Mihai Gui

In 2013 I graduated with a BA in Photography from the National University of Arts in Bucharest, Romania. After a one year break, I enrolled in the Photography Master program at AKV St. Joost from which I graduated in 2016.
My current practice revolves more around research rather than tangible works, though it has been punctuated over the years by a few group exhibitions and events including RE: (2016 – Graduation show) at the Melkweg Expo in Amsterdam; MAPH on tour (2015 – Residency / Group show) at  Club SOLO in Breda; Re-Action in F(ilm) (2015 – Research lab for St. Joost) at the EYE in Amsterdam; In timp ce dispare gloria lumii / While the world’s glory fades (2015 – Group show) at Platforma Space in Bucharest; and Leapsa pe jumatate terminata / Tag half played-out (2013 – Group show) at Atelier 35 in Bucharest.

Operating within a diversity of mediums, my artistic practices focus on challenging the established value of art in contemporary society. I aim to use artistic means in order to potentiate change and renegociation of power flows in and around different social issues. The goal is to create work that does more than observe, narrate or critique a story, moulding, altering and becoming part of it. It is through this process that I wish to ask the questions “WHAT can art DO?” and “WHY must art DO?”

The discourse and path that I choose to take in this endeavour represent my way of dealing and problematizing the relation between art and society. My personal fascinations and goals have started narrowing down more and more on creating socially relevant and impactful art. This is to say that I would like to open up the question of art as a catalyst for change, or as a process of changing the status-quo in itself, as much as possible rather than a tool for raising awareness or putting the spotlight on certain issues. Is it possible for art to open up negotiations of positions of powers outside of the art world and truly help mould them?