflata in contrast marcant cu productia oficiala 
a epocii, in genere redusa la un Îsuprarealism socialistâ.     



30 octombrie: Eveniment conex: Galeria 3/4 Blvd. Balcescu 2

17: 00 Deschiderea expozitiei Catalˆ-Roca, Barcelona / Madrid in anii 
Î50, MNCARS (Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofia, Madrid), 
Institutul Cervantes

Curatori: Juan Manuel Bonet, AndrŽs Trapiello.

17:30 Masa rotunda Virtuale evolutii paralele, sub egida Ambasadei 
Spaniei la Bucuresti si a Institutului Cervantes din Bucuresti.
Participanti: Juan Manuel Bonet, Stefan Ghenciulescu, Alex Leo Serban.









MNAC este partener al

Programului HP pentru Excelenta in Arta si Stiinta



Scopul Programului HP pentru Excelenta in Arta si Stiinta, demarat in 
anul 2000, este promovarea integrarii tehnologiei in Crearea, 
Conservarea si Recunoasterea Artei.

Au fost cooptate in acest proiect o seama din cele mai inovative 
grupari si personalitati artistice din muzee si galerii, universitati 
de design si arta. De asemenea, pentru o solida fundamentare 
stiintifica, au fost implicate in proiect cateva dintre cele mai 
reputate universitati tehnice din Europa.  Pornind de la cele mai noi 
tehnologii IT, Print si Vizuale de la HP, rezultatul acestei 
cooperari s-a materializat intr-o serie de proiecte care au stabilit 
noi granite pentru ceea ce poate fi posibil intr-un domeniu vast, 
aflat in continua expansiune, al creatiei artistice.

HP a incheiat parteneriate privilegiate cu National Gallery, Londra 
si cu French Central Museums Research group (C2RMF) din Louvre, Paris.

Programul HP Excelenta in Arta & Stiinta s-a dezvoltat in prezent in 
doua directii distincte dar complementare continuind sa colaboreze cu 
cele mai inovative muzee partenere, printre care Muzeul National de 
Arta Contemporana din Bucuresti, Pinacoteca di Brera din Milano si 
Muzeul de Arte Frumoase din Budapesta.



Evenimentul a fost realizat cu sprijinul:

Guvernul Rom‰niei

Ministerul Culturii si Cultelor, Ministre Franais de la Culture et 
de la Communication, l'Ambassade de France ˆ Bucarest, AFAA / 
L'Association franaise d'action artistique, L'Institut Franais de 
Bucharest, Hewlett Packard, BRD - Groupe SociŽtŽ GŽnŽrale, Forumul 
Cultural Austriac, ARC / MusŽe d'Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris, 
Paris MusŽe, Galerie Michel Rein Paris, British Council Bucharest, 
Muzeul Na]ional de Art` al Rom'niei, Museo Nacional Centro de Arte 
Reina Sofia Madrid.

JW Marriott Bucharest Grand Hotel, Parliament Hotel, Crowne Plaza 
Bucharest, RNP Direc]ia Silvic` Hunedoara [i Buz`u, Raiffeisen Bank, 
Artexpo Foundation, Microsoft Romania, Centrul de Cultur` "Palatele 
Br‰ncovene[ti de la Por]ile Bucure[tiului", Instituto Cervantes en 
Bucarest, Arhitectura, Headvertising, Air France, Ex aequo, Swiss 
International Air Lines, Malev, Microsoft, Giotto Advertising, 
British Council, Stefanica, Dutu & Partners, Tura Foundation, Casa 
Cafe, Alcovin Macin, H'Art Gallery Bucharest





ENGLISH



The opening of the National Museum of Contemporary Art (MNAC) in the 
new location of the Palace of Parliament is a project of 
unprecedented amplitude in the recent history of Romanian visual 
arts. This event can contribute to a significant extent to the 
advancement of Romanian contemporary art on the international scene. 
The MNAC location in the Palace of Parliament represents a challenge 
for artists, curators, and art critics, as well as an opportunity to 
transform this edifice into a space for international dialogue 
through the development of partnerships with similar institutions 
worldwide.



The MNAC team and collaborators are artists and professionals active 
in the local and international milieu. An important aspect of their 
work consists in trying to bring Romanian contemporary art closer to 
the international scene, to devise new patterns for the exchange of 
ideas and creative resources, to improve the acquisition policy of 
the museum and to encourage the establishment of a functional art 
market. The cultural strategy of MNAC relies on the growing interest 
of young generations for contemporary art, seeking to integrate these 
new energies in a profitable dialogue on art and society.

In the current European context, the opening of a contemporary art 
museum ö which could become one of the most important institutions of 
this type in Eastern Europe ö will represent a real advantage for the 
European integration of Romania. The powerful echo the inauguration 
could have in the international press, especially due to the presence 
at the opening of the museum of remarkable personalities from the 
international scene - artists, curators and directors of prestigious 
museums, art journalists ö could contribute to promote the image of 
Romanian contemporary art in a European context.

