1982 – [ ... ]


untitled (Self-portrait of the Artist), 2012, marble sculpture, 50,8 x 15,5 x 1,8 cm

“Painting is possessed of a divine power, for not only . . . does it make the absent present, but it also, after many centuries, makes the dead almost alive, so that they are recognized with great admiration . . .” Leon Battista Alberti

Unlike most self-portraits, which are a faithful representation of the artist, a tombstone is the only clue in the Self-portrait of Ciprian Homorodean, the sole indication of the author’s identity. The marble slab, destined to sit on top of the artist’s grave, replaces the image of his likeness, substituting the portrait of the human figure with a sign of its absence. Mortality is inevitable, acknowledges the funerary stone. The message remains voluntarily inconclusive, however, almost inviting death to finish the portrait, or else excluding it forever. Only one date is revealed, the year of birth. On the opposite side, a blank space, left in suspense. In fact, mortality is negated here, and eternal life proclaimed for the artist.
Artists do transcended the mortal condition sometimes, immortalized by their works and by art history. This fate is rather an exception than the norm, however, and perhaps more so in the highly competitive artistic environment of the 21st Century.
Knowing that the stone was sculpted in 2012, situates the author in his late twenties, in the very latter part of his life as a young artist. This is a crucial moment in the life of most contemporary artists striving to live from their art. Most will establish their achievement during these early years, gaining the recognition of the art world that will guarantee their future as artists. Failure to do so seriously compromises their financial success, forcing sometimes a gradual abandonment of their work in favor of more lucrative activity. Economic hardship often heralds the end of life as an artist.
As it turns out, death is not only a physical event. And this self-portrait is more that the representation of the artist. Going beyond the portrayal of an individual, it simply –and tragically- states a real risk for artists and other professionals alike.
Rose Marie Barrientos

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The desire to transmute elemental materials into more noble forms is at work in Rachiu din Căcat și Pufoaică, an alcohol manufactured with chicken shit. Based on an ancient recipe from Teregova, in Western Romania, Ciprian Homorodean arrived at a distilled, clear alcohol of 42°, a variant of the national beverage (Ţuică). Through a process somehow reminiscent of the age-old alchemical quest to turn common metals into gold, excrements were transformed into a drinkable substance infused with unusual, magical qualities. A video documentation of the transformation of the fecal matter into liquid art describes this process in detail. But, as in most of the artist’s previous projects, the work is not confined to a singular expression nor to a particular form. The making-of of Rachiu and the alcohol itself, presented in individually labeled bottles, are but the visible part of a work that engages a larger story dealing with Romanian tradition, history, and social context. Which, ultimately, is a story about human experience and a reflection on the means of negotiating a better life.

The target of the artistic research, in this case, is the social role of alcohol and its significance for different populations. While the wealthy may drink to celebrate, the indigent often gets drunk to forget. The former mingle in parties with a glass of wine or champagne, a liquid lubricant for social exchange; the latter drown their lonely despair in the cheapest alcohol at hand. For the poverty stricken, drunkenness offers a blurry state of mind where unfulfilled dreams and wishful thinking may be satisfied: an unstable, yet accommodating state of forgetfulness and euphoria. However, while cultural and economic context appear to clearly define drinking customs and patterns, no clear boundaries separate economic indigence from pauperism of the mind. Drinking also helps to conceal the vacuity of the drunk. In all cases, alcohol functions as a supernatural potion, a drinkable gateway to the ideal world.

This subject is further developed in the lyrics of the alcohol’s theme song, a manele style composition boasting the powerful qualities of Rachiu din Căcat și Pufoaică:

AM FURAT NIŞTE PAGINI DIN MANUALUL HOŢILOR



(interviu Stefan Iancu)

Ciprian Homorodean de curând a scos un ghid despre furt, scris de mână în engleză şi ilustrat în tuş. Nu e vorba de corupţie la nivel înalt sau eviziune fiscală, ci de mici activităţi subversive, precum furtul de buzunare şi din magazine sau spartul apartamentelor.

Manualul se cheamă Survival Strategies. Take the Book, Take the Money, Run! şi are aproape o sută de pagini. Explică şi ilustrează cum se şterpelesc un ceas de la mâna cuiva, biciclete, bani din bancă şi focoase de rachete nucleare (neah, ultimele două le-am adăugat eu). Pentru a-l compune, artistul s-a documentat timp de patru luni, printre hoţi adevăraţi, plecaţi la treabă în străinătate. Rezultatul este o operă de artă foarte practică.

