A finger prick in a sweet dream
Andriana Oborocean, Matei Toșa, Paul Robaș and Alexandra MocanVernissage: Friday, 01.09.2023 19:00 - 21:00
hosted by Przyszła Niedoszła
ul. Brechta 17a, Warszawa

vernissage 01.09.23, 19-21:00

Stroboskop and Przyszla Niedoszła (PL), in collaboration with MATCA Artspace (RO), presents the pop-up exhibition, A finger prick in a sweet dream, featuring the work of four artists trained in Cluj: Andriana Oborocean, Matei Toșa, Paul Robaș and Alexandra Mocan.The exhibition is the result of a more extensive collaboration initiated by MATCA, The Alternative Exchange. Shaped by the need to form alternatives that facilitate the visibility and mobility of Romanian and international artists, through mutual exposure, exchange of experiences and cooperative learning methods, the project was inspired by the need for solidarity with the broader artist-run scene, and the general needs of artists who benefit from exhibitions and meetings, and other opportunities which occur in such spaces. The Alternative Exchange is a collaboration between six artist-run initiatives from international cities: 5533 - Istanbul, Stroboskop + Przyszła Niedoszła - Warsaw, Funnel - Belgrade, Aether - Sofia, Heerz Tooya - Veliko Tarnovo, and NEW NOW - Frankfurt.


*exhibition documentation below*

Andriana Oborocean (b. 1995, Transnistria, Republic of Moldova) is a multidisciplinary artist currently living and working in Cluj-Napoca, Romania. She creates works designed to provoke emotional and psychological responses by exploring topics such as identity, vulnerability and the emotional touch between people, nature and technology. In her art practice she often incorporates mystical and ethereal elements, presented in worlds that are familiar but distorted by her own unique perceptions and experiences. Anthropomorphism is a consistent theme found in his work. Andriana endows objects with human-like attributes and emotions, instilling a sense of life and personality into each piece.

Alexandra Mocan (b.1991, Cluj-Napoca - lives and works here) Her works are generally configured around the tension between pessimism and optimism - and the irony that can be found at their border. Resilience and methods to improve social/human conditions are at the basis of many of her works - whether the inspiration from which they derive is specific to Balkan culture, Asian philosophies, or inspired by failure and decay. She frequently uses text in her works, or there are texts or a title that fuels her inspiration. At the same time she likes to reinterpret already existing objects - sometimes even clichés - and uses 'theft' demonstratively - often to boycott against the idea of originality, or at least to speculate that our sources of inspiration can derive from banalities. Graduate of the MA program in painting at UAD Cluj, in addition to her own art practice, she is one of the co-founders of the artist-run space MATCA artspace.

Paul Robaș (b. 1989, Baia-Mare) lives and works in Vienna, Austria. With a background in Graphics, Paul turned during the last years of his practice to painting. He usually looks to express in his works images that rather look quotidian - which, after a closer look reveal some hidden meaning. He usually depicts soft images, warm and vivid, usually touched by upcoming disasters or plot twists.

Matei Toșa (b. 1993, Cluj-Napoca) Preoccupied with finding an answer for what makes him draw (or why he does it), his instincts derive from prior experiences of working and being raised among sculpture, where he developed his attention to space and form in relation to ambiance, to what is surrounding him, or in relation to his early memories. The way he thinks his works is triggered by how a story can emerge or be transformed when something from its natural environment is twitched. He is mainly interested in how a given thing can express different particularities if its rule is changed or a glitch is added into its pattern, and he pushes this method forward and forward in his works, where generating new meanings or fictions is developed through the whole experiment of layering, almost like preparing a collage. The ordinary, the mundane, hold an important role in what constitutes his choice in what to illustrate, often relating to reality in an ironic way in his works, where ordinary circumstances are disturbed by uncanny events - while adding some action around quiet neighborhoods or situations where nothing seems to be ever happening. Graduate of the MA program of the graphics department from the University of Art and Design from Cluj-Napoca, he`s active in running MATCA artspace, space he’s one of the founders of.

This project is co-financed by the Romanian Cultural Institute through the Cantemir Programme - a funding framework for cultural projects intended for the international environment.The Romanian Cultural Institute cannot be held responsible for the content of this material.



exhibition documentation by Paul Robaș