It is essential to note the establishment of the MNAC international 
advisory board. It is for the first time that a Romanian institution 
enlists the support of such esteemed art professionals ö directors of 
important institutions, curators and renowned art critics:



Ami Barak - curator, President IKT, Paris

RenŽ Block - Director Kunsthalle Fridericianum, Kassel

Nicolas Bourriaud ö Co-Director Palais de Tokyo, Paris

Heiner Holtappels ö Director Netherlands Media Art Institute - 
Montevideo Time Based Arts, Amsterdam

Anders Kreuger ö Free lance curator, former Director of NIFCA, Stockholm

Enrico Lunghi  - Director Casino Luxembourg, Forum d'Art Contemporain

Catherine Millet - Director Artpress, Paris



The new location will be inaugurated in the presence of the artists, 
curators and museum directors involved in the projects described 
below, as well as of other important members of the international 
artistic community who, because of the viable concept on which MNAC 
is based, have expressed their interest in Romanian contemporary art, 
intending to support it through common projects in the near future.



ãWe want the museum to be a catalyst for debate, a living space, 
flexible and polemical at the same time, a ferment and not only a 
space for art-historical hindsight.ä

Mihai Oroveanu, General Director MNAC



ãMNAC will be an institutional work in progress, a place built on the 
East-West intellectual partnership, an open laboratory for visual 
research.ä

Ruxandra Balaci, Artistic Director MNAC



For more infos about MNAC, please visit <http://www.mnac.ro/>www.mnac.ro



Opening Program

October 29: Wing E4, Palace of Parliament, access Calea 13 Septembrie.

17.00 International Press conference / debate: How should a Museum of 
Contemporary art look in the 21st century? organized by MNAC with 
Ambassade de France ˆ Bucarest, Institut Franais de Bucarest and 
AFAA, in the presence of curators, invited artists, members of the 
board and the accredited journalists. (For press accreditations 
please call Mrs. Excelsa Exarhu: 0040745114411 and Mrs. Doina Anghel: 
0040213111026)

Participants: Ruxandra Balaci (Artistic Director MNAC), RenŽ Block 
(Director Kunsthalle Fridericianum, Kassel), Laurence BossŽ (Curator, 
MusŽe dâArt Moderne de la Ville de Paris, Nicolas Bourriaud 
(Co-Director Palais de Tokyo, Paris), ES Philippe Etienne (French 
Ambassadeur in Bucharest); Razvan Exarhu, Director Ex aequo), Heiner 
Holtappels (Director Netherlands Media Art Institute - Montevideo 
Time Based Arts, Amsterdam), Anders Kreuger (Independent curator, 
Stockholm), Enrico Lunghi (Director Casino Luxembourg, Forum d'Art 
Contemporain), Hans Ulrich Obrist (Curator, MusŽe dâArt Moderne de la 
Ville de Paris), Mihai Oroveanu (General Director MNAC), Suzanne PagŽ 
(Director MusŽe dâArt Moderne de la Ville de Paris) - to be 
confirmed, Raluca Velisar (head dept. New Media MNAC).

19.00 Opening ceremony.

21.00 Party night



Exhibitions and projects in the inauguration program:



Romanian artist (and not only) love Ceausescuâs Palace?!

Artists: Irina Botea, Christoph BŸchel, Jordi Colomer, Nicolae 
Comanescu, Stefan Cosma, Alexandra Croitoru, Josef Dabernig, Calin 
Dan, Suzana Dan, Euroartist Bucures¸ti, Daniel Gontz, Dumitru Gorzo, 
Teodor Graur, Ion Grigorescu, Karen Kipphoff, Iosif Kiraly, Peter 
Jacobi, Dan Mihaltianu, Gianni Motti, Vlad Nanca, Marilena 
Preda-S‰nc, Cristian Pogacean, Cristi Puiu, subREAL, Mona Vatamanu & 
Florin Tudor.

Curator: Ruxandra Balaci.



From its inception in the Î80s Ceausescuâs Palace/House of the People 
and the major urban displacement it produced have generated a series 
of metaphors, myths and reactions. These in turn informed a wide 
range of artworks relating to the building. This exhibition finally 
gathers all these artistic and cultural opinions to the social, 
ethical, architectural questions concerning the building hosting the 
new Museum. Interrogating the history and shifting symbolism of the 
edifice, the exhibition engages the viewer-participant in a dialogue 
about the post-communist condition.





CamŽra / travelling exhibition from MusŽe d'Art Moderne de la Ville 
de 
Paris.                                                                     

Artists: Chang Yung Ho, Wang Jian Wei, Yang Fudong

Curators: Hans Ulrich Obrist, Vivian Rehberg



The collaboration between the two video-artists Jian Wei Wang and 
Fudong Yang and the architect Yung Ho Chang is a reflection of 
current art practices in China. Image-producing devices such as the 
Leica, Nikon, Polaroid and Seagull cameras are reassembled out of 
metal, wood, plastics and paper into habitable spaces of reflection. 
This alternative to the new unplanned Chinese construction boom is a 
form of Îmicro-urbanismâ (a term coined by Yung Ho Chang), attuned to 
the current historical, social and ecological issues stemming out of 
the relationship between market economy and political power.         





