BAD RELIGION 02
A COLLECTION OF GRAFFITI ART MADE BY MENTALLY ILL, CHILDREN AND OTHER UNTRAINED ARTISTS. a CELEBRATION OF THE RAW AND INNOCENT VISION.
9 prints on cartoon and a book
The works are currently being displayed at group exhibition called Special Megick 2, at MEMO + Gallery in Cluj-Napoca, Romania.
SPECIAL MAGICK 2 represents the continuation of the exhibitional project GROTA, as well as a reaction to the exaggerated rent prices and the contemporary artistic scene of recent years. Its core DIY style, although recontextualized, retains a trashy spirit, motivated by its purpose to promote artists with little visibility, whose work isn’t institutionally determined. The participating artists, despite differing in terms of visual language, are driven by a common ideology that promotes honesty and absolute authenticity. Both the irony and magic produced by juxtaposing the separate practices of the 6 artists is representative of the exercise of bringing innately obscure elements to light.
GROTA was a DIY project founded by Bandi Sasha and Dragoș Bere that opened in 2013 in Cluj-Napoca. Not having the necessary opportunities, money and support to open a "serious" gallery, the two decided to create an exhibition space in the basement of Sasha's parents' basement, as a reaction to the contemporary art scene and as a form of artistic solidarity. During the 2 years of activity, there were 8 group and solo exhibitions and 14 artists were exhibited. In 2015 Grota ceased its activity due to the impossibility of renting a similar space, exaggerated rents and personal financial pressures.
