DesFacerea Lumii, an exhibition by artists Anca Benera and Arnold Estefán, curated by Krisztina Hunya and Diana Marincu, follows the first exhibition episode held at the Neuer Berliner Kunstverein (n.b.k.) in Berlin last year. The exhibition expanded the initial selection of works and added a new production, supported by the Art Encounters Foundation, along with five other works exhibited for the first time in Timișoara.
The artistic practice of the duo Anca Benera and Arnold Estefán is based on research, following the hidden or invisible patterns behind certain historical, social or geopolitical narratives. Their works are articulated in a variety of genres, formats and mediums of expression, such as installation, video, sculpture or performance. Connections between historical and climatic events, ecology and resource politics are often topics they research in their recent projects.
The present exhibition, DesFacerea Lumii, expands the topics recently addressed to the ecology of the relations between nature and culture, challenging us to reconsider the traditional distinctions between these categories that Modernism had antagonized. In the new work that gives the title of the exhibition, DesFacerea Lumii, the sculpture Cumințenia pământului by Constantin Brâncuși is reimagined in a 1:1 scale replica, made from a block of salt and placed in nature.
The artists observe and document the sculpture’s transformation process through interaction with animals and weather conditions.
Anca Benera and Arnold Estefán have been present on the international scene for over 10 years and have exhibited in the world’s most prestigious institutions and biennials. They are based in Vienna, but the artists maintain a special connection in Timisoara, where they started their first collaborative projects in the early 2000s. Their works were recently presented at Manifesta 15, Barcelona (2024), CreativeTime Summit, New York (2024), 1st Klima Biennale, Vienna (2024), 5th Kyiv Biennial (2023), Tinguely Museum, Basel (2022), Whitechapel Gallery, London (2022), Galleria Trafo, Budapest (2022), Migros Museum, Zurich (2021), MUCEM Museum, Marseille (2019) and mumok, Vienna (2017), among others.
The Art Encounters Foundation continues its long-term mission to bring the public closer to contemporary art. In relation to the exhibition, it will organize a series of guided tours and surprise events that can mediate contact with all the visual and research layers of the exhibition.
The exhibition “DesFacerea Lumii” is organized by the Art Encounters Foundation and financed by the Municipality of Timișoara through the Project Center. It is co-financed by AFCN and realized in cooperation with Neuer Berliner Kunstverein (n.b.k.), Berlin.
