Mircea Cantor
Thirst for Stillness
Opening – 26 APR 2024, 6-9 pm
Mircea Cantor, born in 1977 in Oradea, Romania, is a contemporary artist whose work traverses the realms of video, animation, sculpture, drawing, painting, and installation. Currently living and working between Paris, France, and Cluj Napoca, Romania, Cantor’s artistic journey reflects his upbringing in Eastern Europe during the communist era. Drawing inspiration from personal memories, he delves into the expression of power and the dissolution of cultural boundaries. As a keen observer of societies and cultures, Cantor positions himself at the intersection of different worlds, fostering comparisons between diverse ideologies and beliefs. With a wide range of media and a focus on uncertainty, craftsmanship, and tradition, Cantor’s work presents a critical and evocative vision of the world, offering poetic resistance to competing ideologies and global challenges.
Selected solo exhibitions and projects include: Unesco Headquarters, Paris (2023); Villa Medici, Florence, Italy (2021); STUK Arts Center, Leuven, Belgium (2020); Musée d’arts, Nantes (2019); Maison Hermès, Tokyo (2018); Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris (2016); Museum of the Moving Image, New York (2012); Kunsthalle, Nuremberg (2010); Kunsthaus, Zurich (2009); Camden Arts Center, London (2009); Modern Art Oxford (2008); and Philadelphia Museum of Art (2006). Cantor received the Marcel Duchamp prize (2011) and the Paul Ricard prize (2004). His works are part of major public collections such as Rennie Collection, Vancouver, (Canada); Centre Pompidou, Paris (France); Museum of Modern Art, New York (USA); Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofia, Madrid (Spain); Foundation Louis Vuitton, Paris (France); Magazine 3, Stockholm (Sweden); Kunsthaus Zurich (Switzerland); Philadelphia Museum of Art (USA); Hirshhorn Museum, Washington D.C. (USA); Walker Art Center, Minneapolis (USA); Yvon Lambert Collection, Avignon (France); Pinault Collection (France).