“Unearthed Echoes”: Reverberations of Collective Identity

In the exhibition Unearthed Echoes – I, the themes of identity and belonging were explored through various forms of artistic expression. This exhibition is part of a series of events aimed at exploring the complexity of collective trauma and the profound desire for integration.

Identity and belonging are universally relevant subjects that have been approached from various perspectives over time. The exhibition highlighted how these themes are shaped by contemporary social and cultural changes. In a constantly changing world, where we are often overwhelmed by the constant flow of information and virtual interactions, the sense of “home” becomes increasingly difficult to define.

The mystery of identity and belonging is not new. We have been placed on this earth to explore and embrace them, to respect and value them as a home. Times change, and so do people. We feel lost in crowds, in streams of conversations, and in hours of scrolling. We are cornered by the mental boundaries of a realm of reality and unconsciousness, guarded by the balance between dystopian and utopian social contrasts, which has caused us to lose our sense of that “home.”

The terror and tumult of the desire for belonging search for us in every inch of our being, in a place we can call “ours.” The chaos of the crowd keeps us prisoners of our own conflicts, caught between the desire to escape and the urge to remain anchored in our beliefs. We grapple with the turbulence of our social and political consequences, under the pressure to feel connected with every breath. In our frantic search, it seems we have lost touch with our deep roots.

“Unmoored,” unearthed and exposed, we tend to seek the comfort of a warm light, a familiar land, an environment of familiarity and friendship, a sense of comfort and admiration. Unearthed Echoes seeks to create this environment through video art, animation, light art, sculpture, and performance. Through these artistic mediums, the exhibition aims to create an immersive perspective and intervention for the viewer, addressing themes such as the earth, memories, ideology, belief, and innocence.

“Ours” defines the starting point in life, which, through years of adventure into the unknown of tomorrow, gets lost among our steps in the vast abyss of soil and the sands of rain. Our tradition, culture, ethnicity, means of expression, perception, and innocence are explored through the artworks of Maria Albu, Maria Brîneț, Larisa Petcuț, Gabriela Leu, Miruna Copăcel, Iulia Pușcașu, Bianca Stoica, Petra Kovacs, and Diana Furnea.

Maria Albu, through her series “Mapping”, explores the theme of belonging under the communist regime, while in her works “Division” and “Have a Cup of Tea”, she examines her own roots, evoking childhood and innocence. Iulia Pușcașu and Diana Furnea lead us into a realm of introspection and self-exploration through the video art piece “Waiting Room” and the photographic installation “For All the Days You Lost the Sun”. Maria Brîneț, alongside Gabriela Leu, focuses on ethnic belonging. Larisa Petcuț envelops the audience in tradition and culture with her video art piece “Descântec”. Bianca Stoica brings the world of dreams into the realm of reality, transporting the viewer to an ephemeral universe. Miruna Copăcel, with her work “Habitat”, delves into the warm and intimate memories of personal spaces. Maria Brîneț’s “Consuming Me”, along with Petra Kovacs’s “Veritas”, presents the aspects of ourselves that we project onto society.

The exhibition “Unearthed Echoes – I,” curated by Gabriela Moldovan, was an opportunity for visitors to reflect on identity and belonging in a contemporary artistic context. The event created a dialogue between the past and the present, between the individual and the collective, highlighting the complexity of these themes through a variety of artistic mediums.

Photo Credit: Ioana Mahu