Feminist Exhibition Femina Subtetrix Investigates APACA Textile Factory's Female Workers in Post-Socialist Romania
From September 10 to October 3, 2015, Sonja Hornung and Larisa Crunteanu showcased the exhibition Femina Subtetrix at Ivan Gallery in Bucharest, under the curation of Xandra Popescu. The artists delved into the legacy of the APACA textile factory, which operated from 1948 and provided employment for over 18,000 women. The display included sculptures, photographs, and video installations that captured the experiences of workers during Romania's shift from socialism to capitalism. Notable works comprised a photograph of two masked women kissing, alluding to Prime Minister Petre Roman's visits in 1991 and 1996, alongside a tactile concrete cube symbolizing proto-feminist unity. Additionally, a video featuring a ghost named "Ana" and a hollow concrete column connected to weaving traditions were part of the exhibition.
Key facts
- Femina Subtetrix was exhibited at Ivan Gallery in Bucharest from September 10 to October 3, 2015.
- The exhibition was created by artists Sonja Hornung and Larisa Crunteanu, curated by Xandra Popescu.
- It focused on the APACA textile factory, which operated from 1948 with mainly female employees, peaking at over 18,000 workers.
- Works included sculptures, photographs, and videos using materials like concrete and rubble to abstractly explore workers' experiences.
- The artists referenced Prime Minister Petre Roman's visits to the factory in 1991 and 1996, including a paternalistic kiss he gave a worker.
- A concrete cube with holes encouraged visitors to touch hands, suggesting proto-feminist solidarity among factory women.
- A video work featured a fictional ghost named "Ana" haunting the factory site, linking to Romanian myths like Craftsman Manole.
- The exhibition avoided direct representation of workers, instead using abstraction and performative instructions to engage viewers.
Entities
Artists
- Sonja Hornung
- Larisa Crunteanu
- Xandra Popescu
- Marcel Duchamp
- Alison Hugill
- Bojana Pejić
- Sadie Plant
- Florentina C. Andreescu
- Sean P. Quinn
- Susan Buck-Morss
- Marius Babias
- Boris Groys
- Margaret Atwood
- Ulrike Gerhardt
Institutions
- Ivan Gallery
- Atelier 35
- Revista Arta
- MUMOK Museum Moderner Kunst Stiftung Ludwig Wien
- Verlag der Buchhandlung Walther König
- MIT Press
- Routledge
- fourth estate
- Leuphana University Lüneburg
- Academy of Fine Arts Hamburg
- ARTMargins Online
Locations
- Bucharest
- Romania
- Berlin
- Germany
- Lüneburg
- Warsaw
- Poland
- Vienna
- Austria
- Cologne
- London
- United Kingdom
- New York
- United States
- Massachusetts
- Cluj
- Cotroceni
- Curtea de Arge
- Crucea de Piatră
Sources
- ARTMargins —
- ARTMargins —