The exhibition “The Office After Dark”, signed by the artist Nico Mureș, opens to the public on Thursday, November 14, at Sandwich, within Combinatul Fondului Plastic.
“In a world that glorifies productivity, The Office After Dark unearths the darker side of corporate lifestyle, likening it to an eternal night where vitality fades, connections dwindle, and personal identity is drained by the demands of the work.
The micro-universe created by Nico Mureș is centered around the metaphor of a modern worker, kept awake by caffeine, mentally and emotionally exhausted. Trapped in ongoing cycles of burnout and sleep deprivation, she is vampirically relying on energy drinks. The futility of a lifetime spent producing with no personal meaning or fulfilment weighs heavy on her. Being a corporate woman, the chosen character naturally faces additional pressure to prove her own worth and be perfect across the spectrum. For her, the glass ceiling has never been lower.
Known for their adaptability and ability to survive in the harshest environments with minimal resources, cockroaches are both enviable and despised. Beneath the glossy surface of corporate life, they skitter under desks, lurk in the shadows, and appear beneath flickering lights, hinting at instability and decay, emblematic of a workforce that must keep going in a hostile environment—unseen, undervalued, yet expected to persist at all costs.
Surrounded by the undead, visitors can reflect on their own bearing within this haunting, ever-productive after-dark office.” (excerpt from the curatorial text)
The exhibition can be visited until January 31, 2025.
Nicoleta Mureș (b.1996) is a Romanian artist based in Madrid. She works with digital collages, video, animation, 3D, AR, and generative AI. Her practice is a continuous observation of the virtual body under different stress-related situations, anxieties, and fears. Her goal is to further investigate the possibilities and limitations that put the flesh, be it real or digital, in the spotlight.
Her work was exhibited, among others, at Sandwich, /SAC, Museum of Art Arad, Zina, PLATO Ostrava, Ivan, Jecza, CAV, LISTE Art Fair Basel, and Viennacontemporary. She also participated in various festivals, like Tour de Moon, Simultan, Digerati Emergent Media Festival, and ADAF.
This event is part of the Project “(IM)material Girls,” a cultural Project co-funded by the Administration of the National Cultural Fund.
