Retracing Identity
September 8 - November 10, 2022
Artist: Radu Băieș

Radu Băieș (b. 1988, Cluj, Romania) lives and works in Cluj. He studied painting at the University of Art and Design in Cluj (2008-2011, BA, 2011-2013, MA, 2020-present, PHD). His art was exhibited in Romania, the Czech R ... [read more]

“Red Moon Reflection/ Memories from the Journey”, oil on canvas, 180x150 cm, 2020.
“September Poetry”, oil on canvas, 200x145cm, 2022.
“Sleeping Under the Silver Tree”, oil on canvas, 295x200cm, 2018‐2022.
“Sunset, End of Journey 2”, ulei pe pânză, 40x35cm, 2022.
“Sunset, End of Journey”, oil on canvas, 180x150 cm, 2018‐2022.
“The Empty Throne”, oil on canvas, 200x150cm, 2022.
“Untitled”, oil on canvas, 40x35cm, 2022.
“A Moment of Silence/ The Garden”, oil on canvas, 95x90cm, 2022.
“Daylight on Ostrov”, oil on canvas, 198x148cm, 2017.
“Blue Moon Reflection/ Memories from The Journey”, oil on canvas, 180x150 cm, 2020.
“Endless Night”, oil on canvas, 80x150cm, 2018.
“Leaving the Garden/ Snake Bite”, oil on canvas, 188x190 cm, 2018.
He recognized him at once, because the hereditary memory had been transmitted from generation to generation […]

Being identical to oneself – this is how we define identity according to the dictionary. It isn’t without difficulty to talk about identity because at any given time our perception of identity endures despite the fact that the identity’s object is constantly changing. In other words, even while the body does not appear to be similar at any two points in time physically, each of us experiences ourselves continuously. Additionally, there are some crucial circumstances (when the alleged loss of identity happens) when identity itself is automatically questioned, with or without us being conscious of it. When all that used to be safely known loses its coherence, engulfed in a gentle but terrifyingly pervasive fog, only then the “re-formation” of the world occurs.

“Retracing Identity” represents Radu Băieș’s choice to thematize both this moment of balance in which the fracture of identity takes place, and what follows after; the result breaks from the personal level to that of general experiences, to which each viewer adds different meanings, identifying them from the perspective built on their own experiences. This whole process of translation from the personal to the general is triggered and carried out by the human ability to perceive symbols, and the intrinsically symbolic nature of the works is felt through certain elements whose recurrence is not accidental. Probably the most noticeable example is that of the character with the hat who appears obsessively throughout the exhibition. With each ghostly presence, it invites deeper and deeper interpretations, becoming a meaningful guide, a landmark that leads the gaze through obscure landscapes. The processes by which these appearances come to have a symbolic meaning are instantaneous, and the symbolic meaning emerges as a result of a desire to make “something” known – something which is typically outside the realm of common knowledge.

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