NAAMA ALEX LEVY
Vlad Olariu
Cluj, Romania
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Cluj, Romania
Published 06/03/2015 | Updated 18/10/2016
Vlad Olariu is "dealing mainly with the mediums of sculpture and installation, my works are constructed around the ideas of monumentality and heroism. It alternates between heroism and anti-heroism, monument and anti-monument, masterpiece and anti-masterpiece by questioning its political, historical, social or individual meanings.
Throughout its history, a particular feature of sculpture was that it celebrated permanence. Even...
Vlad Olariu is "dealing mainly with the mediums of sculpture and installation, my works are constructed around the ideas of monumentality and heroism. It alternates between heroism and anti-heroism, monument and anti-monument, masterpiece and anti-masterpiece by questioning its political, historical, social or individual meanings.
Throughout its history, a particular feature of sculpture was that it celebrated permanence. Even since ancient times, sculpture went hand in hand with the tradition of funerary monuments, and the cult of ancestors, and thereafter it celebrated prominent figures: pharaohs, commanders, kings, but lately also the faceless heroes (soldiers) of the two World Wars. Its celebratory purpose meant that it also had to be sturdy and even, ideally, perennial. Thus the mediums of choice were the seemingly indestructible materials such as marble, stone, bronze, etc... They aspire towards two different goals: forever reminding us of the past, while at the same time ever challenging the future. And this brings me to my own challenge, of living and working in a time where sculpture is (literally) removed from its pedestal. There is no longer any real interest, or time, for that matter to perpetuate glorious and everlasting monuments. We may be experiencing the decline of heroes, of strong symbolical figures that mold the world.
So in this world of half-gestures, the objects I create are mostly made out of ignoble materials: contemporary prefabs used in the industry of real estates, the cheap and easy to process EPS foam, polyurethane, bitumen, cement, cellular concrete, drywall, plywood, etc.
And as if, adding insult to injury, the perennial look is given by means that imitate the historical medium of stone, marble, metal.... This suggests an anti-heroic art that can become even parodistic.
My works are about being lost in time, adrift in history. They are old, foggy episodes of human memory that don't move us anymore. The heroes of some are the villains of others: heroism and anti-heroism mix together. "
Artist statement quoted from www.vladolariu.blogspot.de
What is it about your studio space that inspires you?
It has big windows and a high ceiling. It’s in a quiet East Berlin area, 20 minutes by public transport from Alex Platz. The historical background is still present and that makes the area surreal. Built in 80s and located within the former Operative Technical Sector building in the restricted area of the Berlin-Alt-Hohenschönhausen. My studio was originally operated by the Ministry of State Security (Stasi), at one point responsible for the development, production and maintenance of all espionage equipment, including wiretapping devices, cameras, camouflage and monitoring instruments. It’s so cool!
What advice has had the biggest impact on your career?
Work, work, work, have fun.
If you could install your art absolutely anywhere, where would that be?
The Turbine Hall
If you could only have one piece of art in your life, what would it be?
City of Venice
If you weren´t an artist, what would you be doing?
Architecture/ Fashion design
What are your favourite places besides your studio?
the Mediterranean Basin, tennis court, water.