Stock Zero (opera)

Artists: Boris Achour, Mircea Cantor, Plamen Dejanoff, Kendell Geers, 
Bertrand Lavier, Franck Scurti.
Curator: Nicolas Bourriaud, Co-Director Palais de Tokyo, 
Paris                                                                                    

   

Stock Zero follows the operatic moves and exchanges between Capital, 
the art system and political power.

ãOur epoch does not lack a political project, but is waiting for the 
forms to incarnate and materialize it. Because form produces or 
models meaning, orients it, and reflects it back onto everyday life. 
Revolutionary culture created and popularized several types of 
sociality: the assembly (the soviets, the agoras), the sit-in, the 
demonstration and its processions, the strike and its visual symbols 
(the bandanna, the manifestos, etc....)

Under what slogan could images parade today? What is their role in 
the construction of the narrative of Îrealityâ? (Nicolas Bourriaud, 
from the Stock Zero libretto)

                                                                                                                             
              



Under Destruction #1

Artists: Christoph BŸchel, Gianni Motti 

Curator: Mihnea 
Mircan                                                                                                                                       



This is the first episode in a series of site-specific interventions 
which address the real and symbolic architecture of the House of the 
People/ Palace of the 
Parliament.                                                                                                       
                                                                    





Bernea and Neagu. Early works.
Curator: Mihai Oroveanu



The exhibition looks at a remarkable example of collaborative, 
experimental practice uniting two Romanian artists-friends, Horia 
Bernea and Paul Neagu. It isolates a few works from the Î60s and 
Î70s, which evince an engagement with the question of artistic 
freedom in stark contrast to the production of the epoch, generally 
confined to a complacent ÎSocialist Surrealismâ.

Connected Event:

3/4 floor Gallery, 2 Balcescu Blvd..

17:00 Opening of the exhibition Catalˆ-Roca, Barcelona / Madrid in 
the Î50s, MNCARS (Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofia, Madrid),

Curators: Juan Manuel Bonet, AndrŽs Trapiello. In the presence of 
H.E. Jesus Atienza Serna Spanish Ambassador in Bucharest.





MNAC is a partner of the Hewlett-Packard Program for Excellence in 
Art and Science.



Started in 2000, the goal of the Art & Science program was to promote 
the use of technology in support of the Creation, Conservation and 
Appreciation of Art. To this end first recruited a diverse group of 
some of the most innovative groups from art museums and galleries, 
colleges of art and design and art departments in secondary schools. 
To provide strong technical contribution some of Europeâs leading 
technical universities were also recruited.

The result was a series of complementary projects that pushed the 
boundaries of what was possible using the latest IT, printing and 
imaging technologies from Hewlett Packard. Flagship relationships 
were established with the National Gallery in London and the French 
Central Museums Research group (C2RMF) at Le Louvre in Paris.



The Art & Science program has now developed in to two separate but 
complementary streams: Excellence in Art & Science continues to work 
with the regionâs most innovative museums and has recently extended 
its membership to include the National Museum of Contemporary Art in 
Bucharest, the Pinocoteca di Brera in Milan, and the Museum of Fine 
Art in Budapest.







The event is organized with the support of:

The Government of Romania

The Romanian Ministry of Culture, Ministre Franais de la Culture et 
de la Communication, l'Ambassade de France ˆ Bucarest, AFAA / 
L'Association franaise d'action artistique, L'Institut Franais de 
Bucharest, Hewlett Packard, BRD - Groupe SociŽtŽ GŽnŽrale, Forumul 
Cultural Austriac, ARC / MusŽe d'Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris, 
Paris MusŽe, Galerie Michel Rein Paris, British Council Bucharest, 
Muzeul Na]ional de Art` al Rom'niei, Museo Nacional Centro de Arte 
Reina Sofia Madrid.

JW Marriott Bucharest Grand Hotel, Parliament Hotel, Crowne Plaza 
Bucharest, RNP Direc]ia Silvic` Hunedoara [i Buz`u, Raiffeisen Bank, 
Artexpo Foundation, Microsoft Romania, Centrul de Cultur` "Palatele 
Br‰ncovene[ti de la Por]ile Bucure[tiului", Instituto Cervantes en 
Bucarest, Arhitectura, Headvertising, Air France, Ex aequo, Swiss 
International Air Lines, Malev, Microsoft, Giotto Advertising, 
British Council, Stefanica, Dutu & Partners, Tura Foundation, Casa 
Cafe, Alcovin Macin, H'Art Gallery Bucharest



Ruxandra Balaci

Artistic Director
The National Museum of Contemporary Art, Bucharest
B-dul Balcescu 2
tel/fax: 0040-21-311026; 3139115