Iosif Kiràly on Romanian Art, Photography, and the subREAL Legacy
In a 2009 interview, Iosif Kiràly, a Romanian contemporary artist and co-founder of the National University of Arts in Bucharest's Department of Photography and Time-Based Media Arts, reflected on his artistic journey. Kiràly studied at a Bauhaus-inspired art school in Timișoara during the 1970s and later graduated from the Institute of Architecture in Bucharest. In the 1980s, he participated in the mail-art movement, collaborating with artists such as Shozo Shimamoto and Geoffrey Hendricks. His series, Reconstructions, delves into themes of time and memory through photo-montages. He also critiques the assessment of art from the Romanian Communist period and addresses the difficulties faced by emerging photographers in Romania. This interview, conducted by Ileana Pintilie, was published by ARTMargins Online on February 8, 2009.
Key facts
- Iosif Kiràly is a prominent Romanian contemporary artist based in Bucharest.
- He co-founded the Department of Photography and Time-Based Media Arts at the National University of Arts in Bucharest.
- In the 1970s, he attended a Bauhaus-like art school in Timișoara influenced by the Sigma group.
- Kiràly graduated from the Institute of Architecture in Bucharest but focuses on installations, performance, and photography.
- He was involved in the mail-art movement in the 1980s, connecting with Shozo Shimamoto of Gutai and Fluxus artists like Geoffrey Hendricks.
- His Reconstructions series uses panoramic photo-montages to explore time, memory, and perception, transitioning from analogue to digital technology.
- Kiràly was a member of the subREAL group from 1990 to 1993, with later projects until 2005 involving Calin Dan and Dan Mihălțianu.
- He critiques the comparison of Romanian Communist-era art to Western artists, such as Corneliu Baba to Andy Warhol.
Entities
Artists
- Iosif Kiràly
- Ileana Pintilie
- Shozo Shimamoto
- Geoffrey Hendricks
- Dick Higgins
- Alison Knowles
- Ben Patterson
- Emmett Williams
- Ben Vautier
- Constantin Flondor
- Stefan Bertalan
- Corneliu Baba
- Andy Warhol
- Geta Brătescu
- Bruce Nauman
- Calin Dan
- Dan Mihălțianu
- Alexandra Croitoru
- Nicu Ilfoveanu
- Vlad Nancă
- Daniel Gontz
- Bogdan Bordeianu
- Irina Gheorghe
- Alina Popa
- Mariana Celac
Institutions
- National University of Arts in Bucharest
- Institute of Architecture in Bucharest
- Sigma group
- Gutai
- Fluxus
- subREAL
- ARTMargins Online
- Arta magazine
Locations
- Bucharest
- Romania
- Timișoara
- Amsterdam
- Netherlands
- Berlin
- Germany
- Stuttgart
- Vienna
- Austria
- Stockholm
- Sweden
- Helsinki
- Finland
- Zurich
- Switzerland
- Montreal
- Canada
- Iran