Vlad Olariu`s exhibition – Glory Holes, by Monica Dănilă

Beginning on April 14, the Museum of Art in Cluj-Napoca will open an exhibition entitled Glory Holes, where sculptures by Vlad Olariu will be on display until the 15th of May 2016.

The title might sound ironic, but it includes one of the elements that his exhibit`s works have in common: holes. The pieces  are made of polystyrene, covered in a cold grey paint to give the impression of hard concrete, damaged by rough and aimless holes. Yet these works are not only covered in holes, they also depict  human figures, in heroic postures, recalling Greek and Roman sculptures; and some portray contemporary events while some are just abstract.

 They call this a sculpture exhibition, but the works are done on a flat surface, more like a relief, so it does not hold the same characteristics as the typical museum sculpture. The pieces are playful, arranged in various ways: on the wall, leaning on the wall, up on old, repainted barrels and trash cans.

 The artist constructed a glaring connection between the artworks and the other objects present in the exhibition (old barrels, trash cans, a plant etc), which were painted in bright colours, mainly red. It was an unconventional approach.

Vlad Olariu is a young artist, a graduate of the sculpture department of Art and Design University of Cluj-Napoca, being one of the most productive and active sculptors in Cluj-Napoca in the last decade.

Bibliography:

http://www.macluj.ro/vlad-olariu.html