Ghidul este în prezent expus în întregime pe un perete ca piesă centrală a show-ului colectiv From Contemplating to Constructing Situations găzduit de centrul de artă contemporană Pavilion din Bucureşti. Titlul expoziţiei colective sună interesant şi am luat de bună propunerea curatorului Răzvan Ion, cu care Vice v-a făcut deja cunoștință. Aşa că, de Noaptea Galeriilor, Survival Stategies. Take the Book, Take the Money, Run! mi-a dat ideea perfectă: titlul ghidului practic mă implora să îl fur.

În timp ce toată lumea era afară la un şotron cu premii, m-am strecurat înauntru, am dezlipit foile de pe perete şi am făcut o poză. Am ieşit liniştit afară, l-am aplaudat pe câştigătorul premiului la şotron şi dus am fost. Cea mai tare artă e arta acţiunii. So long suckers!

După două zile ne-au apucat mustrările de conştiinţă, l-am contactat pe artist la Bruxelles să ne cerem scuze şi să-i punem câteva întrebări despre cum a făcut manualul hoţilor și care e mesajul lui. Am vorbit şi despre un proiect mai vechi – rachiul fermentat din căcat şi pufoaică.

VICE: Îmi cer scuze că am şterpelit câteva pagini din expoziţia ta, sper că eşti ok cu asta. Crezi că reuşesc să scot vreun ban pe printurile furate?

CIPRIAN HOMORODEAN: Sigur că poţi. Du-te la o licitaţie de artă contemporană din Bucureşti, dacă găseşti vreuna.

Cine te-a iniţiat în arta hoţiei? Meseria de hoţ se fură?

Normal că se fură. Una dintre sursele mele a fost un român din Bruxelles, fost hoţ şi actual director în propria-i companie. Altă sursă e un preot englez care îşi sfătuia enoriaşii să fure din magazine pentru a-şi petrece o masă decentă de Crăciun. Mai sunt câteva, dar nu vreau să le menţionez.

În ce fel e furtul un gest politic? Ne îndemni să ne facem dreptate singuri, ca haiducii?

E bine întotdeuna să te întrebi cine fură şi de ce. În unele cazuri furatul devine o ultimă strategie pentru supravieţuire. Dar, dacă privim dezechilibrul dintre bogaţi şi săraci, la mecanismele prin care bogăţia unora se construieşte, adesea aducând sărăcirea altora, atunci am putea spune că furtul e un gest politic. Lucrarea de faţă e o replică la o situaţie economică critică. Cartea nu e un îndemn să furăm, mai degrabă e o reflecţie asupra diferitelor metode creative de supravieţuire.

Ce părere crezi că are banca care găzduieşte centrul unde este expoziţia de lipsa ta de respect pentru instituţia proprietăţii private?

E o întrebare delicată. Hmm.. sincer: ‘Mă doare-n cot’, nu cred că banca are o părere despre mesajul din lucrarea mea, ci mai degrabă curatorul care m-a invitat în această expoziţie. O bancă se implică în artă, nu din generozitate, ci pentru a-şi crea o imagine asociindu-se culturii. Asta nu e deloc surprinzător, tot timpul a fost aşa, unul din primii bancheri care a finanţat artişti a fost familia de Medici.

Ce faci la Bruxelles? Ai plecat la muncă sau la furat?

Ha ha. Very funny. Mă descurc, mă descurc. Mersi de întrebare.

Cam cât poţi câştiga din ciordeală într-o zi?

Unul din băieţii care m-a ajutat la proiect îmi spunea că poţi căştiga lejer 500 de euro.

Trebuie neapărat să fac rost de 400 de lei până diseară, pentru nişte medicamente, ce mă sfătuieşti?

Încearcă să vinzi paginile furate, aşa faci şi tu bani şi îmi creşte şi mie cota. Şi lasă-te de medicamente.

Da boss. Hoţii tăi îşi fac scrupule când e vorba să fure de la o bătrânică, de exemplu?

Da, îşi fac.

Mai demult ai avut un proiect în care ai făcut rachiu din căcat şi pufoaică. Care ar fi mesajul, dacă mănânci căcat te îmbeţi singur? Sau nu mâncaţi rahat, îl beţi?

[râde] Mănâncă căcat cu folos. Nu. Pentru mine mesajul, în cazul ăsta, este rolul social al alcoolului şi importanţa lui pentru diferitele clase sociale. De exemplu, în timp ce un bogat bea poate pentru a sărbători, nevoiaşii, de multe ori, se îmbată ca să uite.

Presupun că alcoolul rezultat nu miroase pestilenţial şi are gust normal. Cum ai strâns materia fecală şi cum ai personalizat sticlele alea aşa frumos?

