“Tissues of Belonging“, the first exhibition in the series “In the Shadow of the Flag: Dialogues for Democracy,” brings together an international group of artists at 2/3 Gallery in Bucharest who critically investigate the symbols of identity and belonging. Curated by Alec Bălășescu, the exhibition proposes a reflection on how national imaginaries, flags, and populist discourses shape today’s public space and the relationship between the individual and the community. The opening takes place on April 29, 2026, at 7 PM, marking the beginning of an extended program of exhibitions, debates, and workshops dedicated to exploring the contemporary tensions of identity.
Artists: Daniel Andújar (SP), James Clar (USA), Ferenc Gróf (HU), Igor Grubić (HR), Andreea Ilie (RO), Pravdoliub Ivanov (BG), Radu Jude (RO), Cezar Lăzărescu (RO), Glenda León (CU/SP), Ciprian Mureșan (RO), Dan Perjovschi (RO), Ghenadie Popescu (MD), George Roșu (RO), Cătălin Rulea (RO), Avelino Sala (SP), Michael Schäfer (DE), Sasho Stoitzov (BG), Mona Vatamanu & Florin Tudor (RO).
“There is no trap as the identity trap – one might say after reflecting upon the obsesive periodical return to the question of belonging.
The past 40 years, particularly after the fall of the Berlin Wall, the post-colonial theory heights, and the spread of neoliberal ideas into society, have been marked by the rework of the concepts of identity – from the fluidity of global movements accelerated in the 90s, to the ossification into ontological categories of the years 2020s, passing through the crystallization of identity as opposition to political ideologies – and propositions.
This exhibition, that open a series of worldwide shows, groups internationally acclaimed artists and their meditation on symbols of belonging; most prominently, but not only, flags. Colours and forms, usually on the material support of a textile generate a form of external tissue of political identity and emotional belonging to which many organically relate. The exhibition invite one to extract meaning from the reinterpretation of such symbols of appurtenance, as if operating an open heart/ open emotions surgery with the scope of clinically investigate one’s tissues of belonging.” Alec Bălășescu
The programme will be complemented by a discussion featuring Eric Storm, Daniel Andújar, and Alec Bălășescu on 27 May, as well as workshops led by Daniel Andújar, extending the exhibition into a platform for reflection and direct exchange with the public.
The exhibition can be visited until May 30, 2026.
