12 Jun 2010

brothers & sisters at vladimiro izzo, Berlin

brothers & sisters
SIMONA AND CIPRIAN HOMORODEAN
curated by JOTA CASTRO

Opening 12 june 7pm
13 june till 29 july 2010
Opening hours: Tue - Sat 11 am - 7pm and by appointment

The Vladimiro Izzo Gallery is proud to annunce the exibition of Simona and Ciprian Homorodean.

Jota Castro conceived 'Brothers and Sisters' with Ciprian and Simona Homorodean in mind. He relied on their tight family bond and on the intimate complicity that a shared upbringing is believed to breed. Reviving the freedom they knew as children, when inventing games with infinite possibilities, the artistic siblings agreed to build the project around the most noble of elements: Gold. Yet, while they use the same thread to weave the fabric of the exhibition, their specific patterns tend to appear, providing evidence that, if hereditary disposition plays a role in the formation of artistic personalities and fosters complementary approaches to art, it doesn't necessarily circumscribe artistic vision into a single, unified expression.

'Brothers and Sisters' is about gold, family, traditions, and religion; it's about shit, about alcohol, about music… about power as well, and fame, luck, disenchantment, bitterness, joy. It is also about imagining solutions with resourcefulness or smecheria. These various elements and sources come into view in the presented works. Fowl shit, for example, is the principal component in Ciprian's Rachia din Cacat, an alcoholic beverage with magical properties. Shit is also at the base of his sister's cooking in Sweet Moments, dung cakes made to reveal the darkest aspects of beauty. The art is to be found in the recipes, of course. Eat, drink, dance and be merry, even if it's short-lived, as in a wedding party: Bride (Misstake), wedding band (For Sale), and church (Forgiveness of the Sins) provided by Simona. Venue (Cipriano Bar) and event specific music furnished by her brother. The self proclaimed Prince of Manele* dedicates his first album 'Sunt Artist, Am Valoare' (I'm a valuable Artist) to his stakeholders and collectors. For those who have not yet found them or are otherwise experiencing financial difficulties, there is Ciprian's manual of survival strategies (Take the Book, Take the Money…Run!), a Crisis special with original tips for making it through economic hardships.

Considered individually, the works offer a glance into the personal cosmos of the artists. Together, they compose a larger picture, a view of the narrative behind the facts, of its intention and its targets. By dislocating the face value of stereotypes through their (mis)appropriation or by forcing them into a double bind, Simona and Ciprian construct a setting for, simultaneously, their feisty celebration and their merciless kill.

*Manele is a music style from Romania influenced by Turkish, Balkan, and Gypsy tradition.