RALUCA AND MATEI ARNĂUTU: LASETA: Cultural Center "Brâncoveneşti Palace", Mogoşoaia, RO

March 7 - 31, 2020

The exhibition "Laseta" by Raluca and Matei Arnăutu took place at Cultural Center "Brancoveneşti Palace", "Ice house" Gallery, Mogoşoaia between 7h March 2020 - 31th March 2020. Prolonged due to the current situation till the end of June 2020.


The exhibition installation "Laseta" designed by Raluca and Matei Arnăutu reinterprets one of the most common crafts of our grandparents - the lace. The title of the exhibition "Laseta" refers to the string with which our grandmothers tirelessly crocheted various shapes and patterns of lace. The forgotten miles present until recently, in all the old Romanian houses, are recovered by the two artists through a large installation in the space of the Ice house. The legacy of lace / mile left by the artist's grandmother (Matei Arnăutu) is transformed by Raluca Arnăutu into transparent and playful shapes, like clouds or raindrops. 

 

Raluca Arnăutu creates an atmosphere of dream and mystery, in which the visitor is surprised by the photo boxes and objects signed by Matei Arnăutu. The mini photo installations created by Matei Arnăutu reveal a miniature world, from a past in which work had a time of its own. The photos seen through the viewfinder of the box, transform the viewer into a voyeur, who enters the intimate space of his grandmother's house. A house full of miles, crystals, old furniture, personal items, embroidery. Thus, the visitor is constantly surprised by the two states - daydreaming / reality - the junction being made through the viewfinder of the photo box.


For Raluca Arnăutu, lace / mile are transformed into ready-made objects, which recontextualized acquire various meanings and interpretations, depending on the spaces they populate. For Matei Arnăutu, lace / millet becomes, through photography, a pretext for personal introspection; a means of researching, documenting and recalling a way of life that is slowly disappearing.

 

Curator: Diana Dochia, PhD