The National Museum of Contemporary Art (MNAC) in Bucharest presents “Bent Crosses. A Victoria & Marian Zidaru Retrospective”, a major exhibition dedicated to one of the most significant artist couple in Romanian contemporary art. Curated by Călin Dan and Cătălin Davidescu, the exhibition offers a comprehensive overview of an artistic practice shaped at the intersection of spirituality, visual experimentation, and cultural engagement.
Victoria and Marian Zidaru belong to Romania’s “Generation of the 1980s,” whose artistic formation took place under the ideological and material constraints of the final years of the communist regime. At a time when artistic expression was subject to strict control, Marian Zidaru forged a distinctive path by developing a religiously inspired iconography articulated through a contemporary and deeply personal visual language. His meeting with Victoria Zidaru transformed this individual pursuit into a shared artistic endeavor, with spirituality becoming the central axis of their creative practice.
The retrospective traces the evolution of the two artists from the closing decades of the twentieth century to the present, with particular emphasis on the period between the late 1980s and the early 2000s, when their work extended beyond the boundaries of the art world and resonated across Romania’s social, religious, and even political spheres. The works on display reveal how Christian symbolism, mythology, and vernacular imagery are reinterpreted through an innovative visual vocabulary encompassing sculpture, objects, installations, film, and performance.
According to curator Cătălin Davidescu, the strength of the Zidarus’ artistic practice lies in the coherence between message and form. Their work, grounded in spiritual convictions and conservative values, is articulated through an experimental visual language capable of translating religious themes into a contemporary artistic expression. This productive tension between tradition and innovation endows their oeuvre with a powerful symbolic dimension, marked by messianic undertones and an exceptional ability to engage contemporary audiences.
The exhibition concept and design are by Călin Dan, while the curatorial narrative highlights the stylistic and conceptual diversity of the artists’ work, offering visitors a nuanced perspective on one of the most substantial artistic projects developed in postwar Romania.
“Bent Crosses. A Victoria & Marian Zidaru Retrospective” is on view on the first floor of the National Museum of Contemporary Art (MNAC) in Bucharest through 18 October 2026.
