“Of Titans and Geniuses” & “Mobile Churches” in Arles

Alumnus Anton Roland Laub exhibits “Of Titans and Geniuses” in a group exhibition in Arles.

Mur(s)/Mauer(n), Group Exhibition
1 – 31 July 2019
Festival des Voies Off 2019, Arles
Fotohaus ParisBerlin, curated by Christel Boget

“It is Ceausescu himself who introduced honour within the Communist Party and the Country / He rediscovered our history unadulterated / To make us reach for the future in our dreams, as well as / In our daily deeds, full of new meanings.”
From “Romania’s future”, 1983, poem by Adrian Paunescu, translated from Romanian by Constantin Roman in 2000

Exhibition detail views from the series “Of Titans and Geniuses” (2017-), as part of the group exhibition “Mur(s)/Mauer(n)”, curated by Christel Boget, on show during the 24th edition of the Voies Off Festival, from June 30 until July 31. Venue: Bathroom of Fotohaus ParisBerlin, Arles, 7 Rue de la Roquette.

“During the dictatorship, there were rumors of a bathroom made of pure gold. When I first entered it, I was immediately reminded of Lee Miller’s iconic photograph. In the former Romanian police state, the omnipresent Ceaușescu portrait was turned into a mask due to the ritualized personality cult practiced. State artists praised Nicolae (and Elena) Ceaușescu in nationalist odes as ‘The Titan of Titans’ or ‘The Genius of the Carpathians’. Demonstratively simple working clothes of the dictator couple were presented to the public, but behind them hid opulent kitsch that the couple lived out in their private home.” Anton Roland Laub