Lost and Found
Lucian Indrei
Like Water under The Bridge
Mateescu Andrei
The objective of archaeology is not the discovery of objects. It is to ascertain the narrative that underpins an object, the historical context of the individual responsible for its creation, ownership or maintenance. In the absence of contextualisation, artifacts are devoid of meaning. In the absence of context, it is impossible to comprehend the past or the lives of people throughout history.
When an individual or group relocates from one location to another, they do not discard items of significance; rather, they leave behind those that are superfluous or that they can survive without. This approach is equally useful in the investigation of the past, as an understanding of the items our ancestors did not require provides insights into their lives and values to a similar extent as an understanding of the items they did consider important. It is equally important to examine waste disposal sites as it is to investigate temples or tombs. In both modern and ancient contexts, the survey or excavation of locations where individuals may discard items or otherwise leave behind traces of their activities, but where they are not subject to public view, offers insights into the authentic, unfiltered aspects of human life.
Lucian appears to adopt a scientific perspective when he encounters solitary, typically small sized, and usually inanimate objects on the ground. The majority of these encounters occur spontaneously and are documented photographically, in a methodical and systematic way, almost like a crime scene, since everything is left untouched. The camera is also responsible for the pseudo-scientific appearance.
Asphalt is the context in the majority of cases, a natural choice given its pervasive presence in urban environments, alongside concrete and bricks. It can be reasonably deduced that this surface is one of the most probable environments in which a significant proportion of the population will experience this type of encounter. This unnatural material has become a natural environment, not only for humans but for other species as well. Everything is found and repurposed, as many objects have been lost or discarded. By losing their human interaction, they are denied their purpose, but they still exist. A plastic bottle will outlive its former owner.
How does one tackle the Hidden, Forgotten or Abandoned when approaching a context to which these categories apply? Moreover, how does one do this using photography, a medium inherently imbued with the acts of remembrance and documenting.
The Danube segment that passes through Romania is ironically both the longest and the most neglected and poorly documented. A situation that, although has its roots in the poor management during the communist regime, has come to pass mostly due to the corrupt systems that followed, characterized either by incompetence or by plundering schemes leading to impoverished communities in the basin.
It’s on this background that Like Water Under the Bridge operates, while being comprised of multiple forms and layers, each simultaneously enforcing and undermining photography’s customary roles.
One of the layers manifests itself in re-staging and capturing of a gesture that, although seemingly banal, puts into discussion the aforementioned notions of hiding, forgetfulness and/or abandon – the throwing of various objects (found) in the Danube or on its shores. Re-staging it toys with the apparent immediacy present in the frame, the flash’s hard light usually serving as the only evidence of the contrary.
Capturing the gesture has the power to bring forth the objects, to make them main characters, to make their matter shine.
The same play of light and on the series’ recurring theme of presence and absence is revealed on another level, by photograms made using the thrown objects. Here imprint inherently functions both as proof and lack thereof, presence being certified by the absence of darkness on the photographic emulsion.
Romanian Contemporary Photography INFLUX – Looking Back to the Future
This joint presentation has been made possible through the “Looking Back to the Future” project. Beside including new project and article commissions, it’s main goal is to provides a bird’s eye view on the use of photography in the Romanian art scene spanning across the last three decades (and beyond). By showcasing texts, publications and exhibitions of relevancy in the this (not so) recent history, we can outline the development of this medium, highlighting the major transformations and trends that have defined the Romanian photographic expression.
This project was co-funded by the National Cultural Fund Administration (AFCN). It does not necessarily represent the position of the National Cultural Fund Administration and AFCN is not responsible for the content of the project or for how the project results may be used. These are entirely the responsibility of the funding beneficiary.
Andrei Mateescu (b. 1988, București) attended the Photography and Dynamic Image department of UNArte, where he obtained his bachelor and dissertation degrees. A native of the notorious gray blocks, his concerns were formed around the delicate relationships making up contemporary urban landscape. Soon, his fascination with the limits of the photographic medium also manifested itself, early examples being given by the Multilateral, HYPER and Residential series. Currently, his practice often targets the inherent transitory character of the City, as a recipient of human dynamism. In exhibition contexts, he frequently opts for installation, finding himself in the field of extended photography.
Since 2022, he has started contributing to the development and promotion of contemporary Romanian photography through writing, curating, creating the photographyinflux.ro platform and managing an artist-run space in Bucharest.
Lucian Indrei (b. 1983), lives and works in Cluj-Napoca, Romania. His works typically encompass photography, though they are not exclusively limited to this medium. Instead, they also incorporate other forms of visual expression, such as drawing, collage, and installation. The subject matter ranges from the analysis and representation of personal relationships and events to broader topics of interest. These include the influence of image production and distribution on our perception of images, the interplay between fiction and truth in our culture, and the means by which images shape our understanding of this interplay. Additionally, the artist explores the impact of technology and science on communication and perception. He has participated in exhibitions at MNAC (Bucharest), Bozar (Brussels), Villa Medici (Rome), Pinkie Bowtie (Antwerp), Art Encounters Biennial (Timișoara), among others. In recent years, he has been invited to speak at cultural events in Stockholm, Athens, and Amsterdam, with a focus on the contemporary young art scene of Romania. In 2012, he co-founded the project space Lateral ArtSpace, and is part of the curatorial team.