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2007 » Romania » National section
| Curator: | Luminita Batali, Luminita Batali |
| Designer / Architect of exhibition: | Dragos Buhagiar |
| Institution: | The Ileana Foundation for Plastic Art and Modern Architecture in Romania and UNITER |
Dreaming with Open Eyes – The Surrealist Face of the World
Surrealism is a waking dream, outwardly manifesting the visions and desires of the subconscious or of the mind in a liminal state. The conjuration of such images, archetypal or singular, is, of course, part of the collective process of creation which we call theatre. For, perhaps, that’s what we do when we go to theatre; we dream with open eyes. Surrealism then remains a reliable key for creators who want to give expression to the most interior human emotions and sensations. The (apparently) absurd logic of the dream begins to unfold before us. There is a special kind of narrative substance to the Surrealist image that definitely agrees with scenography. The renowned Romanian Surrealist, Victor Brauner, coined the term “Pictopoetry,” a concept we would like to use for this exhibit, as our scenographers, if they need to stage dreamscapes or nightmares, they must become a picto-poet. Summoning forth otherworldly visions and uncanny objects must be done with great imagination and strength to perfectly sustain atheatrical creation. However, it is natural for a Romanian scenographer to instinctively tap the deep roots in Romanian culture, which is rich with visionary expression. After all, two of the primary founders of DADA were Tristan Tzara and Marcel Janco, two Jewish Romanian artists. The exhibit title was inspired by the exhibition and catalogue
Dragos Buhagiar has worked with famous stage directors in forty-six productions in the main theatres of Romania. His stage designs have a strong and expressive beauty.