Utopian Body
October 05, 2024
Claudiu Ciobanu | Utopian Body, Artep Gallery, Iasi. Through his works, Claudiu Ciobanu investigates the nature of the relationship between reason, identity, and the human condition. His research starts with the study of the human capacity to perceive and analyze the physical body, an endeavor possible both from the perspective of one’s own body and through the perception of other human bodies. However, this perception is not manifested so much through the body itself but through the mind’s ability to coordinate it. The key point from which the artist begins is a concept deeply explored by the philosopher Michel Foucault in the work that also lends its title to the current exhibition – Utopian Body.
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Through his works, Claudiu Ciobanu investigates the nature of the relationship between reason, identity, and the human condition. His research starts with the study of the human capacity to perceive and analyze the physical body, an endeavor possible both from the perspective of one’s own body and through the perception of other human bodies. However, this perception is not manifested so much through the body itself but through the mind’s ability to coordinate it. The key point from which the artist begins is a concept deeply explored by the philosopher Michel Foucault in the work that also lends its title to the current exhibition – Utopian Body.
As part of his research in Berlin under the Artistic Residency 110 program (2024), the artist studied how the theme of body politics is approached on the international art scene and how saturated it has become. Claudiu Ciobanu analyzes and reflects on both the modes of representation and the types of discourse possible through various media of expression, building his own utopia: thus, he chooses to paint heads – symbols of the mind. These heads are devoid of age, gender, race, or distinctive features, becoming a universal canvas, open to the viewer’s interpretation. They are neutral, suggesting that the mind is the generator of all connections, perceptions, and identities.
In resonance with Foucault's view that knowledge and power are closely intertwined, the head in Claudiu Ciobanu's works becomes a symbol of knowledge. The mind is what faces challenges, but it also creates them, and this duality is explored by the artist through a "Babylon" of faces – faces that belong to no one and yet to everyone.
The colors add an additional layer of meaning, inviting unconditioned interpretations – for some, red may evoke anger, for others, love. Thus, the same color can give rise to antagonistic narratives in the minds of different observers, highlighting the subjective nature of perception.
One element that operates and imprints a rhythm in the exhibition is the materiality of the characters, specifically their transparency. This can be viewed as a metaphor for the human condition, suggesting that the mind is, in fact, enclosed in a glass globe – influenceable, fragile, exposed like an open book, and more than that, vulnerable.
From Claudiu Ciobanu's perspective, vulnerability is born in the mind and manifests in the body, a body that we often manipulate clumsily, as an expression of our inner hesitations. We feel vulnerable in our bodies because of how we look, our weight, age, race, or illnesses, and we label these as flaws. However, the vulnerability we associate with our body is more mental than physical. It is a universal condition that transcends geographical, cultural, and linguistic boundaries, uniting humanity in a shared experience – vulnerability.
Often, vulnerability is what hinders evolution. We become trapped in it, prisoners of a mental state that exists only in our own perception. Through his works, Claudiu Ciobanu challenges us to confront these vulnerabilities, to see ourselves in the transparent faces he creates, and to reflect on our own minds. He invites us to look into a virtual mirror that transforms us into one of the characters in his works, making us aware of our own transparency.
By recognizing and overcoming these vulnerabilities, the artist suggests that it is the mind that shapes the body – it perceives, presents, degrades, and also honors it. We all possess, in fact, a utopian body, a point zero from which we can start anew, and which we can choose to instrumentalize to ennoble ourselves. In Utopian Body, Claudiu Ciobanu invites us to look beyond our material dimension to discover the true essence of our humanity – fragile and strong, vulnerable and capable.
Curator: Cristiana Ursache