LOST SIGNAL. IntervenΘ›ii: Miki Velciov

The ”LOST SIGNAL exhibition. Interventions: Miki Velciov” is the second insert in the LOST SIGNAL series, at MNȚRplusC. If the first exhibition in the LOST SIGNAL series deals with the case of a Recovery: Eugenia MureΘ™an (the case study of one of the multiple manifestations that appear sporadically in the rural environment, which we identify as unpolished talents), the second one identifies the artistic intervention that appears sporadically in isolated natural environments or spaces that are difficult for the public to access.

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LOST SIGNAL. Where the cell phone loses signal.

The first images on the public website of the artist Miki Velciov are frames captured with a macro lens of grass blades projected in the foreground over an anthropic intervention, easily identifiable as the author’s intervention/installation. They are the site-specific interventions, which can be viewed from a single (privileged) point to be experienced in the spirit thought by Miki Velciov. But as they are often made in places very difficult to reach for any art lover, most of the time they can be seen in the form of a documentation, in a photo series or a video, in which the artist often appears and moves in the frame to reveal to the viewer the real structure of the installation, which at first glance is a trompe l’oeuil, in the form of a 2D image. Only with a close look does the spell of trompe l’oeuil quickly break, revealing the three-dimensional character of the artistic work.

Miki Velciov’s interventions are located on the border between installation art, activism for the preservation of the natural environment and green architecture.

Concerned with the conservation of natural space and the effects of anthropogenic factors (such as oil, coil exploitation and the cultivation of monocultures) in accelerated expansion, Miki Velciov aims to explore some natural spaces that are as logistically difficult as possible. The results of his work are ingeniously staged, with minimal material resources, which, however, often require precise calculations, starting from on-site plan measurements, then corroborated with light angles, with the direction of air or water currents, with optimal positioning according to the cardinal points, etc. All this requires a good mastery of some notions related to physics, geography, geology, mathematics, perspective, anamorphosis and a good observation and orientation in the natural space, not indexed on google maps.

The exhibition at MNȚRplusC is a compilation of images and video materials that present in the form of case studies the artist’s recent concerns related to the conservation of natural space through these artistic interventions. Along with these examples of land-art, the exhibition will contain a video interview conducted in the summer of 2023, in the form of a workshop discussion between the curator and the artist.

Curator: Ilina Schileru

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Artist bio: Born in 1968, Miki Velciov lives and works in Timisoara, Romania. A graduate of the BA/MA Painting Department at the Faculty of Fine Arts and Design, West University of TimiΘ™oara, Velciov works on the interference between painting, object, installation, video and land art. He began by studying the primordial elements of nature, such as earth, water, air, fire, making a veritable x-ray of the hidden layers of reality that reveal the danger of the life of so-called meaningless creatures such as insects or plants. During his master’s degree, he focused on the earth and its life forms. But, more than that, he intended to go beyond the purely material dimension of the earth, approaching it through the prism of contemporary socio-political aspects (One cubic meter of life, 2015). Hence, his installations, such as Uprooting (2013) or In Terra Pax (2016) to Breath In / Breath Out (2017), reveal a loss of balance between man and nature through the overexploitation of resources, and hence the phenomenon of migration. Starting with Big Brother (2014) and the Oculus series (2015, 2016), Velciov became interested in the ubiquity of surveillance and excessive control practiced in totalitarian societies. Moreover, the artist became known for his privileged installations, which reveal, through various forms of spatial restriction, the illusion of absolute control and the impossibility of the utopian perfection of these systems (Shock Wave / 2016, Temporary Fencing / 2016, Turgidum / 2018, Triandra / 2019).

The Interventions exhibition: Miki Velciov is part of the extended project LOST SIGNAL: Recoveries and Interventions, co-financed by AFCN, which questions stereotypes related to rurality in relation to urbanity and ageism, within the MNTRplusC program, space for contemporary art and social dialogue, located in the basement of the National Museum of the Romanian Peasant, coordinated in an artist-run system.

Cultural project co-financed by the Administration of the National Cultural Fund. The project does not necessarily represent the position of the National Cultural Fund Administration. AFCN is not responsible for the content of the project or how the results of the project may be used. These are entirely the responsibility of the beneficiary of the funding.

Project team: Ioana Bogdan (manager), Evantia Barca (PR and communication), Miki Velciov (artist), Ilina Schileru (curator), Alexandru Busuioceanu (photography).