Born in 1977 in Oradea, Romania

Lives and works in Paris, France & Cluj Napoca, Romania 

Having grown up in Eastern Europe during the Communist era, Mircea Cantor frequently draws on his own memory to explore the realities of power and the disintegration of cultural boundaries. He often positions himself at the crossroads between worlds, acting as an observer of societies and cultures and encouraging comparisons between differing attitudes and beliefs. The picture of an incandescent light bulb as will not be seen any more in a few years’ time, rendered obsolete by energy saving policies, is shown in Which Light Kills You in an almost anatomical way, lit this time by means of a light box, rather than illuminating by itself. Some flies are stuck to the bulb, with their wings burnt in their suicidal determination to reach the light. This strong image naturally leads to this parable: because light and heat attract as a source of pleasure, they can also burn, therefore becoming a source of danger. The installation Geschäft ist Geschäft plays with symbolic reflection. The work is composed of a neon sign, forming the cynical proverb “Geschäft ist Geschäft” (Business is business) which can only be read in a mirror on the facing wall, also including the viewer’s reflection. Broken mirror shards evoking diamonds are stuck into horse manure and complete this device. With the mirror and the false gemstones topped by the proverb, the artist refers, with very ordinary images, to an economic sphere made of pretenses and swindling.