ART on DISPLAY: Valeriu Șchiau

Enjoying a walk down the Calea Victoriei Boulevard in Bucharest may turn into an unexpected experience for the urban wanderer. At no. 114, artist Valeriu Șchiau hides uncomfortable dreams behind the window display of KUBE Musette, in an unconventional exhibition part of the ARTonDISPLAY project, which since 2014 has been animating the city visually, transforming its appearance into a temporary art gallery.

The Dream Series, curated by Olivia Nițiș, invited by Suzana Dan, on view through April 18th, 2016, gives art a bold yet suitable role for challenging thoughts and raising questions. What appears to be a dismantled child toy lies on the floor of the space which it occupies with its imposing proportions. Despite its greatness, it cannot produce any harm, its existence rather reveals suffering and longing for what it lacks. The head rests on a plate with a lifeless stare to somewhere outside the architectural structure which holds it prisoner and speechless. At little distance, the leg is kneeling on a pillow as if the softness may no longer show the traces of the fall. While there is only one head and one leg, five shoes are fixed on the wall, with one missing to form a pair.

The absence of certain elements, the strange juxtapositions and the feeling of deep sadness the whiteness of the sculptures evokes bring the passerby to a state of wonder and unease. If he/she is old enough, the memory of an oppressive political regime may suddenly awake inside, reminding of the fear to move or speak, the alienation and trauma, or perhaps this image may link to an abuse of physical or emotional intensity. The parent may become worried if recollecting moments of tension or parenthood failure. There is no comfort in art and no escape in dreams that can, at any time, evolve into nightmares.

Adding a new exhibition to its portfolio, the ARTonDISPLAY project, initiated and organised by Ephemair Association, proposes once again a reflection on the aesthetic aspect of the city, thus forcing a dialogue with the excessive quantity of commercial advertisements which invades our daily life. The rhythm created by those artworks and artistic interventions in the city can generate a positive tension between the seductive images created by the market industry and the ones generated by the artists’ need to assert this very visible space.

Image courtesy of Ephemair Association

Photo: Daiana Savopol, courtesy of Ephemair Association

Photo: Daiana Savopol, courtesy of Ephemair Association

Image courtesy of Ephemair Association

Image courtesy of Ephemair Association

Image courtesy of Ephemair Association