Dissecting the events of Romania's history and their memory via photography and video: these are the stakes of Mona Vatamanu and Florin Tudor's work. By taking interest in the architectural mutations that redefine questions of territoriality, this young duo seeks to reactivate the collective memory of Romanian culture by returning to historic sites that have been erased by Ceausescu. Their work, using different mediums – photography, cinema, performances, on site projects, etc. - is built in a spirit similar to that of the situationists, where art is conceived as a political tool.

Praful retraces the action of Mona Vatamanu and Florin Tudor around the chapel of a monastery in Bucarest (Schitul Maicilor) that was moved by several hundred meters in the 80s to make way for Ceausescu's gigantic Palace of the People. The artists went on the original site of the building to pick up dust that they then transported in their pockets and dropped off at the monastery's current location.

Extract from the Une Histoire exhibition catalogue

Translated by Mia Stern, 2021