7 February, 5-6 pm, KIASMA Theatre

“I criticize the world, its manners, its beliefs, its stupidity and greed. But I criticize it in an empathic way. My humour is not dark. I draw in white and black but my humour comes in many colours.”

Since the overthrow of communism in Romania, Dan Perjovschi has invested in promoting contemporary art in Romania. In 1991 Perjovschi joined the staff of Bucharest’s prominent opposition newspaper 22, as political illustrator and art director to increase his involvement in his country’s development.

Today Perjovschi is internationally known for his graffiti-like drawings that cover the walls, windows, and floors of art galleries. The drawings respond to the conventions of contemporary art world, constantly shifting boundaries of the European Union, and the movements of capital around the globe. The images deliver their political message with generosity and humour.

For Kiasma, Dan Perjovschi will create a unique site-specific installation Dan Perjovschi Unframed including 300 framed drawings from the series Repertoire. A Five Year Plan. (2006-2010). These drawings, which form a kind of mini-retrospective inside the installation, are on loan from the collection of Van Abbemuseum, Eindhoven, and are shown in public for the first time during Kiasma’s exhibition. Mr. Perjovschi will also draw directly on the gallery walls at Kiasma with sharp visual commentary on local context.

The talk is organized by HIAP (Helsinki International Artist Programme) in collaboration with Kiasma. The opening of the exhibition follows at 6pm.

Dan Perjovschi was born in 1961 in Sibiu, Romania. He lives and works in Sibiu and Bucharest, Romania. Perjovschi’s previous solo project venues include e.g. MoMA, New York; San Francisco Art Institute; MACRO in Rome; Moderna museet in Stockholm and Reykjavik Art Museum, Iceland. He has participate in biennials in Venice, Istanbul, Sydney, Lyon and Istanbul.

The event is part of HIAP Talks: Public Matters, a series of debates and dialogues that focuses during 2012-13 on the acute concerns around the changing notion of the public and, in particular, its manifestations in and impact on the field of contemporary art. The invited international speakers bring to the table different critical perspectives and creative approaches, which allow insights into the practices and politics that affect our understanding and inhabitation of the public today.

The monthly talks are curated by Taru Elfving and organised by HIAP (Helsinki International Artist Programme) in collaboration with Kiasma Museum of Contemporary Art and other partners. They take place at Kiasma seminar room with a few noted exceptions.