Am încercat să duc un pic mai departe reţeta tradiţională a rachiului din căcat şi pufoaica. Deci am folosit doar rahatul de găină – găinaţ – şi pufoaică, fără prune. A fost necesară o cantitate mare, dar am avut noroc [râde]. Ca artist trebuie, din când în când, să iei unele riscuri, deci bagi mâna până la cot în rahat, strângi şi scoţi, nimic mai simplu. Reţeta nu e un secret, poate fi găsită pe site-ul meu. Sticlele sunt adunate de peste tot, dar cele mai multe au fost găsite în containerele în care şi beţivii caută ceva pe fundul sticlei. Logoul a fost realizat cu ajutorul unui designer.

Care e cea mai tare artă după tine, muzica sau filmul?

Arta care vorbeşte despre viaţă, care e accesibilă ca limbaj, inteligenţă şi atinge subiecte care privesc societatea.

Ăă mai am întrebarea pe care o pun la finalul tuturor interviurilor, care n-are de-a face cu arta: ce ai prefera să fuţi între o femeie cu pulă şi un bărbat cu pizdă?

Întotdeauna există o a treia posibilitate.

Expoziţia From contemplating to constructing situations poate fi vizitată la Pavilion Unicredit până pe 31 iulie 2011. Pentru mai multe detalii despre artist şi proiectele lui mergeţi aici.


Survival Strategies. Take the Book, Take the Money, Run! – 2010

FROM CONTEMPLATING TO CONSTRUCTING SITUATIONS – Pavilion Unicredit, Bucuresti RO

FROM CONTEMPLATING TO CONSTRUCTING SITUATIONS
June 02 – July 31, 2011
PAVILION UNICREDIT, Bd. Nicolae Titulescu nr.1 (Piata Victoriei)

Curator: Razvan Ion

Participants: Francis Alys (BE/MX), Minerva Cuevas (MX), Ciprian Homorodean (BE/RO), Jason Loebs (US), Wilfredo Prieto (CU), Sabine Rethore (FR), Temporary Services (US), Abdellah Taia (MA/FR), Erwin Wurm (A)

Publication: From Contemplating to Constructing Situations” with texts by Lars Bang Larsen, Rosi Braidotti, Felix Guattari, Razvan Ion, Internationale Situationiste, Mikkel Bolt, Gunalan Nadarajan.
see # From Contemplating to Constructing Situations / pdf version (1,3Mb)

Kant was the one who launched the interrogation on our knowledge’s conditions of possibility and the one who explicitly understood this interrogation as being a critical act. From now on, we can say that the modern reflection is either critical – in this auto-reflective sense- or it is not modern. (Boris Buden) But, the freudian, foucaultian, postmodern, stalinist, leninist repression etc. is identical, and what can make a difference is the astonishment of the self and the possibility to say “no” to the oppressive state (without transforming this into an anarchist wailing ).
The reader and it’s physical projection, the exhibition, deals with different generations of artists and thinkers which refuse to participate in the tired prescriptions of marketplace and authority and instead create radical new methods of engagement. The concept try to develops an indispensable, contemporary conception of political change—a conception that transcends the outmoded formulations of insurrection and resistance. I believe too much blood and ink has been shed for the art machines and the revolutionary machines to remain separate.
The move from the contemplation of a situation to its representation, must be made immediately. (Razvan Ion)

OPENING: Thursday, June 02, 2011, 19.00
Beer by Grolsch.
After-opening, at 23.00, Jason Loebs will play a special DJ set @ Control Club, Str. Academiei 19. Will be subtitled by the film critic Dan Angelescu in front Control.
Before, a special gig by Soviet Soviet and Uma Swan at 21.00 organised by La Chambre du Chat.

Exhibition supported by PAVILION – journal for politics and culture, Austrian Cultural Forum in Bucharest and Grolsch.

The exhibition and the publication wouldn’t have been possible without Eugen Radescu, Andrei Craciun, Stefan Voicu and Cristina Bangau.

My deepest gratitude to all artists and writers who helped me in this.

Special thanks: Karin Cervenka, Gabriela Cretu, Mihai Fuiorea, Tudor Ghiurca, Dan Mares, Anca Nuta, Paul Tomi Rus, Alex Simionov, Anton Vidokle, Laura Barlow.

Image: Ciprian Homorodean, page from “Survival Strategies. Take the Book, Take the Money, Run!, 2010, 100 pages, hand made book, ink on paper, 24,4 x 32,4 cm. Courtesy of the artist.

Piesă de Doi Bani

PIESĂ DE DOI BANI
2011, chocolate coin wrapped in tin foil, 50 Ø x 4,50 cm / stand, 100 x 21x 21 cm

Chocolate coin based on recipes used by the Swiss and U.S. army: black chocolate, ground cocoa beans, Virgin Mary candles and black candles, sugar. This “military chocolate” was called the “Congo Bar” by researchers of the US Army’s Natick Labs (1980′s), a new high-temperature chocolate that could withstand heat in excess of 60 degrees Celsius.
TITLE – Piesă de Doi Bani (a tongue in cheek / black humour expression in Romanian, meaning something cheap for some, but not for others; cheap but not worthless). The title is also à clin d’oeil to Magritte’s “The Treachery of Images”: it’s a “piece” (art work) representing 2 euros as well as a “worthless coin” that gains value as art; it’s chocolate which cannot be eaten because it’s art.
Translations: Google- piece of shit / merde / pedazo de mierda / pezzo di merda. Argot- “pièce à deux balles”. Literally- Piesă- Piece / de- of / Doi-2 / Bani- Coins)
Background, inspiration & key words: As an artist, I prefer to use my own experience rather than referring exclusively to art historical references. I used this chocolate because my mother worked half her life in the unique Romanian chocolate factory (Kandia), which went bankrupt and closed, and my father was an officer in the army (SRI: Secret Service of Information – Romania). The 2 euro coin is also related to my coming to Belgium. Before leaving my country, all I knew was that it was the capital of the European Union, and also that it was famous for its chocolate. It seemed like a good place to start my career as an artist, to get into the international art market. Making “money” is halfway between wishful thinking and conjuring fortune. But there are always two sides to a coin: royalty and small change; the good life and barely making it, a common predicament of the artist. It was important for me to go back to my artistic training, to show mastery of an ancient technique (bas-relief) to give shape to concepts and feelings.

SURVIVAL KIT II – Contemporary Art Center/ Riga (LV)

SURVIVAL KIT II
organized by the Contemporary Art Center/ Riga (LV)
4 – 11 september, 2010

Markus Ambach (D), Pavel Braila (D/MD), Patrick Graf (CH), Ciprian Homorodean (RO/BE), James C. Hopkins (ASV), Laura Horelli, Gerhard Friedl (D), Flo Kasearu (EE), Rob van Kranenburg (NL), Reinhard Krehl (D), Brigitta Kuster & Moise Merlin Mabouna (D), Antoine Lefebvre (FR), Angela Melitopoulos (D), Nina Lassila (D), Eléonore de Montesquiou (D), Tanja Ostojic & David Rych (D), Rosa von Praunheim (D), Laura Stasiulyte (LT), Benjamin Sabatier (FR), SUPERFLEX (DK), Meggie Schneider (D), Isabell Spengler (D), Apolonija Sustersic (NL/SL), Gitte Villesen (D)…


www.lcca.lv/projekti/survival2

The best baraca frit in Belgium, & Romanian womans.

Destroying Public Harmony – Brukenthal National Museum, Sibiu RO

Destroying Public Harmony
Brukenthal National Museum/Contemporary Art Gallery/ Str. Tribunei, Nr. 6, Sibiu (RO)
6 – 29 august, 2010

Curated by Andrei Craciun
Artists: Etcetera presents the International Errorists (AR), Rainer Ganahl (A/US), Ciprian Homorodean (RO/BE), Martin Krenn (A), Ahmet Ogut (TR/NL), Catalina Niculescu (RO/UK)

Social harmony is problematic when it comes to social responsibility and individual engagement within the community. Beyond the word’s etymology and the wide range of meanings of social harmony, individual action in the community must respect all the imposed criteria, dogmas and moral standards for the input not to disturb the social well-being (dictated by the common good). Social harmony is a vast and complicated term, containing many subtexts and I find it interesting to watch the moment of entry/exit into and from a compact group of people and the way in which these disturbances modify the general character of the concept.
Destroying Public Harmony, using the apparently utopian, vague and compromised character of the concept of harmony, taking into account the diversity of assigned meanings, proposes to intervene inside a harmonious community, Sibiu, creating a platform that would debate the conditions in which the public manifests inside its community, as well as the way it is open to counter-harmony, whatever it may be, revolution, revolt, social unrest, turmoil. By destroying an apparent social harmony we don’t risk anything, as citizens we have the right to rebel, revolt and avenge against the community, church, state etc.
We have interdictions, rules and standards, of course, but we no longer have provisions, we have moral feelings, but we are no longer indebted, we have made peace with Jesus, but we no longer have sermons on the duty of man and citizen. We don’t live in a society where everything is permitted, but in a society of a “moral without obligation or sanction” (Jean-Marie Guyau )
We is not the plural of I, it isn’t the result of an addition. The relationship with the other isn’t reversible and is essentially unequal: “I has always a greater responsibility than everybody else” (Emanuel Levinas). There is a war between I and the world. The world will always win. Social harmony is intangible and therefore, invincible. (Extras from the text “Destroing Public Harmony” by Andrei Craciun, published in the publication of the exhibition).

*Project supported by PAVILION – journal for politics and culture.